Anger Management Is Psychotic Therapy (2003)

I've been a fan of Adam Sandler for years: seeing him act like an a lazy child in Billy Madison, to more adult roles such as Bulletproof, and back again. I've never thought Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler would be on the screen together, but somehow the two made it work in Anger Management (2003).

I've missed out on the more recent roles of Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt), so my vision of him is dated back to The Shining. While his character in that movie was dark and twisted, he shows a similar attitude in Anger Management. While all hope is seemingly lost for Sandler, Jack Nicholson is in total control.

Amazingly enough Anger Management has a casting dating back to many older Sandler films. However, many of the SNL members did not appear this time. Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler) plays the role of a lawyer who was humiliated and taunted alot as a child. Later in life he becomes a lawyer, who seems to be well mannered and doesn't explode when embarrassed. He's a well tempered man, the last person you'd see at an anger management class. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson) is an anger management therapist who instructs classes and help out his patients. At first his classes seem normal, but later we find his tactics are extremely psychotic.

There are secondary roles with cast members from previous Sandler movies. Woody Harrelson appears for 5 minutes as a German transvestite working the streets. Buddy pays him $50 dollars to "entertain" Dave in the backseat of his SUV. Dave doesn't understand what a hooker has to do with anger management, but it's all part of the therapy. John Turturro (who played the butler in Mr. Deeds) comes back for a role as a member of the anger management group. John Macenro is also cast as a group member, but has no lines and only appears for a brief moment. One of the football player from The Waterboy (sorry can't remember the name) is yet another group member. Kevin Neland also makes brief appears as Dave Buznik's lawyer, who doesn't know how to stand up for his client.

The Plot is fairly easy to understand. At first it seems basic: Dave Buznik gets on a plane and notices someone is in his seat. Being the puss that he is, Dave decides to sit elsewhere. Out of nowhere Buddy steps forward and offers Dave a seat next to him. At this point Dave asks a flight attendant for a headset. The flight attendant goes to the back, and begins talking with a friend. After several minutes she returns only to walk right past Dave without the headset. Dave feeling insulted grabs the attendant's arm as she passes by and ever so quietly again asks for a headset. She starts yelling asking Dave to settle down. While this is all happening a black police officer comes over and continuously asks Dave to stop raising his voice and settle down. It's just funny because Dave is not yelling, in fact, talking so low the people behind him probably couldn't hear a word he said. Anyways, Dave gets sentenced to 10 hours of anger management courses for assaulting a flight attendant.

After a few classes Dave finds himself in a bar with a fellow group member. After a brief fight with a blind man, Dave accidentally hits a waitress in the face with the blind man's cane. Another mistaken case of anger. This time the court insists Dave undergo a more thorough course with Buddy himself. This is where the movie really takes off and the craziness begins. Throughout the movie you keep thinking to yourself, geez the poor guy has to go through all this for a simple misunderstanding. He seems like a well mannered person, he hasn't lashed out at anyone to deserve all this. While it appears so, there is more than meets the eye. I'll let you find out why, go watch the movie!

You'd think an anger management therapist would be very level headed and wouldn't tell their clients to do outrageous things. Well Buddy is the complete opposite. There are too many funny scenes, but here's a few.

While in a bar Buddy dares Dave to walk up to a really hot chick and ask her out. Dave doesn't want to because he is loyal to his girlfriend. Strike one, Dave gets turned down. This time Buddy insists that Dave go over and say the following "I'm sorry I was rude, it's just really hard for me to think when I'm on the verge of exploding in my pants". Not quite the best pickup line to use, and several men around the bar snicker, but alas she accepts his invitation.

In another situation Buddy smashes out the window of an expensive car parked behind his SUV. By doing this he is able to release and parking break and safely backout. Again, why is a therapist expressing such anger like this? It blows Dave's mind though!

Lastly Dave goes to a monastery to confront his childhood bully. After a brief discussion Dave finds himself giving a wedgie to the Monk. It's hilarious I tell you! It's at this point Buddy pulls out a gun and threatens the other Monks. By this time Dave is nearly dropping a load in his pants from fright. Bang! Buddy shoots a stream of water from the gun, and then they run away laughing like two little schoolgirls.

The tactics used by Buddy are extreme. Throughout the movie Dave feels trapped in this court order therapy, and doesn't understand why he must suffer such crazy abuse from Buddy. At one point Dave's attitude goes from "I'm fine I don't need any therapy" to "Oh my god this guy's a lunatic he needs more therapy than I do". Perhaps that kicked in when Buddy throws a plate of eggs at the wall, shattering all over the kitchen. Ya, that's it. That's real normal for an anger therapist.

I think Adam Sandler & Jack Nicholson played on each other very well. The acting was hilarious, and the plot was original yet full of twists and turns. I don't want to give away the ending, but just remember this: no matter how crazy and twisted the movie seems, everything has a purpose which comes together at the end. The final scene was rather lame (geez such an annoying song too), but everything is resolved, and most loose ends tied up. Although, I wonder if the fat cat sweaters idea ever worked out?

Just like most Sandler movies there is a touch of idiot, a pinch of seriousness, a dash of crazy, and a drop of love. Mix that all together and you have yet another Sandler comedy classic. I'd place Anger Management up there with the likes of Mr. Deeds, and Bulletproof. It's definitely much better than Waterboy or Billy Madison, where childish nonsense takes over in every scene.