Browntown Johnn
03-20-2005, 06:00 PM
The Upside of Anger
http://www.browntownjohnny.com/index.php
Mike Binder was a good stand-up comic from Detroit in the early eighties (along side Leno-Seinfeld-Williams, sharing the stage) and has since became a very accomplished writer and director. His best work has hit cable (Sex Monster, Londinium) but he's known for doing the horrible "Blankman". His writing is sub-Albert Brooks/Woody Allen/Blake Edwards but still has a flair for good comic rhythm. "The Upside of Anger" is a knock-off of James L. Brooks' "Terms of Endearment". A woman on the edge loses her husband and goes into a funk. With 4 daughters and a drunken neighbor, she is having a hard time with control.
The cast of pros like Joan Allen (worked with Binder as an actor before in "The Contender) and Kevin Costner (doing a variation of his "Tin Cup" role) make this a real treat. The secondary roles to young starlets like Evan Rachael Wood, Kerri Russell, Alicia Witt, Erika Christiansen make it a chick flick. The stars are game for a lot of sex talk and family rants along with a little romance. "Anger" is just way too much with an over-ripe script that is all over the place. If Binder wrote a conventional script, it would be a near classic. Instead it's warmed over from other movies with no real focus. There are some very funny moments, thanks to Costner (well cast as a radio guy with no life) and Binder doing good comic relief as a radio producer. Joan Allen is remarkable in a tragic/comic starring shot (her best work ever). The girls are pretty, and ER Wood is amazing.
Binder is on the rise now (Ben Affleck's next comedy) and he is a real funny actor (giving himself a great role). Alcoholic humor and a jolting tribute to David Cronenberg (a very good in-joke). I had some reservations but it is a memorable flick.
http://www.browntownjohnny.com/index.php
Mike Binder was a good stand-up comic from Detroit in the early eighties (along side Leno-Seinfeld-Williams, sharing the stage) and has since became a very accomplished writer and director. His best work has hit cable (Sex Monster, Londinium) but he's known for doing the horrible "Blankman". His writing is sub-Albert Brooks/Woody Allen/Blake Edwards but still has a flair for good comic rhythm. "The Upside of Anger" is a knock-off of James L. Brooks' "Terms of Endearment". A woman on the edge loses her husband and goes into a funk. With 4 daughters and a drunken neighbor, she is having a hard time with control.
The cast of pros like Joan Allen (worked with Binder as an actor before in "The Contender) and Kevin Costner (doing a variation of his "Tin Cup" role) make this a real treat. The secondary roles to young starlets like Evan Rachael Wood, Kerri Russell, Alicia Witt, Erika Christiansen make it a chick flick. The stars are game for a lot of sex talk and family rants along with a little romance. "Anger" is just way too much with an over-ripe script that is all over the place. If Binder wrote a conventional script, it would be a near classic. Instead it's warmed over from other movies with no real focus. There are some very funny moments, thanks to Costner (well cast as a radio guy with no life) and Binder doing good comic relief as a radio producer. Joan Allen is remarkable in a tragic/comic starring shot (her best work ever). The girls are pretty, and ER Wood is amazing.
Binder is on the rise now (Ben Affleck's next comedy) and he is a real funny actor (giving himself a great role). Alcoholic humor and a jolting tribute to David Cronenberg (a very good in-joke). I had some reservations but it is a memorable flick.