Writer David Dorfman, director Peter Segal and star Adam Sandler missed a golden

opportunity in "Anger Management," a comedy bereft of laughs about a milquetoast

office drone and designer of fat feline fashions (?) who is sentenced to rage therapy
after an incident on an airline.

The incident: His repeated polite requests for a headset to watch the in-flight movie
are absurdly mistaken for aggression by a flight crew with post-9/11 jitters. The
missed opportunity: The concept's punchline should have been that he really is a
rage-a-holic and the calm version of events we see is his skewed perspective of
normalcy.

Instead, the picture sticks with the notions that typically dim-bulb Sandler (insert
empty-eyed double-take head-cocks here) really is a misunderstood nice guy, and
the actor fails to find a single genuine laugh in the story's goofball gimmick -- which
is that his nutzo court-appointed therapist (Jack Nicholson, volume turned up to 11)
moves in with him and makes his life a living hell.

Nevermind that there's no explanation as to why a supposedly famous, in-demand

shrink would do such a thing (why not a funny subplot about the guy being evicted?).
Nevermind that the therapy Nicholson applies has nothing to do with anger
management and everything to do with assertiveness training. Such points might be
worth finding fault with if the movie were funny, but it's just not. At all. Not once.

Sandler goes to Nicholson's group therapy sessions where sight-gag caricatures are
rolled out for cheap rim shots. There's the queeny vato (Luis Guzman) who beat up
his boss, the high-strung war veteran (John Turturro in hyperactive bug-eyed mode)
and the bisexual porn slut couple who aren't there for laughs but just to make out
from time to time, insuring a teenage-boy-friendly PG-13 and deliberately skirting the
R that would keep that target audience from getting in.

Nicholson takes over Sanlder's life, tapping his phones, throwing away his CDs,
disallowing caffeine, demanding his eggs over-easy and trying to spoon Sandler in
bed (there's no couch to sleep on). But Nicholson overshoots any potential humor
here. His character is so grating that he's even harder for a viewer to tolerate than
he is for Sandler, who is at least on the same side of the screen and thus has the
option of strangling the guy.

The film's idea of therapy is a series of sketch-comedy scenes in which Nicholson

goes to work with Sandler (looking over his shoulder and tweaking the nose of his
mean boss), Nicholson makes Sandler hit on a psychotic bar tramp (Heather
Graham in a lame cameo), and then Nicholson puts the moves on Sandler's
girlfriend (Marisa Tomei).

The jokes are transparent, the behavior is contradictory and the ultimate "surprise"
resolution is not only nonsensical, it's insulting to think Sandler's character wouldn't
be finally truly outraged by having it revealed to him.
Packed with pointlessly crazy cameos (Rudy Giuliani at a ballgame, Bobby Knight
and John McEnroe in therapy, Woody Harrelson as a transvestite hooker) that seem
to be more important to the director than congruous character development, "Anger
Management" is the kind of simplistic movie in which everyone's problems are
solved not because of any emotional effort or change of heart, but simply because
the orchestra swells, the cymbals crash, the hero kisses the girl and the credits roll.

It's nothing short of a comedy catastrophe and a criminal waste of talent.

Review by Rob Blackwelder

Handling Anger Assertively By Lloyd J.

Thomas, Ph.D.

The emotion we call "anger" is a natural response to frustration,

pain, loss or neediness. It may also occur out of "old habit" or
imitation of an angry parent. Anger is what we label the
biochemical/physiological response we experience when our wants
and needs are not met, when we are blocked from pursuing our
goals, when we are hurting either physically or emotionally, or when
we have experienced a loss of some kind. Anger is a natural
emotion and a powerful energizer.

Many, many people have problems expressing their anger. You may
have been given lots of messages as a child that you were supposed
to be nice, kind, and sweet all the time. Or perhaps any anger
expression was not tolerated and punished in some way. Messages
like, “Don't you talk back to me!” accompanied by a swat, is not
only telling the child his or her angry feelings are "bad", it is
punitive of the child's attempt to express the anger. It is also very
confusing, because the child is being shown how the parent handles
anger and at the same time told not to handle his or her anger in
the same manner. So the child often learns to bottle up his or her
anger in an effort to be a "good child" and avoid punishment.
Bottling up your anger, allowing it to build until you explode, or
becoming your own angry critic of yourself and others, are not the
most beneficial methods for handling anger. Learning how to be
self-supportive and assertive with your anger are the most healthful
ways to deal with your naturally-occurring emotion.

It is unnatural for everyone to remain smooth, calm, and unaffected

by the frustrations, hurts and losses experienced in life. But
expressing anger in a rage or "dumping" your anger on yourself or
others is highly destructive to your psychological well-being.

