 Movie
Reviews
with Evelyn Gough
The Upside of Anger (M)
Written and directed by Mike Binder
 Oh
my God it's Kevin Costner. Talk to the hand...
If there's an upside of anger then there is definitely an upside of getting
older. Just ask Kevin Costner. He's said goodbye to his pretty boy looks, had
the stick removed from his backside and given one of the best performances of
his career in The Upside of Anger.
He plays Denny Davies, ex-baseball champ and neighbour of Terry Wolfmeyer (Joan
Allen). It's Terry who is angry.
She's mad because her husband has run off with his Swedish secretary, leaving
her to raise their four daughters, Hadley (Alicia Watt), Andy (Erika Christensen),
Emily (Keri Russell), and 15-year-old Popeye (Evan Rachael Wood).
Denny's always fancied Terry and he's more than happy to be her drinking buddy
as she drowns her sorrows in vodka. Pretty soon he's a semi-permanent fixture
in the Wolfmeyer household. He likes the company and the free food and even when
things are stressful, which a lot of the time they are as the girls bumble their
way through life, he still prefers it to his own home.
So, do Terry and Denny become lovers? Does Terry become an alcoholic? Who dies?
Is Mike Binder a sleaze in real life or is he just a really good actor?
One thing's for sure, he's an excellent writer and director. And he must be
really in touch with his feminine side as we're talking major chick-flick here.
He knows how to write for women and how to direct them, garnering top-notch performances
from all his actors.
This is one of the better written and definitely one of the most entertaining
films I've seen all year and just like real life it's funny, sad and often a tad
frustrating. Is there an upside of anger? You'll have to see the movie to find
out.
Rating: 
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