AMERICAN BEAUTY + LIFE AS A HOUSE

By: B -- 3/21/05

Though The Upside of Anger is a limited-release indie film playing in the artsy neighborhoods, its simple conclusions, heavy narration and accessible storyline make for a film just as suitable for the local Cineplex. Think of it as a watered-down American Beauty, with much of the humor but half the satiric tone.

Terry Wolfmeyer (Joan Allen) is an angry, drunk housewife who tells her four daughters that their father has run off with his secretary. Enter neighbor Denny Davies (Kevin Costner), the lazy retired ballplayer who begins trying to charm his way into the lives of Terry and her daughters. There is an excess of subplots in Upside (each daughter has her own problems), but the story is largely about Terry.

The winning attribute of the film is the performances. Writer-director Mike Binder boldly cast himself as Davies’ sleazeball producer and is hilarious; especially in a scene that finds him in a vicious argument with Terry. Allen is perfect as the neurotic, two-faced train wreck Terry. She was such a mess that I actually found myself averting my eyes from the screen in fear of what she was going to say next.

Costner is equally impressive as Davies. Though he’s been categorically ridiculed for his acting chops, he was perfectly cast as the washed-up jock.

I wish the same could be said of the daughters. Beyond sharing an alarming lack of physical characteristics, the discrepancy between the characters’ ages with the actors who portray them is ridiculous. Alicia Witt plays Hadley, a recent college graduate, but is actually 29 years old. Erika Christensen’s character Andy has just graduated from high school, yet Christensen is 22. And Keri Russell, who plays what appears to be a 17-year-old, is also 29 in real life. Keri Russell, as a high-schooler! Yikes.

Despite the age disconnect with the daughters, The Upside of Anger is an agreeable, if slightly obvious, skewering of suburban America. The film’s mood shifts from humorous to dismal to poignant to tragic, with little warning. And while the conclusions are easy and the plotline predictable, the performances and biting humor make for a film I’d recommend to most everyone.

POP RATING: 8

CRITICAL RATING: 7

B’S RATING: 7.5

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