Review of Anger Management -- Rhinotainment

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, [5] ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 14:53:35 04/16/03 Wed
Author: The Rhino
Subject: Review of Anger Management

So, you're an Adam Sandler fan, eh? My boss, Jill, and I had a discussion on the merits of Sandler the other day. She doesn't really get Sandler and doesn't necessarily think he or his movies are funny at all. I understand that. His comedy is not for everyone. But I like Sandler and I have since his days as De Stud Boy! on MTV's Remote Control. I get him. And for every dick and fart joke that he throws at me, I also tend to find nuggets of charm and genuine laughs with each of his films (except Little Nikki, God help us all). I also have noticed that he is becoming a better actor as well, as last year's Punch-Drunk Love can attest to. That's nice for future endeavors, but when you are dealing with a Sandler comedy, well, you have to leave your pretensions at the door and just go in taking the chance of leaving a little bit dumber. That's how I felt leaving Anger Management.

Anger Management is the story of Dave Busnick, a timid and shy man who has been a victim of bullies all his life. Dave never stands up for himself and tends to hold in his anger to the point of reaching his boiling point (and if this character sounds somewhat similar to his character in Punch-Drunk Love, well, it kind of is, only dumber). His life time of being buggered by everyone he has ever crossed has made him a social pariah, afraid of even kissing his girlfriend (Marisa Tomei) in public.

When boarding a plane on a business trip, Dave ends up sitting next to Dr. Buddy Rydell (your Lord and Savior, Jack Nicholson). Dave would prefer just to relax and doze through the trip, but Buddy is boisterous and loud, watching the in-flight movie, Tomcats, and laughing hysterically. Dave decides that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, so he decides to get a headset and watch the movie. After asking the flight attendant numerous times for a headset and, basically, getting ignored, he finally lightly touches her arm and asks her, nicely, where his headset is.

She misconstrues this act of desperation as Dave just being unruly. A Ranger on the flight approaches Dave and tries to "calm" him down. Dave reiterates that he is calm and that he just wants a headset. The conversation is made worse by the flight attendant and the Ranger, though Dave is as quiet as a church mouse, and he ends up getting tazered! If this sounds unreal, well, it felt that way too.

Dave ends up sitting in a courtroom and facing a year in prison when, lo and behold, Buddy enters the courtroom, sweet talks the judge and Dave ends up with a penalty that consists of him attending 20 hours of Anger Management classes, with prison time looking him in the eye if he screws up again.

Dave shows up for his class, that consists of lesbian porn stars, Luis Guzman as an angry tranny named Lou, John Turturro as a temper tantrum throwing headcase named Chuck, among others. Buddy is doing his best to make upstanding citizens out of this motley crew, and having a hard time doing so. Chuck is not a fan of Dave right out of the gate, so, naturally, Buddy pairs them up to help each other out when the other's anger overcomes him.

Later that night, Chuck talks Dave into going to a bar to talk about their problems. While at the bar, Chuck ends up starting a barroom brawl. Dave tries to break it up and when he does, he accidentally elbows a waitress in the face. Jump to the next scene where Dave is back in court. Like clockwork, Buddy is back on the scene and talks the judge into entering Dave into his "extensive" program or face five years in prison. What Dave doesn't know is that this "extensive" program has Buddy moving in with Dave, watching his every move, going to work with him, etc. Dave will never be out of Buddy's sight.

This is a lesson in tolerance for Dave, as Buddy's bedside manor leaves a lot to be desired. Buddy ends up making Dave angry when he should be making him calm. It should also be noted that Buddy ends up getting Dave into trouble at every stop, as well as making a nuisance of himself at every opportunity. Buddy makes off-handed remarks at Dave's overbearing and lazy boss, makes Dave confront his old childhood nemesis (John C. Reilly), who is now a monk (an angry monk if you didn't see that coming), among other hysteria. But perhaps Buddy's biggest questionable action comes when he begins to show not-so-subtle interest in Tomei. Buddy tries his hardest to drive the two of them apart. It becomes clear to Dave that Buddy has an agenda of his own and it's not helping Dave get on with his not-so-angry life.

I don't know, folks. I had a hard time getting into this film. It was kind of my own lesson in tolerance. I watched Nicholson deliver his lines like the pro he is and wonder to myself, "How in the name of God did Sandler talk the greatest actor in the world into starring in this film?" I just don't get it. Perhaps it's that charm. I mean, Harvey Keitel was in Little Nikki, Steve Buscemi has been in a number of his films, Turturro has been in Sandler's last two movies, he has just added Luis Guzman to his buddy list...it just seems like Sandler has the Midas touch sometimes. Again, I am a fan, but considering the material he works with, I just don't see how he does it. Now, he pulls off the ultimate coup with Nicholson. It just amazes me to no end. But I digress...

I just didn't care much for this film. Sandler's character is the same character he always plays. He recycles some of the same jokes that he has used in past films. The writing is still awful. It's just becoming kind of the same old same old. I really would like to see Sandler stretch out a bit. It was refreshing seeing him act in Punch-Drunk Love because he was reading lines from a script he didn't shape, he was working with a professional director who knew what Sandler could do if he just set his mind to it, he showed some serious acting chops...it was spectacular! Here, he is working with the same scriptwriters, a different director whose films (Tommy Boy, Naked Gun 33 1/3) have all been in the same vein as Sandler's, and a lot of the usual suspects from past films. It's just getting very formulaic.

I was impressed with the cameos. Sandler does have a lot of friends, that's for sure. Reilly, Guzman, Turturro, Roger Clemens, Bobby Knight and Heather Graham, among others. It was a who's who of cameos. But you know, star power can't but you a great movie. Remember Ishtar?

If you are a Sandler or Nicholson completist, then go see it. Otherwise, wait till cable.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]