The Upside of Anger (2001)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Anthony L

  
  The only upside to this film is the twist ending that is only welcome because you end up hating the characters so much (I won't spoil the ending but I also wouldn't recommend this film). To be fair though, I thought Kevin Costner was pretty good in this and I liked his… More
  The only upside to this film is the twist ending that is only welcome because you end up hating the characters so much (I won't spoil the ending but I also wouldn't recommend this film). To be fair though, I thought Kevin Costner was pretty good in this and I liked his character. Joan Allen is good at what she does but what she does best is play really hateful people and sometimes (most of the time) they are not necessarily the kind of characters I enjoy. Erika Christensen, Keri Russell and Alicia Witt play hateful daughters of a hateful mother really well too because I now hate them and don't wish to see any other films that they are in. Evan Rachel Wood is forgiven and has more than made up for it since. Basically I found this film in the bargain bin and it had 'Incredibly funny' written on the sleeve. It's not 'Incredibly funny' but it does however belong in the bargain bin.

• Film C

  
  I really quite liked ths movie, it was a beautiful storyline and brilliantly acted as well! Its funny, dramatic sad and a powerful drama that really is inspiring as well! the story is about a wife who comes to believe her husband has betrayed her and left her for his receptionist so… More
  I really quite liked ths movie, it was a beautiful storyline and brilliantly acted as well! Its funny, dramatic sad and a powerful drama that really is inspiring as well! the story is about a wife who comes to believe her husband has betrayed her and left her for his receptionist so she comes so engrossed in her feelings of anger and betrayal that she ignores the fact she has a responsibility as a mother, this story is mainly about finding yourself and becoming a new person and that there is an upside to anger! A really good movie really wroth a watch Joan Allen is fantastic in this role!

• Jennifer X

  
  Whoa, SO not what I was expecting but surprisingly funny and touching at the strangest parts! Joan Allen is certainly a marvel, and the rest of the female supporting cast is pretty wonderful too. The ending was...very cathartic.

• Alice S

  
  Joan Allen is rock-awesome and ending is totally boss...BUT everything preceding it kinda sucked ass. Script is full of what Binder thought was clever at the time but really isn't in practice. The daughters have one identifying trait each and nothing beyond that. Also, the… More
  Joan Allen is rock-awesome and ending is totally boss...BUT everything preceding it kinda sucked ass. Script is full of what Binder thought was clever at the time but really isn't in practice. The daughters have one identifying trait each and nothing beyond that. Also, the three eldest all look the same age. Keri Russell is delightful but casting-wise, she should have been the eldest. The only well-written character is Terry but even then, I saw no trace of "the nicest person" Popeye spoke of. She had to have the potential to become mad and drunk. And since I haven't seen "Thirteen" yet, I'm still not convinced ERW is that great of an actress.

• Nani V

  
  Lovely film!

• Roy G

  
  Compelling and honest with flashes of dark humour which makes this a meaty comedy drama.

• Red L

  
  Yet another feel-good movie. Terry (Joan Allen) is left to fend for herself and raise four daughters when her husband disappears. Her neighbour and fellow drunk Denny (Kevin Costner) start to have feelings for each other. Does everybody live happily ever after?

• Dean M

  
  Amusing drama and Joan Allen is at her best in an excruciatingly tense and funny restaurant scene.

• Al S

  
  A pleasently entertaining, funny and warmhearted movie. The laughs are gut busting. A wonderful movie that has plenty of dramatic and comic effect. Joan Allen is fantastic. Kevin Costner has never been better.

• Michael G

  
  Kind of disappointing. Not as much drunken trainwreck anger as I was hoping for.

• Aaron N

  
  Watch out! There's children! Interesting comedy-drama, even though it has Costner.

