The Upside of Anger
#1 in my 2006 movie challenge was The Upside of Anger, starring Joan Allen and Kevin Costner, directed by Mike Binder. Allen’s rage at the departure of her husband, ostensibly with his Swedish secretary, is a marvel to behold. Her neck tendons are SCARY. Costner is believable and charming as an aging, has-been hero–is he playing himself? Both leads are engaging, though the characters of Allen’s four daughters are less so.
January 18th, 2006 at 6:43 am
i thought that movie was breathtakingly, stunningly BAD.
January 18th, 2006 at 4:37 pm
I was definitely disappointed in it, esp. since Ebert and Roeper, whose reviews I am usually able to read well enough to know whether I’ll like what they like, were waxing rhapsodic over Joan Allen specifically and the movie generally. I did really like her performance, and found her character–the nice housewife who gets burned and turns boozy and bitchy–to be very funny/cathartic/sympathetic. I also really enjoyed Costner as the boozy loser who’s not a bad guy. Most of the rest of it, though, I either was indifferent to or actively didn’t like. The ending gets worse with time and thought. None of the daughters was interestingly or believably characterized.The director’s turn as the sleazy producer was more sleazy than funny. So I enjoyed it for the two main characters, and tried not to be too annoyed at the rest.
January 24th, 2006 at 11:56 am
Hello!
I have to agree. I was looking forward to watching this movie and when I finally saw it - uugghh! It was awful. I think that the promotional clips gave the movie more of an edge than it actually had. I could not believe how boring this movie was.
February 5th, 2006 at 8:51 am
I was trying to be positive about having watched the film and find the good points, but it’s one of those films that gets worse the further I get from it. I don’t disagree with what either of you said, though I do think it had some redeeming points.