The Upside of Anger

Last night, I saw The Upside of Anger starring Joan Allen and Kevin Costner. Allen plays Terry Wolfmeyer, a wealthy housewife whose husband has suddenly disappeared with his young secretary. She is left to raise her four daughters on her own. Costner plays Denny Davies, her neighbor and soon-to-be love interest. He is a radio talk show host and a former baseball player.

I've seen this film categorized as a "romantic comedy/drama". After watching it, I'd categorize it as a drama balanced by comedy. It would have seemed much longer and heavier without the infusion of humor. The movie is a study in anger.

Terry is angry with her husband and deals with it by abusing herself. She likes to drink vodka, lots of vodka. If one were to attempt to match her drink for drink, he or she would pass out thirty minutes into the film and have a very large tab to pay after regaining consciousness. When drinking becomes an insufficient coping mechanism, she resorts to verbally lashing out at those around her.

Denny, seeing Terry in pain, attempts to be her shoulder to lean on. He has always liked her and, after a few hilarious missteps, they become romantically involved. Baseball is a source of anger and solace for him. Since retiring, he refuses to talk about the sport, even on his talk show. Yet, his house is filled with boxes of baseballs and bats that he still autographs for fans. He also deals with his anger by drinking. His drink of choice is beer, lots of beer. I typically avoid Costner movies, but he seems to excel whenever he plays cowboys or a baseball players.

Hadley (Alicia Witt from Cybil), the oldest daughter, deals with her anger by running away. First, she escapes to college. Then, after graduation, she escapes by marrying and starting a family of her own.

Andy (Erika Christensen from Swimfan) deals with her anger by rebelling against her mother's wishes for her to go to college. She would rather have a job, so she accepts an internship as a production assistant at the radio station where Denny works.

Shep, Denny's producer, is angry with women his age, so he chases women half his age. When Terry confronts him about dating Andy, he claims that younger women are nicer to him and actually appreciate him. Mike Binder, who also wrote and directed the film, played Shep.

Emily (Keri Russell from Felicity) deals with her anger by bottling it up and letting it eat away at her from the inside. She is supposed to be an aspiring ballerina, but Russell isn't a very convincing dancer.

"Popeye" (Evan Rachel Wood from Once and Again) is the youngest daughter and the only one who doesn't seem angry. She acts as the story's narrator. In the movie, she is making a documentary about anger, which allows the writer to spell out his message to the audience: the upside of anger is the person we become after we're done being angry.

Overall, I liked the film. I thought the acting outshone the writing, largely because of the performances by Allen and Costner. The ending was unexpected, but the resolution was a little too convenient. While not worth nine dollars to see at the theater, I'd say it's worth adding to one's Netflix queue.