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| Anger Management |
| Genre |
Comedy |
| Starring |
Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson |
| Director |
Peter Segal |
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“Anger Management” marks a return for Adam Sandler after a bit of an absence from films that were actually funny. Jack Nicholson and a great cast manages to produce a decent number of laughs, making this an enjoyable experience.
Like most people I was disgusted by “Little Nicky” and “Mr. Deeds”. I was worried that Sandler could not recapture the magic of his “Happy Gilmore”, “Wedding Singer” prime. Perhaps “Punch Drunk Love” revitalized his creativity. It also helps to have Jack Nicholson and a ridiculous number of cameos.
Guest appearances are made by Woody Harrelson (as a drag queen), John C. Reilly (as a Buddhist monk who gets a wedgie), Heather Graham, and Bobby Knight. But the those made by Roger Clemens, John McEnroe and especially Rudy Giuliani begin to seem excessive.
Sandler plays a mild-mannered guy named Dave Buznik, who just got a promotion at work and is in love with his fiancee, Linda (Marisa Tomei). Through a series of bizarre misunderstandings on an airplane trip, he is misdiagnosed as a person filled with rage, and assigned to therapy with the famed anger specialist Dr. Buddy Rydell (Nicholson). From there Buznik is taken to his mental and physical limits by Dr. Rydell’s bizarre methods.
In this role, Nicholson simply runs with abandon, a demonic glee in his eyes and his hair straight out of a Nick Nolte mugshot. He spouts hopeless homilies ("Temper is the one thing you can't get rid of by losing it") and, in a moment of absurd charm, forces an inwardly irritated Sandler to stop his car on a busy New York bridge and sing "I Feel Pretty" from "West Side Story."
One of the keys to the movie is you're never quite sure that Dave is the one most in need of professional help. Buddy is the more volatile of the pair: the question is the degree of method behind the madness.
Even some of the nutty supporting characters are appealing, such as Kevin Nealon as Dave's lousy lawyer (his method of "exposing" a blind man in court is brilliant.)
Sandler has a nice scene in a bar in which he's forced by Buddy (, to approach a beautiful woman (Heather Graham) with a coarse pickup line. His embarrassed, halting speech is comic and well-timed.
The only downfall might be that the tension goes on for a little too long and the film sags a bit at the two-third's mark. Just when you can't imagine how it'll all end, director Peter Segal (“Tommy Boy”) and writer David Dorfman come up with an unlikely, but amusing conclusion. (Remember “The Game”?)
It’s always important for critics to view comedies in the presence of a large audience. Whereas a drama’s merit can be heavily debated, comedies are judged primarily by the amounts of laughs they generate. This film got more laughs from the audience than “Old School” but not nearly as many as “American Pie 2”. But as far as comedy machines, Sandler is far ahead of Kevin Smith and the floundering Farrelly Brothers.
IN THE END: “Anger Management” has a great premise and moments of comic brilliance. This is classic Sandler with an all-star cast. A solid film if you can overlook the lame ending.
B- to B. |
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| "We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it." |
- Jack Nicholson
A Few Good Men
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Distributed Beers
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| 5 |
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
| 4 |
Guinness Draught |
| 3 |
Newcastle Brown Ale |
| 2 |
Bass Pale Ale |
| 1 |
Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
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