The Upside of Anger (2005)

When her husband unexpectedly disappears, a sharp-witted suburban wife and her daughters juggle their mom's romantic dilemmas and family dynamics.

Director:

Mike Binder

Writer:

Mike Binder

Stars:

Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Erika Christensen

4 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joan Allen	...	Terry Ann Wolfmeyer
Kevin Costner	...	Denny Davies
Erika Christensen	...	Andy Wolfmeyer
Keri Russell	...	Emily Wolfmeyer
Alicia Witt	...	Hadley Wolfmeyer
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Lavender 'Popeye' Wolfmeyer
Mike Binder	...	Adam 'Shep' Goodman
Tom Harper	...	David Junior
Dane Christensen	...	Gorden Reiner
Danny Webb	...	Grey Wolfmeyer
Magdalena Manville	...	Darlene
Suzanne Bertish	...	Gina
David Firth	...	David Senior
Rod Woodruff	...	Dean Reiner (as Roderick P. Woodruff)
Stephen Greif	...	Emily's Doctor

Storyline

A sharp-witted suburban wife, Terry Wolfmeyer, is left to raise her four headstrong daughters when her husband unexpectedly disappears. Things get even more hectic when she falls for her neighbor Denny, a once-great baseball star turned radio d.j. This leaves her daughters out on a limb. They are forced to juggle their mom's romantic dilemmas as well as their own.

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Plot Keywords:

drinking | baseball | radio | anger | neighbor | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes what tears us apart helps us put it back together

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexual situations, brief comic violence and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Media 8 Entertainment Metropolitan Filmexport [fr]

Country:

USA Germany UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Outra Face da Raiva

Filming Locations:

Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$13,179 (Hong Kong) (3 June 2005)

Gross:

$18,761,993 (USA) (24 June 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Media 8 Entertainment, VIP 2 Medienfonds

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although Erika Christensen is six years younger than Keri Russell, she plays a sister older than Russell, and Alicia Witt, who is only one year older than Russell, plays the eldest.

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Goofs

Rearview Mirror is missing in a scene in her car.

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Quotes

Lavender "Popeye" Wolfmeyer: People don't know how to love. They bite rather than kiss. They slap rather than stroke. Maybe it's because they recognize how easy it is for love to go bad, to become suddenly impossible... unworkable, an exercise of futility. So they avoid it and seek solace in angst, and fear, and aggression, which are always there and readily available. Or maybe sometimes... they just don't have all the facts.

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Connections

Featured in Creating 'The Upside of Anger' (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Try a Little Tenderness"
Written by Harry M. Woods (as Harry Woods), and Reginald Connelly
Published by Campbell Connelly & Co Limited
Performed by The Gavin Munn Band
Courtesy of Upside of Anger Limited

User Reviews

Great story, strong actors

The Upside of Anger was a wonderfully written script. The perfect blend of humor and sadness, consistent in real life. Each character was developed uniquely, with many different layers. Each character was matched by strong up and coming and veteran actors. Joan Allen as usual is a gem and proves that mainstream Hollywood is missing one of the great female leads of our time. Kevin Costner sticks out and steals the show. He's quirky but real and perfectly lovable. All the girls, although they did not get enough screen time, were capable, exceptional, actors with a bright future in front of them all. Especially the youngest daughter played by Evan Rachel Wood. This is a rare comedy that must be seen. Although the average American may find it slow with it's absence of car chases and sword fights, one can only hope that this movie will find it's audience and grow enough to fall into the laps of the average and broaden their minds.