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The Upside of Anger Our rating: Your rating: 1 2 3 4 Your Comments: see all MPAA rating: R (for language, sexual situations, brief comic violence and some drug use) Theater release: April 01, 2005 by New Line Features Directed by: Mike Binder Runtime: 1 hour 58 minutes Cast: Cast Joan Allen (Terry Wolfmeyer), Kevin Costner (Denny Davies), Mike Binder (Adam "Shep" Goodman), Erika Christensen (Andy Wolfmeyer), Alicia Witt (Hadley Wolfmeyer), Kerri Russell (Emily Wolfmeyer), Evan Rachel Wood (Lavender "Popeye" Wolfmeyer) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

There's a scene in The Upside of Anger when Terry Wolfmeyer (Joan Allen) walks into her daughter's bedroom to find Andy, the second of her four daughters, under the covers with Andy's boss. The boss, "Shep," is easily twice Andy's age—and just happens to be this movie's writer and director, Mike Binder. There isn't any dialogue, per se, but the series of facial contortions and exasperated shrieks that follows and culminates in Terry storming out of the room leaves Andy (Erika Christensen) with no doubt as to her mother's opinion on the situation. Andy slumps back on her pillow while Shep, in sleepy bewilderment, says something to effect of "Wow, that was intense."

Indeed. Intense is a good way to describe Joan Allen's performance in The Upside of Anger. Other words that come to mind are acerbic, witty, and perfect.

Kevin Costner and Joan Allen play the love interests

Kevin Costner is no slouch either, as Denny Davies, a boozy former baseball player turned radio talk show host who lives in the neighborhood and slides into the picture when he sees an opening left by the abrupt departure of Terry's husband. In a career move reminiscent of Jack Nicholson in Terms of Endearment, Costner has reintroduced himself to the movie-going public as a flawed, but endearing and earnest soul.

Unfortunately, these two outstanding performances aren't given much of a viable dramatic context. It sounds compelling and all the pieces seem to be there—a husband disappears, ostensibly with his Swedish secretary, leaving his beautiful family to work through the resulting emotions, namely anger, and pick up the proverbial pieces. The four daughters are played by a group of been-around-but-still-up-and-coming actresses—Alicia Witt, best known for her work on Cybil, plays the oldest, Hadley; Christensen, who broke hearts as a drug addled teen in Traffic, plays Andy; former Felicity namesake Keri Russell plays Emily; and Thirteen ingénue Evan Rachel Wood plays the youngest daughter, Popeye. It's notable that Allen, at 48, is as attractive as any of these actresses, some of whom are half her age—or younger.

Joan Allen (second from left) and her daughters, played by Keri Russell, Evan Rachel Wood and Erika Christensen

This movie tries to trade on the interpersonal dynamics of a house full of women, but perhaps a female screenwriter might have done so more successfully than Binder. As it is, there are a number of memorable lines and scenes with insightful dialogue, but they aren't strung together with enough nuance to provide the promise of a rich emotional life below the surface. It's true that would-be ballerina Emily deals with a serious bout of a stress-induced illness and Popeye is given some narrator duties that try to cast her in the wise child light, but none of the girls seems to really respond to the most traumatic events of plot. "Your dad has left you to go to Sweden with his secretary." Wide eyes and downcast frowns. "Your drunken neighbor has taken up residence on your couch and is making a play for your mom." Knowing smiles (with a token protest thrown in) and requests for an autograph. "There's been no word from your dad for three years and your mom refuses to make the first move." Pouts all around.

I can't remember one scene in which any of the girls cried about the departure of her father. They seem more like good friends to Terry, outsiders who are sometimes sympathetic, sometimes condescending, but always present as she works through her anger issues, rather than daughters who have been rejected by their own father. They seem neither convincingly sad nor mad.

Writer-director Mike Binder also appears in the movie

Nevertheless, Denny enjoys the company of these women and in the three-year span over which the film's story takes place, he becomes a fixture at the dinner table ("I think you know my position on free food") and in Terry's bedroom. Their relationship, two difficult people who manage to make room for each other in their lives, is the most heartfelt aspect of the movie. With lesser performances, Terry would be too harsh and Denny too soft, but here they each seem to find just enough balance to keep their credibility. Without Allen and Costner, I suspect my 3-star rating would slip back closer to a 2.

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