‘Anger’ causes laughter

Stop the presses! Big news! Adam Sandler has starred in a straight comedy that is actually funny. Unlike his other works, in “Anger Management,” “low” comedy is present, but never so much as to insult the viewer’s intelligence. At first glance, Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson seem to be a most unlikely comedy team to generate laughs, but a pleasant surprise is in store for those who doubt their chemistry.

Dave Buznick (Sandler) is what can politely be referred to as a “doormat.” For all of his life, he has been pushed around by his classmates and friends. Now, as an adult and an “executive assistant” for an animal clothing company, he’s gotten flak from his boss, his clients, and even perfect strangers. One might say he has a lot of pent-up anger. It all comes to a head when a simple misunderstanding on a plane—where Dave acts perfectly calm—is blown far out of proportion, and he is tazered and arrested. Dave is sentenced to anger management classes led by Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson). Unfortunately, another misunderstanding at a bar with his “anger ally” Chuck (John Turturro) sends him right back to the courtroom. To help Dave out, Dr. Rydell has offered to bring him under his more extensive anger management training, which means that the good doctor has to move in with Dave and observe his behavior. However, his unorthodox methods may be too much for the young man… and may be a strain on his relationship with his girlfriend Linda (Marisa Tomei).

One thing that people will first notice about “Anger Management” is that Adam Sandler takes a short deviation from his usual roles. “Punch-Drunk Love” aside, Sandler has rarely gone beyond the “idiot boy” character. Despite the title and his previous work, Sandler’s Dave is not a man who will explode with anger every five minutes. He is actually normal, and mild-mannered. This is a side of Sandler rarely seen, and it is incredibly likable. Jack Nicholson, on the other hand, is once again playing a slightly unhinged character who bounces off of everyone else. With a lesser actor, playing similar roles would get tiresome. However, Nicholson can put a little twist in each one to make them individually interesting; Dr. Rydell is an excellent example.

Not to say that “Anger Management” is perfect. Far from it. Sometimes the humor becomes a little too obvious. For instance, a brief flashback to 1978 pounds the idea of the time period a bit excessively (“Heart of Glass” plays in the background as kids wear “CHiPS” and “Dukes of Hazzard” t-shirts). Also, I was a little surprised at how many actors seemed to be slumming their acting chops these days. Woody Harrelson appears in a rather embarrassing cameo, and even recent Oscar nominee John C. Reilly appears as a Buddhist monk with a bizarre, unlikable part to play in this movie.

Still, “Anger Management” has a great amount of charm working for it that’s hard to dismiss. Those who view the film are warned to prepare for a heavy dose of silliness. But a little silliness does people good; perhaps it’ll make you a less angry person.