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| DIRECTED BY |
| Peter Segal
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| STARRING |
| Jack Nicholson |
| Adam Sandler |
| Marisa Tomei |
| Krista Allen |
| Heather Graham |
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�Anger Management� is funny, but what type of funny is it, exactly? There isn�t much of a difference between the humor presented in this film�s script and the myriad of other ridiculously stupid, �crude humor comedies� that Adam Sandler has done many times in the past already, perhaps climaxing with �Little Nicky.� However, the all-around enjoyable acting and its slightly more intelligent humor are what manage to elevate �Anger Management� above those films � at least for a little while, anyway.
Most of the best laughs in �Anger Management� come from Sandler�s dialogue. Nicholson has now pretty well established a formidably diverse curriculum vitae for himself with a few comedic roles to his credit amongst all of the drama; he seems able to assimilate into any kind of role, like the best actors can do. There really isn�t anything to criticize in his or Sandler�s performances other than the fact that Sandler�s character here seems awfully familiar to Barry Egan, the human time bomb that he played in �Punch-Drunk Love.�
And of course, like most comedies of this nature, there needs to be a fair number of eccentrics played by character actors. John Turturro stands out as the volatile Chuck, Woody Harrelson makes quite a surprising appearance as a cross-dressing stadium guard, and Heather Graham in a pair of Boston Red Sox underwear is reason enough for most guys to want to check out this flick.
By the end, Segal briefly uses a now-cliched plot device that attempts to explain everything that happened up to this point. This was a very unwise move, because, like most comedies, they should just be laughed at and not really analyzed a whole lot afterwards. When one does actually analyze it, however, one may come to realize that it doesn�t hold up when thinking about it as �just one big setup.� For instance, how exactly does one go about setting up a phony judicial system? Dave really must be 'retarded.'
The less-than-admirable aspects of this comedy come to prominence when director Peter Segal indulges in his penchant for creating flat-out stupid humor, perhaps most obviously depicted with the character of Dave�s lawyer, who decides to toss an apple at a blind man�s head in an attempt to prove a point. These little scenes may seem insubstantial at first, but they�re also just not necessary. The degree of realism that the comedy had beforehand allowed the audience to be able to relate to Sandler�s character and that�s when this comedy works � Segal�s use stupid humor serves no purpose other than to distract.
