Upside of Anger, The

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

I liked these characters precisely because they were not designed to be likable -- or, more precisely, because they were likable in spite of being exasperating, unorganized, self-destructive and impervious to good advice.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

In "Upside" Allen's marble face acts as the pressure-cooker lid on a hilarious hissy fit.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Original, unfailingly entertaining marital-breakup movie.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

A fiercely funny human comedy with jokes that sting and leave marks.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

In making such an appealing movie about characters who are usually swept under the Hollywood rug, Binder does us all a service.

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

A squarely suburban movie with a distinctly bourgeois-shaped window on the world, but it's genuine and exceptionally well observed.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

Allen turns the character into a tour de force that unleashes an unexpected comedy about compassion and self-loathing.

Variety Todd McCarthy

Increasingly exhibits a desire to amuse and distract rather than go deep, which ultimately generates disappointment in light of its announced intentions.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

One senses that this is an intensely personal project for Binder, who is not as forgiving as he might be toward the mercurial mother. Still, the film is carried by Costner and Allen, who project a chemistry so incrementally built on reluctant camaraderie, they almost seem like siblings.

The New Yorker David Denby

As this matron on the loose, Allen is rancorously funny.

Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky

If Allen owns The Upside of Anger, she is generous enough to loan it to Costner, who, despite the dim, glazed eyes, is more alive here than he's been in years.

Empire Ian Nathan

Compelling and honest with flashes of dark humour which makes this a meaty comedy drama.

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

Wondrous performances.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

The Upside of Anger belongs to Joan Allen (for whom director/screenwriter Mike Binder developed the project).

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The Upside of Anger is overly therapized, yet Costner and Allen show you what it means not just to play a role but to inhabit it.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Joan Allen, for whom the role was written, combines severity, which she has often played before, with such levity and verve that she lifts the whole film on the wings of Terry's wrath.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

What's best about "Upside" is its gonzo-sitcom craziness, a situation that lends itself to enjoyable performances.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

This loses focus and begins to get a little soggy and moralistic toward the end, but on the whole it's a sensitive and well-observed comedy that's especially adept at handling the characters' rage.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

The film never earns the irony of the title or offers anything profound in its observations of fractured family dynamics in an atmosphere of lingering resentment, but Allen and Costner enrich and elevate the film and give the growth of their characters a hard-earned gravitas.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Costner does things he hasn't done in years: He's funny and playful; he laughs and cracks jokes; and he doesn't look like he's carrying the weight of the universe on his shoulders.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Binder has written himself a scene-stealing supporting role as Shep, sleazeball producer.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Binder has allowed Allen, a brilliant actress, to go overboard with Terry's obnoxiousness, just as Brooks (his apparent role model) did with Téa Leoni in "Spanglish."

USA Today Claudia Puig

The primary upside to The Upside of Anger is the presence of Joan Allen in the lead role.

The New York Times Dana Stevens

A seriously flawed movie wrapped around two nearly perfect performances.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

The film's outsized ambitions are deceptive: Everything here is less than meets the eye.

Film Threat Bob Westal

A reasonably intelligent timekiller.

The New Republic Stanley Kauffmann

The two leading actors in The Upside of Anger are so good that their performances, even more than the story they are in, keep us interested.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

It's the men in ''Upside" who speak all the truth.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

It's a bizarre but engaging fling.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

What's lacking in The Upside of Anger is a steady sense that we're watching real people cope with real, jolting emotions.

Slate David Edelstein

A climactic twist that's among the stupidest I've ever seen-almost up there with another Costner movie, "No Way Out," and "The Life of David Gale."

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

The two fantastic performances by Allen and Costner that anchor The Upside of Anger are the reason to see this contemporary drama.

TV Guide Ken Fox

As contrived and pretentious as its title.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Meant to explore anger, all this picture does is manufacture it.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

It feels like a retread of several better movies, with a nastier, more bitter edge.

Village Voice Jessica Winter

The film has exhausted itself with fits of glib hysteria long before its truly stupefying final twist, a stunning betrayal of audience trust.