To Sleep With Anger (1990)

75% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(450 ratings)

African-American drifter Danny Glover shows up at the LA doorstep of his old pal Paul Butler. In the spirit of auld lang syne, Butler takes Glover in, though his wife (Mary Alice) is not happy with this intrusion. She already has enough on her hands contending with her grown live-in son Richard… More African-American drifter Danny Glover shows up at the LA doorstep of his old pal Paul Butler. In the spirit of auld lang syne, Butler takes Glover in, though his wife (Mary Alice) is not happy with this intrusion. She already has enough on her hands contending with her grown live-in son Richard Brooks and his real-estate agent wife Sheryl Lee Ralph. Glover ingratiates himself by reminding family of their Southern roots; less positively, he drinks a great deal, brings suspicious-looking cronies into the household. When Butler suffers a stroke, Glover assumes charge of the house--whereupon his charm evaporates and disaster follows. But Glover isn't really the villain of To Sleep With Anger: everyone in the film is depicted in all-too-human shades of gray. This effort by African American writer/ director Charles Burnett was the first of his films to attract widespread critical notice, almost 13 years after he created the seminal Killer of Sheep. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 42 min.
Directed By: Charles Burnett
Written By: Charles Burnett
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1990 Wide
On DVD: Jun 13, 1991
Studio: Sony Video Software

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Burnett's acute and sensitive direction is free of hackneyed movie conventions; even something as simple as a hello is said differently from the way you've heard it in any other movie.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
If Killer of Sheep is Burnett's masterpiece, this film, an odd combination of drama, comedy, and irony, well-acted by Danny Glover, is his most accessible picture.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
An odd little movie -- and a bit too leisurely paced -- that was largely overlooked on its original release.
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
A poetic and consistently surprising comedy-drama that is clearly a pet project for all its participants.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Probes the value clashes in a middle-class Los Angeles black family