CAST IS THE 'UPSIDE' OF THIS SHALLOW EFFORT.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic AS A SHOWCASE for its adult leads, ``The Upside of Anger'' has a lot to recommend. The movie itself is more problematic, its tone veering into niceness when searing sear 1 v. seared, sear·ing, sears v.tr. 1. To char, scorch, or burn the surface of with or as if with a hot instrument. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. self-examination is needed. But then, maybe that's a good thing, because when writer-director Mike Binder tries his hand at a grand thematic statement in the movie's finale (as in explaining the movie's title), the results are pretty insubstantial, to say the least. It's a measure, then, of the quality of the work by Joan Allen and Kevin Costner that ``Upside'' works as an amiable a·mi·a·ble adj. 1. Friendly and agreeable in disposition; good-natured and likable. 2. Cordial; sociable; congenial: an amiable gathering. , if shallow, character study of two middle-age adults wrestling with the second-act blues. Both are alcoholics: That's the coping mechanism coping mechanism Psychiatry Any conscious or unconscious mechanism of adjusting to environmental stress without altering personal goals or purposes of choice when we meet them. Being drinking buddies brings them together; becoming buddies (with privileges) forces them to confront some unpleasant truths about themselves. Allen plays Terry, a suburban Detroit housewife with four daughters and a husband who has apparently run off to Sweden with his secretary. A steady diet of vodka tonics A vodka tonic is an alcoholic drink made with varying proportions of vodka and tonic water. Vodka tonics are frequently garnished with a slice of lime. In the UK, the drink is sometimes referred to by the initials of 'V'odka 'A'nd 'T'onic, VAT. helps mute her seething seethe intr.v. seethed, seeth·ing, seethes 1. To churn and foam as if boiling. 2. a. To be in a state of turmoil or ferment: rage, but only so much. With a few drinks in her, Terry will the say the darndest things, much to her girls' consternation. That candor can·dor n. 1. Frankness or sincerity of expression; openness. 2. Freedom from prejudice; impartiality. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin, from has the opposite effect on neighbor Denny (Costner), a former baseball star for the local team who's running in place after retirement and not particularly happy about it. To make a living, he signs baseballs and bats (his home is littered with cartons of memorabilia) and hosts a talk-radio show where he'll discuss anything - but baseball. He fights boredom with an ever-present 16-ounce can of Budweiser. Could these two damaged inebriates have a future together? Denny thinks so. And watching the disheveled Costner, in a great (and sometimes affecting) comic turn, woo Allen, with her trademark brittleness (masking mask·ing n. 1. The concealment or the screening of one sensory process or sensation by another. 2. An opaque covering used to camouflage the metal parts of a prosthesis. deep despair), makes the movie worth watching. Think of Crash Davis, a decade after ``Bull Durham,'' dealing with a woman about as far removed from Susan Sarandon's Annie Savoy as you can get, and you have an idea of the inspired interplay. It's too bad that Binder doesn't explore more of the reasons behind Terry's pent-up anger. Better subplots for the daughters - played by Erika Christensen, Evan Rachel Wood, Keri Russell and Alicia Witt - would have helped, too, not just the common, coming-of-age crises we find here. And the film's final plot development isn't just far-fetched; it's simply absurd, almost insulting. Perhaps it's a sign, then, of how starved starve v. starved, starv·ing, starves v.intr. 1. To suffer or die from extreme or prolonged lack of food. 2. Informal To be hungry. 3. To suffer from deprivation. we are for movies with grown-up grown-up adj. 1. Of, characteristic of, or intended for adults: grown-up movies; a grown-up discussion. 2. characters doing grown-up things that it's easy to ignore the downside of ``Upside'' and give the film a pass. Allen and Costner should find another movie to make together. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com THE UPSIDE OF ANGER - Three stars (R: language, sexual situations, brief comic violence, some drug use) Starring: Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Keri Russell, Erika Christensen, Alicia Witt, Evan Rachel Wood. Director: Mike Binder. Running time: 1 hr. 56 min. Playing: In wide release. In a nutshell nut·shell n. The shell enclosing the meat of a nut. Idiom: in a nutshell In a few words; concisely: Just give me the facts in a nutshell. Adv. 1. : Joan Allen and Kevin Costner make the most of limited material, elevating the movie into something of a comic showcase. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Kevin Costner and Joan Allen, center, are alcoholics who form a bond, and Keri Russell, left, Erika Christensen and Alicia Witt play Allen's daughters in ``The Upside of Anger.'' |
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