Anger Management (2003)

I had good feelings about Anger Management since the first trailer. Nicholson is a legend of the big screen, and despite some floppers, Adam Sandler has proven himself one of the funny men of our time. Putting the two together? Not much of a gamble there, though I was surprised to see the amount of chemistry the duo seemed to share on screen.

 

Popcorn

85%

In truth, the chemistry wasn't quite so good throughout the film as it seemed in the trailers. Still, Sandler and Nicholson worked quite well off each other, alternating roles between funny man and the straight guy.

I was surprised at how much this felt like a typical Adam Sandler flick. With Nicholson sharing the marquee, I thought filmmakers would drift a bit from the Sandler formula. But lo and behold, it comes with all the symptoms: recycled actors, truckloads of cameos--Rudy Guliani "can do it!" almost as well as Rob Schneider, it seems--the whole bit. In truth, it's little more than an Adam Sandler movie with Jack Nicholson in it.

On that note, if you're looking for the low-brow comedy, you'll find better stuff popping in Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison. If you're looking for a more Nicholson-style humor a la As Good as it Gets... Well, watch As Good as it Gets.

Having said that, there's still plenty to enjoy in Anger Management... As expected, it's a thrill just watching the two share screen time.

 

Smarts

42%

When it comes to filmmaking, this is quite a typical Sandler flick as well. The comedy is entirely situational, and at times you must question how those situations lead into each other. But we've all heard the metaphor about dissecting a joke: you risk killing it. So, like all Adam Sandler fans, we don't ask questions. We just sit and wait for the laughs.

 

Final

If you're a big Adam Sandler fan, go see Anger Management. If you love Jack Nicholson and want to see him in a lighter, rowdier environment than About Schmidt, see this film. Otherwise, this will make a good addition to a DVD collection next to Happy, Madison, Wedding Singer, and the better of Sandler's movies.