Diagonaldi Very well executed

Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

LastingAware The greatest movie ever!

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Joey Costanza *** out of **** starsI must admit, that when I first saw the trailer for The Upside of Anger, it came across to me as perhaps boring, perhaps shallow, perhaps cliché. It's nothing of the sort. What we have here is a melding of flavors; something of a Woody Allen/Coen brothers hybrid coasting along the seasons of Michigan. Humor is not without despondency. Dialouge is not without wit. The silent contemplation of the characters is not without the disturbing yet comforting contemplation by us as viewers. It's always a surprising pleasure, no matter how much I experience it, to witness silent acting that reads between the lines, and tells a story without superfluous jargon. You gotta know when to talk, but you gotta know when to shut up too.Terry Wolfmeyer (Joan Allen) is a mother of four high school and college age daughters, and her husband has surprisingly run off with his secretary to a land far, far away. As we learn more about Terry, we can see why. She's continuously boozy yet functioning, sadly and hysterically cynical, systematically bitter, unknowingly shallow and insultingly forward. Her daughters are all headstrong and smart, trying to find their way in the world. Terry has her own idea of how they should live their lives and plan their futures, not recognizing their inherent talents and strengths, or not choosing to. Denny (Kevin Costner), a friend of the disappeared hubby, shows up on Terry's lawn with a beer in his hand, wanting a drinking buddy. We instantaneously sense a relationship will ensue, but it doesn't happen without the difficulty and maturity that can only take place between two adults in their 40's or 50's who have been through the ringer a time or two. All the daughters approve of him, which is probably why Terry is so slow to come around to his quirky advances. Denny is an ex-Detroit Tiger hero who hates talking about his once beloved sport as a radio DJ. Will Costner ever shake that America's favorite pastime vibe? He doesn't need to here. It works out just fine. Yet what has made him so reluctant and irritated about chatting up RBIs and home-runs is an underdeveloped part of the narrative. The film really belongs to Allen.What gives Upside so much light and life are the daughters, played by Erika Christensen, Evan Rachel Wood, Keri Russell and Alicia Witt. All of them obviously and equally understood what screenwriter and director Mike Binder intended for them to bring to the screen, which puts much light on him for either not allowing himself to compromise his vision, or for selecting the correct choices of talent, or both. Binder also co-stars as an unashamed, disgusting Lothario, and a producer at Denny's radio station.I believe The Upside of Anger will appeal to all ages (kids aside of course) and all breeds of movie watchers. Ladies may enjoy it as a "chick flick". Indie enthusiasts may like it's originality and dark charm. Middle aged men may identify with Denny's apathy for a sport he once loved and the attraction he has for Terry's melodramatic family. In short, I think this movie can interest and entertain everyone. And what a complement that is! If I do say so myself.

TheEmulator23 This is one of those films that I watched because I have an anger problem myself. Worse than that 9/10 it is justified or even directed correctly. This is such a film that explores the relationship we all have w/anger. Like another comment said, "The Joan Allen show," that is totally correct. Kevin Costner is good here too, but only as a supporting role, which is a good thing at this point in his career. Please watch this film so that we shouldn't judge before we know all the facts. Many of us judge or get angry too easily because we don't know the whole story, I'm one of those people. Here's hoping this might change some people from getting too upset too easily.

S.R. Dipaling Terry Ann Wolfemeyer(Joan Allen)is feeling life cave in around her. Her daughters are seemingly growing up too fast,her drinking is coming WAY too easily and she's just found out that her husband's been cheating on her with his Swedish secretary/assistant. As if this isn't bad enough,said hubby disappears,apparently running off with said mistress.IN her desire to not drink alone,she makes the company of an equally boozy former major league pitcher named Denny DAvies(Kevin Costner,in what feels like his eighteenth movie where he's a baseball player).Together,they stumble along to something approximating a relationship in their own clumsy,inebriated way,and also come to an understanding that in their loneliness and drinking,their apparent lack of having much else in common might be more superficial than they either expected.Great performances by Costner(who's a real RE-discovery here),Allen and--as Allen's sharp and increasingly opinionated daughters--Evan Rachel Wood,Keri Russell,Alicia Witt and Erika Christensen buoy this movie directed by and co-written by one-time stand-up comic Mike Binder(who also co-stars as Denny's radio producer and erstwhile friend). This sis certainly a good cheap rent if not a top-dollar ticket viewing experience. Give it a try and see if you don't agree.

bumfrombrooklyn1 Serious. This was NOT my idea for a night choice at the local Power Video. Girl comes over. Date. Her pick. Chick flick. Hoo-Boy. Pop in DVD. Sit, popcorn, hope it all ends, painlessly, soon. Wow, what a surprise! I loved this film so much. Probably more than the lady! This is the first time I sat through a Mike Binder movie, a guy I kind of vaguely remember as 'that Crow dude from Minority Report', but other than that I shook my head. I had no idea who this guy was, or that he was making films, or that he was terrific actor, AND squeezed the best performance ever out of a waning shyster of a movie-star Kevin Costner. What a great set of characters! It's a shame this film was kind of relegated to the chick flick section of the local video store, because I think a lot of guys will relate to Costner's Denny or Binder's shady radio producer character. And the females! Binder loves loves loves his females.. Just stunning character acting. See it for Costner, Joan Allen and Mike Binder's hilarious performance. If I didn't know Binder made the upcoming Reign Over Me, I would be the guy in the movie theatre snorting at those previews. But what can I say? I want to see it now!