Instead of venting your angry feelings in thermonuclear outbursts,

or blocking them, thereby creating enormous internal stress, you
can learn to turn your anger into a motivational tool which will give
you the charge of energy you can use to take control of your own
life, pursue your wants and goals more vigorously, and clarify where
you stand in relation to others in your life. Using your anger for
powerful assertiveness is the natural purpose for having it in the
first place. Here are six suggestions for handling your anger
assertively.

1.   Allow yourself to acknowledge your feelings of anger. Take a

deep breath and listen to yourself for a minute. Become aware of
the bodily sensations your anger creates. Ask yourself, “Do I feel
angry enough to let others know what I am feeling?” or “How can I
use my angry energy to address the problem to which I responded
with anger?” Then decide either to let the problem go...along with
your anger, or use the energy to address the precipitating issue.

2.   Pick an appropriate discussion time. If possible, arrange with

another a suitable time to raise the issue to which you responded
with anger. A sudden outburst of anger may just put others on the
defensive and may be even more frustrating for you.

3.   Avoid blaming, judging, and accusing others. Your blaming

offensive will only breed a defensive counter attack. It also makes
you feel more helpless, because blaming becomes an obstacle to
problem-solving. After you cool down, the problem remains with
perhaps the addition of guilt or anxiety over your own outburst.
4.   Always express your anger using "I" statements about how you
are feeling. Say “I am feeling really frustrated and angry right now”
rather than “You and your stupidity make me feel sick (tired, angry,
ticked off, or any other adjective describing your anger).”

5.   Say what it is you are wanting or needing which would address

the problem or your anger. Make your needs clear and very specific.

Don't ask the other person to change his or her feelings. They have
a right to their feelings just as much as you have to yours. Ask
directly and specifically for something that will help you feel
satisfied or less angry.

6.   Listen to the other's response. Allow the person you're talking

to enough time to hear and respond to what you've said. Look at
them when they talk. Don't interrupt or rehearse your reply while
they are talking. Slow down, and take in what they are saying. Then
choose how you want to respond to them. Before you respond,
acknowledge that you heard what they said, even though you may
not agree with what they said.

        The practice of using your anger to assert yourself can result

in a much more fulfilled way of functioning. It can even bring others
closer to you through caring and respect. Learn to use your anger
for self-support and you regain control of your feelings and your life.
Writer David Dorfman, director Peter Segal and star Adam Sandler missed a
opportunity in "Anger Management," a comedy bereft of laughs about a milquetoast
office drone and designer of fat feline fashions (?) who is sentenced to rage therapy
after an incident on an airline.

The incident: His repeated polite requests for a headset to watch the in-flight movie
are absurdly mistaken for aggression by a flight crew with post-9/11 jitters. The
missed opportunity: The concept's punchline should have been that he really is a
rage-a-holic and the calm version of events we see is his skewed perspective of
normalcy.

Instead, the picture sticks with the notions that typically dim-bulb Sandler (insert
empty-eyed double-take head-cocks here) really is a misunderstood nice guy, and
the actor fails to find a single genuine laugh in the story's goofball gimmick -- which
is that his nutzo court-appointed therapist (Jack Nicholson, volume turned up to 11)
moves in with him and makes his life a living hell.

Nevermind that there's no explanation as to why a supposedly famous, in-demand

shrink would do such a thing (why not a funny subplot about the guy being evicted?).
Nevermind that the therapy Nicholson applies has nothing to do with anger
management and everything to do with assertiveness training. Such points might be
worth finding fault with if the movie were funny, but it's just not. At all. Not once.

Sandler goes to Nicholson's group therapy sessions where sight-gag caricatures are
rolled out for cheap rim shots. There's the queeny vato (Luis Guzman) who beat up
his boss, the high-strung war veteran (John Turturro in hyperactive bug-eyed mode)
and the bisexual porn slut couple who aren't there for laughs but just to make out
from time to time, insuring a teenage-boy-friendly PG-13 and deliberately skirting the
R that would keep that target audience from getting in.

Nicholson takes over Sanlder's life, tapping his phones, throwing away his CDs,
disallowing caffeine, demanding his eggs over-easy and trying to spoon Sandler in
bed (there's no couch to sleep on). But Nicholson overshoots any potential humor
here. His character is so grating that he's even harder for a viewer to tolerate than
he is for Sandler, who is at least on the same side of the screen and thus has the
option of strangling the guy.

The film's idea of therapy is a series of sketch-comedy scenes in which Nicholson

goes to work with Sandler (looking over his shoulder and tweaking the nose of his
mean boss), Nicholson makes Sandler hit on a psychotic bar tramp (Heather
Graham in a lame cameo), and then Nicholson puts the moves on Sandler's
girlfriend (Marisa Tomei).
Do not teach your children never to be angry; teach them how to be angry

George Eliot