Anger Management (2003)
Copyright by the Doomster 2004
Rating (1 to 10) : 5
Summary: A comedy wherein Dave is forced to take anger management sessions with a therapist he considers crazy.
Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler, Barry in “Punch Drunk Love”) is a wimpy man who lets people push him around. Traumatized by a de-panting incident when he was younger, he never stands up for himself to his ungrateful boss, co-workers, or anyone else. Things come to crisis when Dave is arrested on a flight for assaulting a stewardess, something he considers trumped-up charges caused by the stewardess and an air marshal who overreacted. Brought to court on the charges, he is sentenced to complete anger management classes led by Dr. Rydell (Jack Nicholson, Melvin Udall in “As Good As It Gets”). After a few sessions with Dr. Rydell, Dave thinks Dr. Rydell is an insane quack out to make his life miserable. As you go along Dave’s interactions with Dr. Rydell, you’re left thinking the same thing as it seems Dr. Rydell is out to steal Dave’s girlfriend Linda (Marisa Tomei, Lisa in “My Cousin Vinny”).
There’s more to this comedy than Dave’s anger management therapy though. I won’t spoil the surprise but it was anticlimactic. This comedy didn’t work because Sandler and Nicholson switched roles. In this film, it’s Nicholson, not Sandler, who plays the outrageous comedian, which leaves Sandler playing the semi-serious role. Neither of them give stellar performances since they were miscast in their parts.
John Tuturro and Luis Guzman gave funny performances in their supporting roles. And there are some cameos by famous sports figures or celebrities like Bobby Knight (now there’s someone who definitely needs anger management), Derek Jeter, or John McEnroe but they didn’t make the movie any more interesting or appealing.
You might get a few chuckles but what else do you expect from a movie starring Sandler? Even working with Nicholson didn’t differentiate this movie from Sandler’s other comedy films.
Why you should or should not see this movie:
If you want to kill some time watching a movie that might give you a couple of chuckles, this is for you. Otherwise, consider this another “mental cheetos” movie.
Memorable quotes
Copyright by the Doomster 2004