BETTER THAN "MIND OF THE MARRIED MAN:" To be fair, I never saw Mike Binder's much-loathed HBO sitcom, but I'll trust those who loathed it. By that understanding, Binder's first film as a writer/director/actor, "The Upside of Anger" is an enormous step up. The plot makes no real sense (and ultimately depends on a third act plot twist that's borderline nonsensical), and secondary characters drift in and out, having scenes that do nothing to advance the plot or tell us about the characters (most notably, a subplot involving daughter Popeye's bungee jumping friend). The plot, such as it, revolves around a family with dour daughters that begins to break down when the father disappears one day in the fall of 2001, and their relationship with their neighbor, a retired alcoholic baseball player.
But that's not the point of the movie--the point of the movie is the performances. Although they're frequently given mediocre material to work with, the four young actresses playing the daughters (Evan Rachel Wood, Erika Christensen, Keri Russell, and Alicia Witt) all acquit themselves quite well, especially Wood and Russell (who, admittedly, have the most to work with as the narrator of the piece and the anorexic(?) ballet dancer). But the heart of the movie is the lead performances. Kevin Costner is at his best, playing a modified version of Crash Davis--if Crash had made it to the majors and then flamed out spectacularly, and now, 10 years later is looking for meaning in his life.
The really good news is that this is a role that may finally win Joan Allen an Oscar. Allen has three nominations under her belt already, having lost to Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, and Mira Sorvino, and should've had a fourth for "Pleasantville." (Judi Dench's 8 minutes in "Shakespeare in Love" are unquestionably great, but Allen in "Pleasantville" was spectacular.) Allen is just spectacular as a woman who slides into a deep depression and anger, and spends the entire movie clawing her way out of it. Her performance alone is worth the money you'll spend seeing the movie, and I hope she's not forgotten a year from now when Oscar season comes around.
(That said, anyone who's seen the movie and can explain the ballet sequence, where a character appears to be in two places at once, can you do so?)
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