Main Cast: Harry Dean Stanton, Adam Sandler, Jack Nicholson, Marisa Tomei, Luis Guzman, Allen Covert, Lynne Thigpen, Woody Harrelson, John Turturro
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 106 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
A man comes face to face with the rage he didn't know he had in this comedy. Dave Buznick (Adam Sandler) is an even-tempered businessman who, after a series of strange misunderstandings on an airline flight, finds himself accused of air rage. A judge sentences Dave to undergo anger management therapy, and he soon finds himself in the care of Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson), a celebrated therapist. However, Dave's group therapy sessions with a handful of truly disturbed individuals -- among them jumpy ex-con Chuck (John Turturro), obsessive sports fan Nate (Jonathan Loughran), slow-burning Lou (Luis Guzman), egocentric Andrew (Allen Covert), and bisexual porn stars Gina and Stacy (Krista Allen and January Jones) -- leave him far more unsettled than when he arrived. Later, when Buddy decides to move into Dave's home for intensive therapy, he soon discovers Buddy has more than a bit of his own anger to resolve, and that no one brings out Dave's deeply buried inner rage quite like Buddy. Anger Management also stars Marisa Tomei as Dave's girlfriend, Linda; in addition, the film features a number of notable actors in cameos, including Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Ray Liotta, Heather Graham, and Harry Dean Stanton. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
As with his other films, Adam Sandler has populated Anger Management with talented character actors who have great fun with their roles. John Turturro, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, and Luis Guzman all generate laughs with throwaway lines. Their presence is welcome because at the center of the film Jack Nicholson and Sandler's chemistry fails to generate any comedic sparks. They are not phoning in their performances, but they are not quite on the same page. The big comic set pieces between the two do not have the energy that the scenes with the supporting characters have. Anger Management certainly works as an Adam Sandler vehicle. Once again he has cast himself as an essentially nice and sweet guy troubled by a large reservoir of repressed anger. He squirms in the beginning of the film when confronting people who take advantage of him, and eventually learns to let fly with some patented Sandler temper in order to show that he has a backbone. Punch-Drunk Love showed that Sandler was interested in evolving his comedic persona. This feels like an attempt to take some of what he learned from that film and make it more palatable for his core audience. Sandler fans will not be disappointed, but Anger Management hints at a better film that could have been. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Kurt Fuller - Frank Head; Jonathan Loughran - Nate; Krista Allen - Stacy; January Jones - Gina; Bobby Knight - Himself; John McEnroe - Himself; Rudy Giuliani - Himself; Judith Nathan - Herself; Tony Carbonetti - Himself; Bob Sheppard - Himself; Robert Merrill - Himself; Roger Clemens - Himself; Derek Jeter - Himself; Heather Graham - Kendra; Ray Liotta - Himself; Kevin Nealon - Sam; Lou Rawls; John C. Reilly - Arnie Shankman; Adrian Ricard - Rose Rydell; Harry Dean Stanton; Peter Spruyt - Ricky
Credit
Jeff McDonald - Art Director, Domenic Silvestri - Art Director, Roger Mussenden - Casting, Michael Ewing - Co-producer, Allegra Clegg - Co-producer, Derek Dauchy - Co-producer, Ellen Lutter - Costume Designer, John Hockridge - First Assistant Director, Peter Segal - Director, Jeff Gourson - Editor, Adam Sandler - Executive Producer, John L. Jacobs - Executive Producer, Tim Herlihy - Executive Producer, Allen Covert - Executive Producer, Todd Garner - Executive Producer, Teddy Castellucci - Composer (Music Score), Michael Dilbeck - Musical Direction/Supervision, Alan Au - Production Designer, Donald M. McAlpine - Cinematographer, Barry Bernardi - Producer, Jack Giarraputo - Producer, Patricia Klawonn - Set Designer, Debra Schutt - Set Designer, Chris Spellman - Set Designer, Mick Cukurs - Set Designer, Jeffrey Beck - Set Designer, Thomas D. Causey - Sound/Sound Designer, David Dorfman - Screenwriter, Hiro Narita - Additional Cinematography, J.J. George - Music Editor, Daniel Boxer - Properties Master, David Bach - Supervising Sound Editor, Elmo Weber - Supervising Sound Editor, The Orphanage - Visual Effects, Howard A. Anderson Company - Title Design
