The Upside Of Anger vs About Schmidt

Once in a while, a movie like The Upside of Anger slips through. I'm not sure how it happens. I thought I knew what I was in for. Maybe As Good as it Gets, with its frustrating yet lovable, safely-angry characters, too stubborn to realize how much they're coming to mean to each other. Or maybe Something's Gotta Give, layering softball statements about age and gender on a sitcom framework. But no. The Upside of Anger is an odd, interesting movie, surprisingly dark in plot and character. The Upside of Anger is not perfect, but it's interesting, and I think we can agree that's probably better.

Joan Allen stars as Terry, a woman whose husband is gone. There's no note, no call; the man is just gone. Terry knows where he is: he ran away with his Swedish secretary. She starts to call several times, but she's too pissed—pissed—to know what to say. Besides, life goes on, right? Terry has four lovely daughters, a big suburban house, and gallons of alcohol to consume. Terry isn't drowning her sorrows, she's teaching them to swim. Hell, she's making them a fake I.D. and teaching them to drink. The only thing Terry loves as much as her ever-present gin on the rocks is her sarcasm, which never sounds like a screenwriter's gimmick, but rather the only communication tool left for a woman so very past the verge. Remember that scene in Waiting to Exhale when Angela Bassett set the car on fire (as if there's anything else to remember from that movie)? Every gulp Terry takes feels like that moment, and we can see behind her half-lidded eyes, Just one more drink. Gimme just one more drink, and then I'll go out and burn the car down. In a second, though, after a drink. Or ten. Be right there.

It's unclear how big of a drop this was for Terry. In voiceover, one of her daughters tells us that Terry used to be friendly and happy, so I'm guessing things have changed, since Terry is neither at any point in The Upside of Anger. She's a wreck. Terry is bitter, rude, lazy, drunk, shrill and stubborn. That she's also sexy, funny and one of the most fascinating characters in any movie lately is testament to Joan Allen, who takes an original character and makes her somehow even more so. And in Kevin Costner—finally—she's met her match. How long has it been since anyone, in any movie, has met their match in Kevin Costner? Costner plays Denny Davies, Terry's neighbor, a retired baseball player now hosting a radio show, refusing to talk baseball, and drinking pretty much everyone besides Terry under the table. Denny's not quite as infuriating as Terry, perhaps because he's grown so comfortable with his schedule, which includes talking on the radio for approximately an hour a day and then drinking many beers. He likes Terry enough to be her drinking buddy and maybe even more. But something else is happening in The Upside of Anger. Denny isn't just after Terry, and the two of them don't run off into some romantic comedy world, though their relationship contains some hilarious moments. Instead, Denny forces his way into Terry's family, winning over her daughters (Evan Rachel Wood, Ericka Christenson, Keri Russell and Alicia Witt—I told you they were lovely) and bringing a little balance to their lives. Denny gets free meals, the daughters get a few laughs, and while no one forgets their pain, we come to realize that Denny's the kind of guy that can be your drinking buddy even if he's the only one drinking.

The Upside of Anger isn't flashy or gimmicky, and focuses on character and dialogue over situations, yet somehow, it was made by a first-time director. Mike Binder (who also plays Denny's sleazy producer) is both writer and director, and trusts his script and actors enough to let things veer a little off course once in a while. A subplot with one of the daughters getting sick would seem to be leading the movie into Terms of Endearment territory, and another bungee-jumping trip seems designed for tragedy, but Binder keeps the focus on the characters, knowing they can handle themselves without swimming in melodrama. The ending of The Upside of Anger is causing a bit of a stir, and to be fair, it's unexpected. But a movie that goes to so many true places earns an ending that's maybe a little unbelievable. Besides, it's all too often that anger and alcohol keep us from seeing what's in our own backyard.

Warren Schmidt is also a frustrating, stubborn, sad character. He's in a movie directed by Alexander Payne, though, so any redemption he finds is going to be of the simultaneously too-painful-to-watch/too-painful-not-to-watch variety. Schmidt has just been rushed into retirement, and even more unexpectedly widowed. His daughter is estranged and soon to be married, so Schmidt loads up the RV and drives cross-country to see her. Along the way he gets into the sorts of jams movie characters often find themselves in, but About Schmidt stays true to its title by keeping Schmidt the focus of the movie, in all his socially-awkward glory. If there's a wrong thing to say, Schmidt will double it. If there's a possibility that a situation will end badly, Schmidt will cross the finish line first. He could teach Terry as much about sad and lonely as she could teach him about drinking, and that's a lot.

As you already know, Jack Nicholson plays Warren Schmidt, and he's heartbreaking. About Schmidt is much quieter and more thoughtful than Nicholson's more iconic movies, and it's better for it. Nicholson is surrounded by equally talented players: Kathy Bates, Dermot Mulroney, and especially Hope Davis as Schmidt's daughter. Davis, as has become typical, is specific, subtle and brilliant, like the movie itself. Alexander Payne, like Mike Binder, knows how interesting it is when we fail, and how compelling  it is to watch when we see it happening and can't do a damn thing about it.

The Upside of Anger: A-
About Schmidt: A