#137: Anger Management

Release Date: April 11th, 2003

Format: Streaming (Tubi)

Written by: David S. Dorfman

Directed by: Peter Segal

2.5 Stars

The Jack Nicholson tide raises all boats in Anger Management. 

Adam Sandler and his crew typically bring a relaxed (lazy?) approach to filmmaking, but you can feel them at least trying to step up their game in the presence of a silver screen legend.

But make no mistake, Jack is the star of the show here. He’s very, very funny, and he’s given a long leash. It pays off. The scenes with him are magnetic, despite modest Sandlerian surroundings.  

Speaking of Sandler, who was fresh from working with P.T. Anderson on Punch Drunk Love, he plays a character safely in his comfort zone in Anger Management: a man-child with repressed rage. He’s good here, if a bit overshadowed by Nicholson.

The movie also gets strong supporting performances from Marisa Tomei, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Heather Graham, Kevin Nealon, Harry Dean Stanton, and John C. Reilly, all clearly excited to share the screen, or at least a billing, with Nicholson.

As for the plot, as the stakes are raised, the quality is lowered. By the movie’s end, it’s silly, implausible, and hokey, a common feature of many Sandler movies.

But Jack is worth the price of admission.