If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

******************* SPOILERS *******************This is basically American Beauty 2.0. The gay dude, the unnecessary violence (except in this case it is real), the girl hooking with the older man....This is basically intended for mom's in their 50s who have very little taste for movies. This is story is not worthy of an adaptation, and even more disturbing is what are Allen and Costner doing in this picture.So Costner plays a mediocre plagiarism version of loser Crash Davis, same coat, same baseball player, same attitude in the beginning. Not exactly a well thought out script.Then, this story talks about nothing: it goes back into a flashback, with very little information on what is supposed to be the plot, but it turns out it talks about nothing, only a few sequences of sub plots that have no relation, it's very disorganized, way too tacky and cliché.I'm very disappointed in the outcome: so in the end, did he cheated ? Or did he just got trapped in the well ? What happened all that time ? And we don't even get an explanation, just that, that's where the father ex-husband was for x amount of time. I don't get it, it was the whole point of the movie, cheater abandons his family and there goes the drama: instead, it denies it. It's bland, skimpy, no intrigue, no character worth cheering for.

*** out of **** starsI must admit, that when I first saw the trailer for The Upside of Anger, it came across to me as perhaps boring, perhaps shallow, perhaps cliché. It's nothing of the sort. What we have here is a melding of flavors; something of a Woody Allen/Coen brothers hybrid coasting along the seasons of Michigan. Humor is not without despondency. Dialouge is not without wit. The silent contemplation of the characters is not without the disturbing yet comforting contemplation by us as viewers. It's always a surprising pleasure, no matter how much I experience it, to witness silent acting that reads between the lines, and tells a story without superfluous jargon. You gotta know when to talk, but you gotta know when to shut up too.Terry Wolfmeyer (Joan Allen) is a mother of four high school and college age daughters, and her husband has surprisingly run off with his secretary to a land far, far away. As we learn more about Terry, we can see why. She's continuously boozy yet functioning, sadly and hysterically cynical, systematically bitter, unknowingly shallow and insultingly forward. Her daughters are all headstrong and smart, trying to find their way in the world. Terry has her own idea of how they should live their lives and plan their futures, not recognizing their inherent talents and strengths, or not choosing to. Denny (Kevin Costner), a friend of the disappeared hubby, shows up on Terry's lawn with a beer in his hand, wanting a drinking buddy. We instantaneously sense a relationship will ensue, but it doesn't happen without the difficulty and maturity that can only take place between two adults in their 40's or 50's who have been through the ringer a time or two. All the daughters approve of him, which is probably why Terry is so slow to come around to his quirky advances. Denny is an ex-Detroit Tiger hero who hates talking about his once beloved sport as a radio DJ. Will Costner ever shake that America's favorite pastime vibe? He doesn't need to here. It works out just fine. Yet what has made him so reluctant and irritated about chatting up RBIs and home-runs is an underdeveloped part of the narrative. The film really belongs to Allen.What gives Upside so much light and life are the daughters, played by Erika Christensen, Evan Rachel Wood, Keri Russell and Alicia Witt. All of them obviously and equally understood what screenwriter and director Mike Binder intended for them to bring to the screen, which puts much light on him for either not allowing himself to compromise his vision, or for selecting the correct choices of talent, or both. Binder also co-stars as an unashamed, disgusting Lothario, and a producer at Denny's radio station.I believe The Upside of Anger will appeal to all ages (kids aside of course) and all breeds of movie watchers. Ladies may enjoy it as a "chick flick". Indie enthusiasts may like it's originality and dark charm. Middle aged men may identify with Denny's apathy for a sport he once loved and the attraction he has for Terry's melodramatic family. In short, I think this movie can interest and entertain everyone. And what a complement that is! If I do say so myself.

There are only a handful of actresses out there right now who can completely command a screen to the point that I will see anything they do and three-time Oscar nominee Joan Allen is definitely one of them and it is her dazzling performance which is the main selling point of THE UPSIDE OF ANGER,an intelligent and offbeat comedy-drama which stars Allen as Terry Wolfmeyer, a highly strung but domineering wife and mother who goes into an emotional meltdown when she believes her husband has run off with his secretary. She lashes out at everyone, with her four daughters taking the brunt of her abuse, while tentatively broaching a relationship with a retired baseball player (Kevin Costner). Allen turns in a gutsy and mesmerizing performance that should have earned her an Oscar nomination and her chemistry with Costner is surprisingly smooth. Alicia Witt, Erika Christiansen, Kerry Russell,and Evan Rachel Wood play Terry's daughters, who all have their own issues with Mom. Director and screenwriter Mike Binder has not only fashioned a moving and human story with flawed and vivid characters but written a juicy role for himself as Christiansen's boss, who she falls for, much to Mom's chagrin. It's easy to get caught up in the emotional story, but it is the blockbuster star turn by the fabulous Joan Allen that makes this one a keeper.

I am telling you; really what is it you want? Do you want drama? It is there, you can't find better actors than Kevin Costner and Joan Allen. Do you want fun? It is also there, this is the funniest performance by Costner since "Tin Cup", and Joan Allen also is quite a comedian. Do you want sadness? It is every where, with the sickness of the daughter, and the death of the father. Do you want love? The chemistry between Kevin Costner and Joan Allen was unbelievable.And better yet when Terry thought that her husband is cheating on her for three years with a Swedish secretary, he was dead for since the moment he disappeared; I mean what the hell is this? This is a fantastic comedy.Every one of the girls has an issue and here comes a brilliant writer/director Mike Binder who knew how to get the best out of the lovely Joan Allen, she was simply magnetic.This is a fantastic screenplay, and the funniest film I have seen this year.