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3.0 out of 5 stars
Another standard Sandler comedy, July 7 2004
This review is from: Anger Management (Special Edition,Fullscreen) (DVD)
This Adam Sandler flick is actually one of his most accessible. Jack Nicholson and a supporting cast that includes Marisa Tomei, Heather Graham, John Turturro, & Woody Harrelson drive Sandler's character to become so frustrated that he lets out his repressed anger and opens up to his true feelings. The movie follows the Sandler formula of a likable underdog who redeems himself and "gets the girl" in the end. Nicholson is in fine form as the "Anger Management" shrink and NY Yankee fans will enjoy the film's climax at Yankee Stadium. Some parts of the story are pretty silly and pointless, but overall this movie delivers lots of laughs. There is a bit of a dark side to this story, as if this scenario were applied to real life instead of "reel" life people could really get hurt. A person subjected to such an invasive intrusion into their life would presumably become assertive or aggressive much quicker than the character in this film. I consider this one of Sandler's most enjoyable movies, as he is not too over the top or juvenile, and the story and cast work well.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Tension Reliever, May 28 2004
I just love this movie. The premise and format is interesting and funny, even after watching it at least 10 times. Jack Nicholson was a perfect fit for the off-the-wall character, Dr. Buddy Rydell, even if Mr. Nicholson felt it a bit of a stretch himself. I like Adam Sandler's movies anyway, and this one was no different.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Great if your an Adam Sandler fan, OK otherwise, May 18 2004
Possible Spoilers Ahead: I have to admit that I am not a big Adam Sandler fan. However, I saw the trailers and I was intrigued by the thought of Sandler playing a regular guy to an over-the-top Jack Nicholson. About halfway through the movie, I had trouble following the storyline. I think this was due to Sandler playing his mild mannered Dave Buznik character too calm in the beginning. While I understand the concept of a guy who internalizes his anger (which is why he was a candidate for Anger Management classes), even guys who internalize their anger show some frustration when there are problems. I thought Buznik's overly calm reactions seemed unrealistic during the entire flight attendant hostility 'over the headset' episode. I suppose Sandler was trying to go for no reactions at first and building up, over the course of the movie, to more obvious displays of anger (like the fight with his grade school nemesis turned Buddhist monk), but he started out so overly calm at the beginning, it was hard for me to understand whether he was acting or not. While the West Side Story 'I Feel Pretty' bit had some amusing possibilities, the Buznik character started well (frazzled at being forced to stop on the bridge and sing for his bizarre therapist), but the singing soon became too much like Sandler doing his singing bits for SNL, and not Buznik trying to placate his therapist so he could get to work. This may explain why some of the other reviewers gave this movie a thumbs down. I did find the second half more entertaining, mainly because I thought the Buznik character seemed to be reacting in a more realistic fashion to hostility directed at him. I didn't mind the final scene at Yankee Stadium, but I didn't think the cameos from the baseball players were required. While it was nice to see Rudy Giullani, that part could have also gone to someone playing just a regular guy in the stands rooting for the guy to propose to the girl at these sporting events (I didn't think all of the cameos were required - or added anymore laughs to the film). Overall, this movie has some entertainment value (good as a rental), better for the die-hard Adam Sandler fans.
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