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:

...is the person you can become.

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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

The TV show that the girls are watching while the mother has gone to the hospital late at night is Curb Your Enthusiasm: Trick or Treat

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Goofs

When Popeye is eating lunch outside in the snow she begins talking holding a wrapped sandwich in her hand. In the next shot we see her take a bite out of it without ever unwrapping it.

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Quotes

Terry Wolfmeyer: [answering phone] Hello?
Denny Davies: What, what are you doing?
Terry Wolfmeyer: Oh, making the girls' lunches.
Denny Davies: Good for you.
Terry Wolfmeyer: Yeah, what the hell. I'm going after the Mother-of-the-year award.

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Connections

References For Love of the Game (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Spooky Music"
Written by Alexandre Desplat
Performed by Alexandre Desplat
Courtesy of Upside of Anger Limited

User Reviews

The Upside of Kevin Costner

Among the many pleasures that "The Upside of Anger" offers, Joan Allen and Kevin Costner's performances are very much at the center of it. We are used by now at Joan Allen's marvelous gallery of characters. Here, she reaches very high, creating a character that moves through highs and lows with overwhelming power. It is a performance so entertaining, apart from everything else, that you are really compelled to go wherever she wants to take you. Kevin Costner, however, is the biggest surprise. I'm even tempted to call it a revelation. He carries the soul of the character in his sleeve with disarming charm and humanity, not a single false note. I believed him, I loved him, I want to see him again. Mike Binder, the gifted writer director of this film, unfortunately, outstretches himself a little bit. He gives too much room to his character and instead of allowing it to grow with the famous less is more formula, he concedes himself a couple of extra long and repetitive scenes that slow down the proceedings in a rather dangerous way. If I had been the producer I would have fought like crazy to eliminate the supermarket scene. But I'm not going to dwell on it. The film is a triumph for the two leads. Thank you Joan Allen and well done Kevin Costner. I'll see you again at Oscar time.