Anger Management

Peter Segal

BY Ashley AndersonPublished Sep 1, 2003

According to anger expert Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson), there are two types of angry people: "explosive" and "implosive." Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler) is of the latter variety. Outwardly shrugging off his ignorant boss and the well-endowed rival for his girlfriend's affection, inwardly Buznik is a seething cauldron of rage, or so Rydell believes. Rydell is determined to cure Buznik of his inner anger by all questionable means possible, including spouting songs from West Side Story, repeating the mantra "Goosfraba" and sleeping buck naked in the same bed. Really, it's enough to drive anyone over the edge, especially if you're hovering there anyway. In a DVD featurette, director Peter Segal calls the chemistry between Sandler and Nicholson "magnetic," or something to that effect. Most of the time, Sandler seems uncertain whether to recite his lines or genuflect to Nicholson. But to be fair, Sandler isn't the only one Nicholson struck dumb — it's the whole cast. A second featurette is dedicated to him: "My Buddy, Jack." It's not just anyone who can eclipse Sandler in his own comedy. Perhaps that's why Sandler looks so out of place when taking his turn as question-asker in the Cosmo-like quiz "Do you have anger problems?" located in the special features section and intro-ed by a creepy spinning graphic of Nicholson's head. Wrong answers will result in choppy, two-second clips. Right answers reward you with clips some seconds longer. The real winners are those with the patience to sit through all the questions. Still a seriously funny flick, Anger Management is resplendent in cameos — watch for a hilarious one with John C. Reilly and a disturbing one with Woody Harrelson. A few famous angry men also make their appearance — a longer edit of a scene with tennis temper John McEnroe didn't make the cut, but still turns up in one of four deleted scenes. Extras: commentary by Peter Segal and Adam Sandler; "Do You Have Anger Problems?" quiz; deleted scenes; bloopers; trailers; more. (Columbia)

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