Review of Anger Management (2003) by John E — 20 May 2011

Anger Management was a hilarious comedy that followed the main character through his unorthodox anger management while sorting out his life's problems. The way the film is presented is generic and similar to many other films in this category which holds with it the possibility to become nothing more than a regular comedy. Fortunately, the veterans that were signed on to act did a great job and helped the film rise out of the trouble it could have had. The best asset that it had here was that veteranism, allowing for the artists to bring their own unique abilities to the screen.

The direction done by Peter Segal (The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps) showed his veteran poise, though not that hard with those he had by his side. The accomplishment of fitting the actors into the right roles was easy given the veteran status, not to mention the poise that Segal has within this genre of film. Though the film is basic and general in nature, the direction helped to put the actors in their niches in order to get the best possible film.

The script written by David Dorfman (My Boss's Daughter) showed great ability in writing a comedy film with one-liners. Unfortunately, there is no enough depth that dives into how these characters beyond face value. This was still a quality script however because of the comedy that ran throughout it at a consistent rate. This almost made up for the lack of character depth but even so, that part of a film is important. Even still, the film made for a great laugh that many audiences will enjoy.

The acting was quite good. The veteran presence of Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt) made quite a splash and seemed to fit the role to his personality of an unstable human being than actually act. This made for a very great role and showed that he hasn't lost his touch and is still one of the greats at his craft. Adam Sandler (Punch Drunk Love) was great as well as the dominated employee and fit the role quite well, similar to Nicholson. This put their chemistry to the test and they blew it out of the water with excellence. This chemistry made the film a wonderful comedy. The supporting cast was excellent as well and was highlighted by the grace of Marissa Tomei (The Guru). She was a great fit for the role and was able to make the roles of the two main characters more complete. They were also supported by others, but the best part of this film was the chemistry that these actors had. It is what really made the film complete.

The film was very good, though its lack of depth and its generic overall appeal hurt the film. Even with this, the film was better than many in its genre because of the great comedy that was abundant throughout the film. The veteran acting was the very best part and really helped the film achieve its potential as comedy. With these aspects to hold it up to high standards of this genre, it makes for a great film that many audiences will enjoy.