Starring: Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Erika Christensen, Evan Rachel Wood
Director: Mike Binder
Category: IIB
The Upside of Anger is pretty much Joan Allen's film. She plays Terry, a mother of four teenage girls whose life is turned upside down when her husband walks away - and who turns to the bottle as her emotions gets the better of her.
Allen's bitterness and barely concealed contempt for life give strength to a script that otherwise might have lapsed into the mundane as the various aspects of this family dynamic are played out, with each member coming to terms with their new situation.
Writer-director Mike Binder has a keen ear for dialogue, and it's the emotionally charged one-on-ones that keep you involved - most of the time. The romantic angle in this comedy-drama helps, too, and it comes in the shape of Kevin Costner, surprisingly understated as a jaded ex-baseball player who's interested in Terry and makes his move almost the moment her husband walks out the door.