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 Now
that the Oscars are finally over, it's back to business for Hollywood...and
especially for Jack Nicholson. After being nominated for the most
restrained performance of his career in About
Schmidt (and subsequently losing the coveted golden guy
to The Pianist's Adrien Brody
in one of the biggest upsets in Oscar history), Jack is back in
all his eyebrow-raising, over-the-top, scene-chewing glory in
Anger Management.
By teaming up with perennial goofball Adam Sandler, Nicholson
lets his hair down (or what's left of it) for some gut-busting,
knee-slapping hilarity. Or at least, that was the intention. While
Anger Management certainly manages a few good laughs and
fits the bill as a harmless early spring moviegoing diversion,
sloppy contrivances, lame jokes and an uninspired ending keep
the film from being... well, as good as it gets.
When mild-mannered New York City ad exec Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler)
finds himself in the middle of a huge misunderstanding aboard
an airplane, he is ordered by the court to undergo anger management
therapy at the hands of the legendary Doctor Buddy Rydell (Jack
Nicholson). Dave reluctantly attends his
class, but when another mishap lands him in even more trouble,
Buddy has no choice but to move in with him in an effort to work
through his demons. Dave is initially caught off guard by his
therapist's rather unorthodox behavior, but he soon learns that
his insane method of confronting the past is just what the doctor
ordered.
This may be a stretch, but in a strange, offbeat way, Sandler's
character in Anger Management feels like a close cousin
to the one he played in last fall's critically-acclaimed mind-bender
Punch-Drunk Love.
Sandler starts off the film as virtually the same person he played
in Punch--a repressed, insecure, kind-hearted pushover
whose pent-up rage makes him a ticking time bomb--but obviously,
that's where the similarities end.
For the rest of the time, Management is much more mainstream,
but just when you think that the film is going to utilize Nicholson's
presence to reach beyond Sandler's core fan base of teenage boys,
Nicholson lets a beefy one rip to remind you that, yes, you are
still in the middle of an Adam Sandler movie. At least the two
of them seem like they're having a blast together, and while some
of their comedic moments fall flat, the jokes that do work easily
make the film more entertaining than not.
Anger Management certainly has its moments (especially
when Nicholson and Sandler break into their unforgettable rendition
of "I Feel Pretty" from "West Side Story"),
but it's still far from being the outrageous comedy that it could
have been. Not only does it drag in spots, but it goes on far
too long before it stumbles to a somewhat ridiculous conclusion
that's (quite
literally) out of left field. In addition, some of the plot contrivances
are too obvious to ignore, which is certainly the case with John
Turturro's unstable character, who is inexplicably dropped early
on before popping up again near the end of the film.
As for the supporting players, Marisa Tomei collects a paycheck
as Sandler's understanding girlfriend, while glorified cameos
from the likes of Kevin Nealon, Heather Graham, Woody Harrelson
and John C. Reilly range from the mildly amusing to the downright
embarrassing. At least Reilly can be forgiven for his brief scene
as a reformed monk after last year's grand slam with The
Good Girl, Gangs of New
York, The Hours and Chicago
(the latter of which garnered him his first Oscar nomination).
It's worth mentioning that the opening scene makes a direct reference
to the difficult times that Americans faced after 9/11, but in
light of the current situation with Iraq, the reference takes
on an even greater significance that almost takes you out of the
movie. Then again, that was hardly the intention, and once you
settle back into it, Anger Management manages to overcome
its flaws to fit the bill as a welcome diversion from the news
currently dominating the headlines. And if that isn't what the
doctor ordered, then I don't know what is.
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