Copyright © 2003 by Tony Medley

 A half-hour into this I was an angry camper.  All the funniest moments up ‘til then had been shown in the trailer, so they had little impact.  The people responsible for the trailer should never have lunch in this town again because they had no faith in their film.  There’s no excuse for showing the punch lines in a trailer to try to get people to come to your film. 

 There, I got that off my chest.  I feel so much better. Next, I think sometime in the near future I’ll write a review that consists of just two words that will say it all.  Those two words are “Jack Nicholson.”  I’m not one who thinks actors are worth nearly anything like what they get.  $20 million for Sandra Bullock?  Give me a break!  But if anybody is worth it, Jack is.  This guy just seems to get better with each movie.  I can’t remember walking out of a Nicholson movie without thinking that he just can’t get any better than that.  Anger Management is no different.  Nicholson is magnificent.  If the film’s P.R. people had the confidence in Jack that he has earned, they wouldn’t have made a trailer so destructive to the enjoyment of the film.  But Nicholson isn’t alone here.  His co-star, Adam Sandler, is right up there with him.  Together they make this film a big winner.

 Anger Management is a comedy fantasy.  By fantasy, I don’t mean people flying and all that.  I mean that the things that happen just couldn’t happen in real life.  But, really, neither could any of the screwball comedies.  Can you imagine a woman living with a leopard as in Bringing Up Baby? The talent is in making it seem like it would play in real life, and that’s what Director Peter Segal and writer David Dorfman have accomplished.

 I left my incredulity at the door and entered this fantasy world with no pre-conceived notions of how things really are.  Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler) is a seemingly mild mannered Caspar Milquetoast with a gorgeous, sexy girl friend, Linda (Marisa Tomei), and a job that appears to be some sort of executive assistant for an abusive boss.  He boards a plane to visit his boss when he’s manipulated into a confrontation with a flight attendant.  The judge in the resulting trial orders him into “Anger Management” and a class given by therapist Dr. Buddy Rydell (Nicholson), who decides to move in with him.  From there Buznik’s life is turned upside down by Buddy.  His romance is threatened, as is his job. Adding to the pleasure is a myriad of cameos.  Every so often a familiar face appears to join in the fun.

 This film is delightful, funny nonsense that had me laughing out loud.

 April 12, 2003

 The End

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