Anger Management
PG-13 for crude sexual content and language.
reviewed by Christopher Lyon
The set-up for “Anger Management” sounds like a funny concept: Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson, two of the best “angry” actors around, in a comedy about anger. But will the funny be as fleeting as some of Sandler’s other recent films?
The Story
Sandler plays Dave, an uptight guy who has trouble standing up for himself and is afraid to kiss his girlfriend (Marisa Tomei) in public. We learn in a flashback that some of Dave’s issues stem from a childhood of being bullied and humiliated (especially during his first kiss).
Flying home from a business trip, Dave sits next to an obnoxious passenger (Nicholson). When he repeatedly asks for a pair of headphones, the flight attendant accuses him of rage and an undercover security officer “subdues” him. The result is that he’s assigned to an anger management course, led by Dr. Buddy Rydell, the passenger from the plane.
Dr. Buddy turns out to be a little psychotic, moving in with Dave, forcing him to do illegal and outrageous things, and seemingly moving in on Dave’s girlfriend. Dave grows increasingly frustrated with Dr. Buddy, and his life in general, until he finally reaches a breaking point.
The Verdict
Though Jack Nicholson brings some needed energy to the usual Sandler comedy tone, “Anger Management” is still just so-so. Several scenes are funny, especially when Dr. Buddy is pushing all of Dave’s buttons to make him angry. But Sandler, ironically, never gets angry enough to be at his most hilarious.
The supporting cast provides a few laughs. Especially funny is John Turturro as a fellow member of the anger management support group who has some serious rage issues. Marisa Tomei provides a solid-though-standard girlfriend performance.
The ending, which is supposed to provide an “ah ha” moment, never really delivers, because the whole story is so outrageous that nothing is really surprising. And though Sandler’s character is supposed to grow and develop during the film, he doesn’t seem all that different at the end than he does at the beginning.
I caught the end of “Happy Gilmore” on TV a few days after my screening of “Anger Managment.” It seems like Sandler has lost some of the breeziness and easy laughs that movie delivered. And though “Happy” had it’s crude moments, “Anger Management” is almost completely ruined by all the sexual content and bad language.
Originally rated R, “Anger Management” got its PG-13 on an appeal to the MPAA. It includes lots of content about the relative sizes of male members (including a brief but revealing shot of a guys pants up close). It also features two lesbian porn stars in the anger group who kiss and make out in skimpy outfits (in several scenes). Also, Dr. Buddy makes Dave sit in the backseat of a car with a transvestite prostitute (played by Woody Harrelson), leading to lots of crude sexual jokes.
In short, “Anger Management” provides lots of reasons to stay away and very few reasons to pay eight bucks for a ticket.
Worldview
Dr. Buddy’s approach to helping Dave with his anger problem seems to be to get Dave to admit that he feels anger and to act on it. Not surprisingly, the Bible suggests a different approach for Christians.
Contrary to what some Christians teach, the Bible does not tell us that it’s sinful to feel angry. Anger is an emotion that happens to everyone. Sometimes, you can’t help feeling angry. Instead, God’s Word teaches us not to sin when we feel angry (Ephesians 4:26). In other words, when you start feeling angry be careful not to let go and lash out. Wait to take action until you feel in control again.
That same passage also tells us not to “let the sun go down while you are still angry.” Put another way, don’t hold on to your anger till tomorrow. Let it go. Usually, that means forgiving the person who has wronged you and trusting God to take care of you. The next verse in the same passage warns that keeping your anger with you gives the devil a foothold into your life.
If you think you really have an anger problem, spend a little time getting to know the Bible’s ideas for dealing with it. That time will be a lot more worthwhile than sitting through a session of Sandler’s “Anger Management.”
Discussion Questions
• If you’re an Adam Sandler fan, what are some of your favorite Sandler movies?
• Do you think “Anger Management” was better or worse than his usual comedies?
• Do you think lots of crude and sexual content makes a movie funnier? Why or why not?
• What do you think of people who have trouble controlling their anger?
• What approach to dealing with your anger works best for you?
• Do you ever feel guilty about feeling angry? Do you think you need to? Why or why not?
Let us know what you thought of this review!