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Movies / Upcoming / The Upside of Anger
The Upside of Anger

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The Upside of Anger (2005)

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Reviews Counted:167

Fresh:122

Rotten:45

Average Rating:6.7/10

Consensus: A comedy/ drama for grown-ups, with fine performances by Joan Allen and Kevin Costner.

Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $18,742,061

Synopsis: Starring Joan Allen, THE UPSIDE OF ANGER spans three years of a woman's life following her husband's sudden disappearance. Terry Wolfmeyer (Allen), an affluent suburban Detroit wife and mother,... Starring Joan Allen, THE UPSIDE OF ANGER spans three years of a woman's life following her husband's sudden disappearance. Terry Wolfmeyer (Allen), an affluent suburban Detroit wife and mother, goes from a paragon of sweetness to a volcano of rage in the wake of her husband's desertion; she thinks he has jetted off to Sweden with his Swedish secretary. Barely holding it together for her four daughters (distinctively played by Alicia Witt, Keri Russell, Erika Christensen, and Evan Rachel Wood), Terry fitfully adjusts while befriending Denny Davies (Costner), a retired baseball player and radio personality up the street who shares her love of the all-day cocktail hour. Allen is a delightful force, displaying serious comedic talent and effortlessly stealing each scene. She glows with an unaffected sexiness, while Costner shines as the seemingly all-wrong man who turns out to be completely right. Writer-director Mike Binder casts a keenly perceptive eye on male-female relationships, a topic he also explored in his critically-acclaimed HBO series THE MIND OF THE MARRIED MAN. Binder also appears in a role as Denny's producer Shep, a shallow womanizer with surprisingly resonant reasons for being shallow. As the three years pass, Terry and her daughters are confronted with varying individual situations, choices, and compromises, with moments that ring true in ways both moving and strikingly funny. THE UPSIDE OF ANGER is an ideal combination of drama and humor. [More]

Starring: Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Erika Christensen, Alicia Witt

Starring: Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Erika Christensen, Alicia Witt, Evan Rachel Wood, Keri Russell, Mike Binder

Director: Mike Binder

Director: Mike Binder
Producer: Alex Gartner, Jack Binder, Sammy Lee
Composer: Alexandre Desplat
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Reviews for The Upside of Anger

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
N/R

Urban Cinefile Critics

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 18 2008 07:45 AM

Urban Cinefile

N/R

Luke Buckmaster

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 18 2005 03:15 AM

In Film Australia

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 13 2005 03:16 AM

Sydney Morning Herald

N/R

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 29 2009 03:16 AM

Cinema Crazed

splat
C-

Cole Smithey

Writer/director/actor Mike Binder (writer on HBO's "The Mind Of The Married Man") is to blame for this melodramatic game of Three Card Monte.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 16 2009 12:04 PM

ColeSmithey.com

splat
2/4

Joe Lozito

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 14 2007 06:10 AM

Big Picture Big Sound

tomato

Anton Bitel

Always more than a mere by-numbers domestic drama, The Upside of Anger is desperately, darkly funny, with dialogue to, er, die for, and a perfect cast.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 02 2007 04:04 AM

musicOMH.com

N/R

Philip French

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 12 2007 05:34 AM

Observer [UK]

tomato
4/5

Matthew Turner

Engaging, brilliantly directed, frequently funny and ultimately moving drama with a terrific script and superb performances from Allen and Costner.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 08:54 AM

ViewLondon

tomato
3/5

Derek Malcolm

Very watchable.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 08:45 AM

This is London

tomato
3/5

Neil Smith

A grandstanding performance from Joan Allen is the main attraction in this suburban dramacom.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 08:24 AM

thelondonpaper

tomato
3/5

The final twist is misjudged, and it doesn't cohere at any level; but some funny moments.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 07:58 AM

Independent

tomato
3.5/5

Johnny Vaughan

Hilarious, moving and intoxicating.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 07:37 AM

Sun Online

splat
2/5

David Edwards

Self-pitying and saccharine, this big whining ball of dross drags itself across the screen for two interminable hours, climaxing in a twist ending that comes with neon road signs attached.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 07:31 AM

Daily Mirror [UK]

tomato
3/5

Neil Smith

Entertaining but flawed look behind suburbia’s twitching curtains.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 07:14 AM

Total Film

tomato

Tim Robey

This is well worth investigating.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 04:19 AM

Daily Telegraph

tomato
3/5

Peter Bradshaw

Showy and door-slamming but very watchable.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 04:13 AM

Guardian [UK]

tomato
4/5

James Christopher

A superior suburban chick flick.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 03:57 AM

Times [UK]

tomato
3/5

Anna Smith

While beautifully cast and acted, this focuses on its comic strengths to the detriment of the drama, creating an unbalanced tone and leading to self-conscious attempts at serious observation. A pleasant watch, but nowhere near as profound as it thinks it

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 03:38 AM

Channel 4 Film

tomato
4/5

Ian Nathan

Compelling and honest with flashes of dark humour which makes this a meaty comedy drama.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 02:30 AM

Empire Magazine

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for The Upside of Anger

June 08, 2006: Sandler to Star in 9/11 Drama
Big-screen comedian Adam Sandler is going to get a little more serious for his next role. He'll be starring in Mike Binder's 9/11 drama "Empty City," along with Don... More...

February 21, 2006: Actress Trio Joins Sandler's "Reign"
Actresses Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows, and Jada Pinkett-Smith will be joining Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle in "Reign O'er Me," a post-9/11 drama from "Upside of... More...

January 11, 2006: Chicago Critics Pick Their 2005 Winners (and Iowa!)
The Chicago Film Critics Group announced their nominees just before New Years' Eve, and they reconvened this week to vote on their year-end favorites. Also, the Iowa Film... More...

January 10, 2006: Online Film Critics Offer Their Annual Nominations
The OFCS, which is hosted right here at Rotten Tomatoes and (full disclosure) includes yours truly as a member, announced their year-end nominations yesterday ... and we hope... More...

See All

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