The Upside of Anger

Amazon.com

The sight of two lost souls finding something unavoidably necessary in each other carries The Upside of Anger through it pleasant episodic drift. When Terry Wolfmeyer (Joan Allen) realizes that her husband won't be coming home again, she hits the skids and the bottle, leaving her four thunderstruck daughters (Alicia Witt, Keri Russell, Erika Christensen, and Evan Rachel Wood) to fend for themselves while she fends off the attentions of concerned neighbor Denny Davies (Kevin Costner). Writer/director Mike Binder (who has a good bit as Costner's sleazy producer) juggles too many subplots in this comedy/drama--his charming young actresses are all but wasted--then tosses in a wrongheaded climactic twist and terrible explanatory narration from young Wood. But the two leads do career-best turns: If you've given up hope on Costner, you'll be surprised by his shaggy dog appeal as a perpetually soused radio show host/faded ex-baseball star, while Allen's boozy, brittle performance is so remarkable that even her comic drunkenness is nuanced. --Steve Wiecking

Description

A touching yet humorous film about a woman who finds her and her daughters' lives changed by a former baseball star who steps into her life as her drinking buddy.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary #1 with Director Mike Binder, Joan Allen and moderated by filmaker Rod Lurie
Deleted Scenes:Deleted scenes with commentary by Director Mike Binder (approx. 10 minutes)
Documentary:approx. 30 minutes
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Good film.......2007-09-12

I don't profess to be a film buff so I can't critique really well. But I do feel like this is a film that was overlooked by a lot of people somehow and it deserved more. The story has stayed with me and I think in a large part that is due to the spectacular performance by the cast. There is not a weak link present. I was pleasantly surprised by Keri Russell (I'd dismissed her as the Felicity girl), especially. If you have not watched this film, please give it a shot. I'm going to add it to my personal DVD collection.

poignant and lovely.......2007-04-09

The movie has a star-studded cast, but no one competes for the space on screen. The script is smartly handled. The movie also handles the change of seasons, to show the passing time, very well. It brings a good point about anger and about knowing all sides of the story. I agree that the truth is only every partially correct. This movie made me miss quite a few people I haven't spoken with in a while and wonder about lost ties and misunderstandings.

Family hour!.......2007-03-31

When I watch this with my wife, it's called "The Upside of Anger." When I watch it by myself, it's called "Brian Moore in Taboo VII."

Please enter a title for your review.......2007-03-03

It's really unclear how well the mom and Kevin Costner know each other. It's like it keeps jumping back and forth between seeming like they just met and seeming like they've known each other for ages. If the mom character is supposed to be someone who watches a lot of daytime soaps and fancies herself as being a character in one of them than the actress did a good job at conveying that.
You could learn a lot from this movie though. Like apparently in the 14 year old dating world the line "i'm from a broken home" goes over well with bunjee jumping enthusiasts.
After the first half hour I stopped waiting for it to make sense.

A very good film.......2007-02-16

This film is the bittersweet tale of a family coming to terms with life and each other. Written and directed by Mike Binder, it starts out at a funeral and then flashes back three years into the past. It's primarily a love story between the estranged wife Terry Wolfenmeyer played by Joan Allen, and the semi-retired ex baseball jock neighbor, Denny Davies played by Kevin Costner. Terry's husband has apparently run off to Sweden with his receptionist leaving her and her four adolescent daughters to fend for themselves. Terry is torn up by the betrayal and turns to alcohol as a crutch, which works out well for Denny, who starts out as her drinking buddy.

Denny can tell how hurt Terry really his, and provides quiet support when she needs it. Each of the four daughters and her relationship with their mother is also a sub-plot, and this helps the film be more true to life than many films. The dialogue is witty and well-written. Joan Allen, though, really shines in this movie. Her portrayal of the bitter, almost alcoholic, betrayed wife is just phenomenal. Her sniping with her daughters and her facial expressions are just spot on. A truly great and memorable performance. Costner, although, not quite as good as Allen, does a solid job of playing Denny. Overall, I thought this was one of Costner's better performances.

There are moments of this film that are laugh at loud funny, and moments that are touchingly sad. Again that makes this film more realistic, and is a credit to Mike Binder who wrote and directed the film. He also plays a good bit role as Denny's sleazy radio producer.

The cinematography is well done, with the passing seasons used to show the passage of time. Too many romantic comedies happen in a kind of frozen landscape, where the story is the only thing important, and nothing outside of the story changes. This film is different, the landscape changes, and, more importantly, the characters change over time, again much more realistic than most films.

My only real gripe about this film was the younger daughter's cheesy documentary being used as kind of the "message' of the film; "it's easier to react with anger than love". Yeah, yeah we get it, the old films of slapstick comedy and the cartoon characters banging each other over the head are superfluous. We especially get the message when Terry looks at her four daughters sitting together at the end of the film and imagines them as they were 15 years, 10 years and 5 years ago.

A great story, with great dialogue, solid cinematography, solid acting with a "one for the ages" performance by Joan Allen, combine to make this a very enjoyable film. Strongly recommended.

Charlie Rose with Fouad Ajami & Roger Cohen; Mahmood Mamdani; Mike Binder (March 8, 2005)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Fouad Ajami & Roger Cohen; Mahmood Mamdani; Mike Binder (March 8, 2005)

Manufacturer: "Charlie Rose, Inc."
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

A discussion about Bush's speech earlier today and the changes in the Middle East with Fouad Ajami of Johns Hopkins University and US News and World Report and Roger Cohen, columnist for the International Herald Tribune. Also, Mahmood Mamdani of Columbia University talks about his book Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror. Plus, filmmaker Mike Binder talks about The Upside of Anger.

Charlie Rose with Valery Giscard D'Estaing; Joan Allen (March 7, 2005)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Valery Giscard D'Estaing; Joan Allen (March 7, 2005)

Manufacturer: "Charlie Rose, Inc."
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

A discussion about the transatlantic relationship and the future of Europe with Valery Giscard D'Estaing, Former President of France. Also, Charlie Rose talks to actress Joan Allen about her new film, The Upside of Anger.

DVD:

DVD

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