Anger Management (film)

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Anger Management
Anger management poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPeter Segal
Written byDavid S. Dorfman
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDonald McAlpine
Edited byJeff Gourson
Music byTeddy Castellucci
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • April 11, 2003 (2003-04-11)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$75 million[1]
Box office$195.7 million

Anger Management is a 2003 American buddy comedy film directed by Peter Segal and written by David S. Dorfman. Starring Adam Sandler, Jack Nicholson, Marisa Tomei, Luis Guzmán, Woody Harrelson, and John Turturro, the film tells the story of a businessman who is sentenced to an anger management program under a renowned therapist with unconventional methods. Anger Management was released in theaters in the United States on April 11, 2003, by Columbia Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $195 million against a $75 million budget.

Plot[]

In 1978 Brooklyn, as a young boy, Dave Buznik is about to experience his first kiss, he is humiliated by local bully Arnie Shankman who suddenly pulls down his pants and underwear.

Twenty-five years later, Dave works as a secretary for a disrespectful boss named Frank. Dave's bullying trauma causes him to avoid displaying affection such as kissing his girlfriend Linda in public. His problems are exacerbated by his narcissistic co-worker, Andrew, who is close friends with Linda and desires to rekindle their romantic relationship.

During a flight, Dave loses his temper, albeit mildly, after being treated disrespectfully by the flight attendant, prompting the sky marshal to taser him. He is arrested for "assaulting" a flight attendant and is sentenced to anger management under Dr. Buddy Rydell, a renowned therapist who sat next to him on the plane. Dave's sentence is extended to 30 days after he accidentally breaks a waitress’s nose while defending himself from a blind man's cane.

Buddy elects to live with Dave and accompany him at work as part of his "radical round-the-clock therapy". This entails unorthodox techniques which cause Dave to be passive aggressive. At Dave's workplace Buddy is shocked to learn of the well-endowed Andrew's friendship with Linda. However, Buddy sees a photo of Linda and becomes instantly smitten by her, annoying Dave. To enhance Dave's assertiveness, Buddy arranges for him to get revenge on Arnie Shankman, who has become a Buddhist monk. Arnie apologizes to Dave, but he laughs when reminded of the kiss incident. Buddy and an initially hesitant Dave provoke Arnie by lying about Dave molesting Arnie's mentally ill sister. A fight ensues, and after defeating Arnie the duo flee and Dave is delighted to have had his revenge.

Linda tells Dave she has agreed to follow Buddy's advice that they have a trial separation; Buddy explains to Dave that this is to give him time to improve his behavior. Dave attacks Buddy when he learns he and Linda have begun dating. Dave returns to court where Buddy is issued with a restraining order against him for attempting to choke him while wearing a neck brace (which later turned out to be fake when he removed it). Dave snaps at work when he learns Frank promoted Andrew to the position he had expected. He punches Andrew in the face and wrecks Frank's office with a golf club.

Learning from Andrew that Buddy has taken Linda to a New York Yankees game, Dave assumes Buddy intends to steal his marriage proposal idea and races to the stadium. Security captures him, but New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani orders them to allow Dave to speak. Linda is moved when Dave announces publicly that he is willing to change. At her request, Dave kisses Linda in front of the crowd and she accepts his proposal. Linda then reveals that the game was the final phase of his therapy and explains that the aggravation he endured was all Buddy's doing. She adds that most of the people involved were in on Buddy's plans.

Cast[]

Several others appeared as themselves, such as:

Reception[]

Critical response[]

On Rotten Tomatoes Anger Management has an approval rating of 42% based on 194 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Though not without its funny moments, Anger Management is ultimately stale and disappointingly one-note, especially considering its capable cast."[2] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[3] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[4]

Box office[]

Anger Management was number one at the box office on its opening weekend, April 11-13, 2003, earning $42.2 million. It earned a total of $135.6 million in the U.S. with a total worldwide box office of $195.7 million.[5]

TV series adaptation[]

Main article: Anger Management (TV series)

A television series based on the film premiered on June 28, 2012,[6] starring Charlie Sheen in the role originated by Jack Nicholson; the series was Sheen's first acting role since his firing from the hit CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men on March 7, 2011, after eight seasons.[7] The show was produced by the film's producer Joe Roth, and was broadcast on FX in the United States, CTV in Canada and on TBS in Latin America for two seasons, totalling 100 episodes before it was cancelled.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ Lang, Brent (September 1, 2011). "Inside the Revolution Library: Where Joe Roth Went Wrong". TheWrap.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  2. ^ "Anger Management (2002)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  3. ^ "Anger Management Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 30, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  4. ^ "ANGER MANAGEMENT (2003) C+". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
  5. ^ "Anger Management - Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  6. ^ "Breaking News – FX Locks Summer Launch Date for Comedy Series". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  7. ^ "Charlie Sheen eyes TV return in 'Anger Management'". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  8. ^ "Charlie Sheen's 'Anger Management' premiered during the summer of 2011 on FX". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2011.

External links[]

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