A whole array of wonderfully human emotions...
Added 8/6/2009
I must admit, I first watched the movie because Kevin Costner starred in it. I'm a big fan, I love his acting style and he's extremely easy on the eyes ;) This movie definitely didn't disappoint! Joan Allen was a perfect fit for the character she portrayed. The movie had elements of dry humor, and that's exactly my cup of tea. Even though seemingly both of the main actors were cast in roles that they had both done before (Kevin Costner being a former sports star, and Joan Allen a housewife), the movie took unexpected twists and turns every time you'd think that it was getting predictable. Overall, I rate it two thumbs up! Enjoy!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Right to the point!
Added 3/9/2009
Great funny and eye opening movie about the trials of life and how we "lose our minds" just a bit in tough situations!How absurd we must look to others!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
unreal situations
Added 7/25/2008
The screenplay is poor. The characters do not act like real people, especially the Joan Allen character. This character does not know how to file a missing persons report, does not know what ballet is, does not work, has her daughters cook the dinner, and does nothing all day but take showers, drink, hop in and out of bed, and be mentally and physically abusive of family and friends. I could feel nothing for this character. The movie is a comedy in the sense that you will repeatedly
laugh because of its ineptness.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
No Upside to this Movie
Added 5/29/2008
This movie was horrible. My sister rented it, and, bless her heart, she had faith that at some point it would have some highlights. There were no highlights, save one brief moment in a fantasy scene where a character's head blows up. It would have been a better movie if all the character's heads blew up.
When people crawl into a bottle because things get tough, it's not cute or funny. This film might have a place at AA meetings to illustrate how ugly alcoholism is.
2 out of 3 people found this helpful.
|
Great Movie
Added 3/26/2008
I love Joan Allen and always have since Manhunter in the 1980s. This movie with Kevin who I think is one of the best actors ever make a great combination in this movie about a woman who does not know what happen to her husband. A great story and well done movie.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
The Upside of My Expectations
Added 6/21/2006
After her performance in "The Ice Storm" it is no surprise that Joan Allen could carry a movie like "The Upside of Anger". Nor was it a surprise that she and Alicia Witt could beautifully play off each other in their confrontational mother and daughter roles. What did surprise was that the film featured equally strong performances from the other members of the cast. Even writer/director Mike Binder does a fine "on-screen" job as a slimy but not entirely unsympathetic radio producer. Kevin Costner would be wise to stay with this type of role (and with comedy) instead of big-budget epic stuff.
The casting of Witt with Erika Christensen, Evan Rachel Wood, and Keri Russell as the four sisters was inspired. It was refreshing just to see a film family that looked enough alike physically to actually be related to each other. Since Christensen looks so much like Julia Stiles they could have even added a fifth sister although their resemblance is so strong that it might be confusing. All the subtle birth order distinctions felt right. The oldest (Witt) was the most connected to mom even though it did not appear so on the surface. The second (Christensen-who absolutely glows on the screen) was determined to be different than her older sister. The third (Russell) was the most connected to the father, missed him the most, and had the least understanding of the mother. The youngest (Wood) was way ahead of the curve and the most perceptive character in the film. Watch for all this stuff because it is there, and watch how no matter how down the mother becomes she continues to monitor the welfare of her daughters.
Binder gave into the temptation to use cheesy special effect gimmicks several times (the explosion at the dinner table, the neighborhood transition from summer to winter, the ballet fantasy, and the daughters growing older during the funeral scene). Although done well they seemed out of place. Also Binder should review the Kent State shootings, there were four students killed-not six.
There is a spectacular shot at the wedding. Beginning as an over the shoulder shot of Hadley (Witt) sucking in her "plump" cheeks, the camera pans slightly right and moves toward the wedding party as the focus changes to bring them out of a blur.
The film's ironic twist in the last 15 minutes is borrowed wholesale from "Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice". I particularly liked Wood's beautiful narration which helped clarify the title and theme, necessary (or at least helpful) after this ironic story line twist. She managed to sound both detached and involved, it is actually the voice-over for her broadcasting class project. When we are suddenly forced to reevaluate everything that has gone before in what we thought was just an interesting comedy, Wood steps in and steers us to internalize the theme. They go out on a shot of Wood looking up from her Mac and smiling. Amazing.
This is the best of Binder's writing: "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 of anger then, is the person you become, hopefully someone that wakes up one day and realizes they're not afraid of its 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 of acceptance and the promise of calm".
"The Upside of Anger" is one of those rare films that I believe everyone should make an effort to connect with, doing so will make you a better person. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
