Anger Management (2003)
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A mild-mannered man is forced into an unconventional anger management program with a therapist who uses radical methods.
The story
In 1978 Brooklyn, Dave Buznik is humiliated by a local bully, a trauma that leaves him unable to show affection publicly twenty-five years later. While working as a secretary, his frustration with a flight attendant leads to him being tased and sentenced to anger management. He is placed under the care of Dr. Buddy Rydell, a therapist with unconventional methods. When Dave's situation worsens after a bar fight, Buddy proposes a radical alternative: continuous live-in therapy. Buddy moves into Dave's apartment and accompanies him everywhere, utilizing unorthodox techniques to push Dave toward confronting his fears and asserting himself in his personal and professional life.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being tased on a flight and sentenced to anger management, Dave Buznik is assigned to Dr. Buddy Rydell. Buddy moves into Dave's apartment to provide 'radical' live-in therapy. During this time, Buddy becomes infatuated with Dave's girlfriend, Linda, and orchestrates various scenarios to test Dave's boundaries, including a forced performance in traffic and a reunion with his childhood bully, Arnie, who is now a monk. After a series of escalating events, including a physical fight with Arnie and a misunderstanding regarding a medical emergency, Dave discovers Buddy is dating Linda. He eventually finds out that the entire ordeal—including the involvement of local officials like Rudy Giuliani—was a staged plan by Buddy and Linda to force him to confront his fears. The film ends with Dave and Linda getting engaged in front of a crowd at a baseball stadium, followed by a celebration where the group sings 'I Feel Pretty'.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Peter Segal
- Writers
- David S. Dorfman · writer
- Cast and characters
- Adam Sandler · David "Dave" Buznik; Jack Nicholson · Dr. Buddy Rydell; Marisa Tomei · Linda; Luis Guzmán · Lou; Woody Harrelson · Galaxia the prostitute/Gary the Security Guard; John Turturro · Chuck
- Genres
- comedy; buddy comedy
- Themes
- anger management; overcoming fear; self-assertion
- Tone and mood
- comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- buddy comedy; psychiatry
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was noted for its capable cast despite being described as 'stale' and 'one-note' by some.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 52 · scale: 100 · review count: 39
- Production trivia
- This was the final film role for Lynne Thigpen.; The film had the highest opening weekend for both an Adam Sandler film and a Jack Nicholson film.; A television series based loosely on the film premiered in 2012.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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