• Mouhannad S

  
  "The Upside of Anger" at first look-this is just one another comedy for one woman,forsaken from her husband,because he is in love with his secretary.but it's not true.Terry{charming ms.Joan Allen}makes a mistake after mistake.she didn't know how to act with her… More
  "The Upside of Anger" at first look-this is just one another comedy for one woman,forsaken from her husband,because he is in love with his secretary.but it's not true.Terry{charming ms.Joan Allen}makes a mistake after mistake.she didn't know how to act with her daughters&friends after"the event".whole 3 years .and she has a feeling that nobody{even her close friend Danny}understand her.Terry blames the whole world and even didn't realize that.but we love her,because she is a human being like everyone of us with many of our problems.with support of Danny she annihilated most of those problems.she decided to stop drinking&absolved her daughters from her strict motherly control{and becomes twice grand mother}.in the end her anguish is over.how?just watch the movie.she{Terry} deserves your attention.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic][color=darkorange]"Upside of Anger" starts out with a funeral. Then, it flashes back three years to when Terry Wolfmeyer(Joan Allen) and Denny Davies(Kevin Costner) bond over alcohol - she's drinking vodka; he's drinking beer.(Was Budweiser a… More
  [font=Century Gothic][color=darkorange]"Upside of Anger" starts out with a funeral. Then, it flashes back three years to when Terry Wolfmeyer(Joan Allen) and Denny Davies(Kevin Costner) bond over alcohol - she's drinking vodka; he's drinking beer.(Was Budweiser a sponsor of this movie?) She's angry over having been left by her husband for his Swedish secretary. And this is most of my problem with the movie - it's natural to be angry and bitter after an event like that but all four of her daughters(each daughter has her irrelevant subplot) regard her with disdain but with no sympathy. I understand the need to move on but you have to be patient with the person in question and that's also in short supply. Oh and Davies is a retired ballplayer who is an on air radio personality who refuses to talk about baseball. (Lots of ex-ballplayers make their living this way. And as long as he pays his taxes I have no problem with this.) The main theme of "Upside of Anger" is that it is wrong to live in the past; but the movie clubs it to death and then drops it out of a very high window. Plus, the movie felt very manipulative.[/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#ff8c00][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#ff8c00]Kevin Costner was also playing a member of the Detroit Tigers in "For the Love of the Game." As a Detroit Tigers fan, I have to ask: what did we do to deserve this?[/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#ff8c00][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=green]"Don't Move" starts out with a shot looking down at the scene of an accident through a rainstorm. Teenaged Angela has been severely injured in the accident. Her father Timoteo(Sergio Castellitto) is a surgeon at that same hospital. His daughter's accident brings him to reminisce about the past - namely, his car breaking down on the edge of town on the hottest day of the summer. He goes to use the phone at the home of Italia(Penelope Cruz) and in a drunken rage, rapes her. He returns to again have rough sex with her and gives her money.[/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#008000]"Don't Move" is an Italian film that has some fairly high ambitions. The main theme concerns the very idea of forgiveness - can Timoteo be forgiven for what he has done? Or in more general, can men be forgiven for all the evil that they do? I don't think so, even if the film has other ideas...plus class plays a very important role in "Don't Move". Italia is a very poor seasonal worker but Timoteo's wife is quite wealthy. It's inferred that Timoteo is from a middle class background as he walks the line between the two. [/color][/font]

• Laura C

  
  I went into this film with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised. I have to say I saw this awhile ago and would have initially been tempted to give it 4 stars but having had the time to digest it, I really have to give it 3. I really enjoy Joan Allen in general and thought… More
  I went into this film with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised. I have to say I saw this awhile ago and would have initially been tempted to give it 4 stars but having had the time to digest it, I really have to give it 3. I really enjoy Joan Allen in general and thought this role was perfect for her. She manages to balance right on the edge of being completely self-indulgent in her misery. Teetering but never quite going over the edge. Her daughters however, are another story. The youngest, Lavender, played by Evan Rachel Wood was by far the most appealing. She possesses a depth and sensitivity beyond her years and the most reasonable character in the film. I normally can't stand Kevin Costner but I actually found I was attracted to his character. I loved how playful and self-depricating he was. He affably foils Allen's plans to live in isolation, wallowing in hurt and anger. The dialogue reminded me of a stage production and I think it would make a great play.

• Yinalí R

  
  A memorable movie about the facts of life. This is a must-see.

• Andrew F

  
  I thought it was good but not spectacular. The characters were all fully-developed. The ending was great.

• Daisy M

  
  <a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i32.tinypic.com/27yrew0.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> What's with me these days? All I saw was crap till now,… More
  <a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i32.tinypic.com/27yrew0.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> What's with me these days? All I saw was crap till now, including this one, The Upside of Anger. This movie was horrible, the acting was average, it was the same scene over and over again. The actors never grew or changed and nor did the plot. The movie had potential to be very good but it fell far short. The supposed theme of anger was just about an angry woman abandoned by the husband and she started drinking and ignoring her children. Don't waste your time, it had some laughable moments, but over all it was slow and boring.

• Magnus X

  
  "Anger and resentment can stop you in your tracks. That's what I know now. It needs nothing to burn but the air and the life that it swallows and smothers. It's real, though - the fury, even when it isn't. It can change you... turn you... mold you and shape you… More
  "Anger and resentment can stop you in your tracks. That's what I know now. It needs nothing to burn but the air and the life that it swallows and smothers. It's real, though - the fury, even when it isn't. It can change you... turn you... mold you and shape you into something you're not. The only upside to anger, then... is the person you become. Hopefully someone that wakes up one day and realize they're not afraid to take the journey, someone that knows that the truth is, at best, a partially told story. That anger, like growth, comes in spurts and fits, and in its wake, leaves a new chance at acceptance, and the promise of calm. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child." A great, funny romantic comedy written and directed by Mike Binder. Fantastic cinematography and a great cast with Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Alicia Witt, Keri Russell, Erika Christensen, Mike Binder and Evan Rachel Wood.

• Sunil J

  
  I actually like Kevin Costner in this.

• Leo L

  
  An interesting film!

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