SummaryDave Buznik (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 (Nicholson), who could probably use some anger management himself. (Columbia Pictures)
SummaryDave Buznik (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 (Nicholson), who could probably use some anger management himself. (Columbia Pictures)
As a comedy duo Nicholson and Sandler pose no threat to the legacy of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, in part because Sandler is so outclassed, but mostly because everyone involved is playing it safe.
Has hell frozen over? Not only is Jack Nicholson starring in a buddy movie alongside Adam Sandler, but of the two, Sandler's low-key approach is preferable.
Doesn't possess the discipline to peel laughs off its potentially riotous premise. Instead, Segal and company grope desperately for every low gag they can find, whether or not it has anything to do with the story.
Sandler has become one of our primary symbols of the modern rage-repressed American male. Let’s hope that one day he will learn to channel that rage to greater effect.
Anger Management: 6/10: Having a bad ending has torpedoed more than one film experience. The Village's twist was a groaner and the last scene of the Last Samurai knocked it down a rung or two. But in a comedy?
Comedy is about laughter during the journey not the stories conclusion. None of our best comedies are known for their finales. Meet the Parents left with a comparative whimper, There's Something about Mary's ending is at best forgettable, and the bombastic over the top noise of say The Blues Brothers or Caddyshack certainly wasn't for everyone. (The exception to this rule is the wonderful Stay Puff marshmallow man payoff from Ghostbusters)
Unlike thrillers or drama, comedy rarely invests enough in the plot to begin with for the ending to matter all that much. And an Adam Sandler comedy, lets face it, has less plot than most. (Or at the very least the same plot and characters over and over again. Sandler after all is the Jim Varney of Long Island nerds.) So to create a disaster this momentous you first need a good hour and change of comedy (rare enough esp. with Mr. Sandler on board) then you need an ending so stupendously bad it erases the laughter.
Welcome to Anger Management. First the good news. This movie has some quite funny bits. The bad news well lets start with the last 15 minutes or so absolutely feel good romantic awfulness with enough celebrity cameos that could sink the Titanic, wipe out any goodwill one feels towards former Mayor Giulliani of New York and embarrass one to be a Yankee fan. Add on a plot device at the end that wouldn't be out of place in a Deanna Durbin film and let the jaw dropping awfulness commence.
The last 15 minutes aside this movie has some really funny bits. Even stupid stuff like sweaters for overweight cats worked for me. Now that's rare. The set-up is pure gold and the cast is great.
If anything Sandler is easily theweakest of the bunch. (Luis Guzman and John Turturro's characters needed their own movie and it was great seeing Jack be Jack again after that slog that was About Schmidt. Sandler knows how to do cruel. Anger Management was such a good concept and had such funny execution that it demanded a dark cruel outburst of energy at the end not this indescribably painful schmaltz.
Anger Management is a comedy starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson. Some parts of the movie are funny but Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler don't really go well together as a film ingredient. It's like chalk and cheese and for the most part even though funny I think Anger Management fails as a movie even if the comedy elements work well.