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| Anger
Management
Directed By: Peter
Segal Plot
Summary - Review 1 - Review
2 - CURRENT REVIEWS
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| Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler) is usually a mild-mannered, non-confrontational guy. But after an altercation aboard an airplane, he is remanded to the care of an anger management therapist, Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson), who could probably use some anger management himself. [TRAILER] On one hand, I’d like to think that “Anger Management” is one of the better goofball comedies of recent memory, made with a discrete level of sophistication and exuberance. On the other, I’m thinking that this may be the luckiest film in years, where everything somehow clicks and works, despite the filmmakers’ incompetence. There are really two movies at play in “Anger Management:” an odd couple comedy and a hokey romance. In the first of the stories, Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler) plays a secretary at an advertising agency, arrested for allegedly attacking a stewardess on an airplane. In reality, Buznik simply asks for an audio headset and is treated rudely. But, I must admit, amid the rampant fear of flying in this country, such a humorous twist on air safety was appreciated. After being shocked by an air marshal, and brought in front of a court for his offense, Buznik is sentenced to anger management therapy, led by the borderline-insane Doctor Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson), who just so happened to be sitting next to Buznik during the incident on the plane. Somewhere this story of doctor and patient morphs into a second story of confused romance. In this chapter, Buznik becomes the sweet, if often misunderstood nice boyfriend who loses his girl to the shrewd and manipulative Rydell. They butt heads over this woman’s heart, and suddenly the formal power structure of the anger management sessions devolves into two crazed men, hooting and hollering. Something about this film just worked for me. Despite my better judgment, and even as I sat there, quietly acknowledging its many failures, “Anger Management” kept my attention. It had me laughing. And yes, I’ll be honest, when it came to the innocent and pathetic Buznik, I started to really care about the guy. The true joy of this film is watching these two great actors, competing head-to-head for both attention and laughs. The film’s posters, which show Sandler and Nicholson screaming at each other, tell the tale: this film is about these polar opposites, together on screen. And the film’s producers could not have picked more perfect foils – the loveable, cute and cuddly Adam Sandler and the explosive, insane and electric Jack Nicholson. It was a match made in comedy heaven. As a result, the odd couple portion of the story simply cannot fail. People will pay money to see these two together, and they will get the comedic situations, pratfalls and exchanges they hope for. And despite a ridiculous story, and the shoddy directing of mediocre lightweight Peter Segal (“Nutty Professor II”), the story works because both actors put everything they have into their exaggerated roles. Take, for example, the heavily-advertised moment in which Rydell insists that he move in with Buznik for therapy, and then sleeps next to him in the nude. With different actors, this could have been ridiculously over-the-top, and a disaster. But with Nicholson and Sandler, they play off each other perfectly. Sandler adopts a “what is he doing” look, while Nicholson seems to revel in playing such a liberated character. And it is almost as if their fun in playing their parts rubs off on those watching. Many will lose interest when “Anger Management” diverts to a random story about Buznik’s girlfriend and Rydell’s bizarre attempts to steal her affections. But for me, this still was not a complete disaster. It continues the comedic interactions between Sandler and Nicholson and an ending sequence, which many may find horrible, I actually found quite sweet and touching. Sandler’s other films, from “The Wedding Singer” to “Big Daddy,” have been unsuccessful in finding a balance between realism and absurdity. They ask us to laugh at buffoonish behavior in one moment only to blindside us with a realistic issue or heartache in the next. “Anger Management” is fully committed to its eccentricity. It does not pretend to be serious, but is borderline insane from beginning to end. Accordingly, when the film ends in pure fantasy, I was fine with it. This is a Sandler/Nicholson concoction of happiness, with no pretense. Would Rydell ever move in with Buznik for therapy? Would Buznik ever be assigned to Rydell in the first place? Would a baseball stadium, near the film’s end, ever allow Buznik to get away with what he gets away with? But, my friends, it just doesn’t matter. This is a much-needed shot of happiness and euphoria – an otherwise mediocre film that hits the spot because this country has been far too serious for far too long. Wouldn’t it be nice to think that, much like Buznik and company, we could solve all our problems by pulling a few pranks, joining hands and singing our cares away? I’d like to think so.   Check out Reviews, Commentary, and More at Zertinet.com |
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