The Upside of Anger (2005)

Director:

Mike Binder

Writer (WGA):

Mike Binder (written by)

Release Date:

1 April 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Sometimes what tears us apart helps us put it back together

Plot:

When her husband unexpectedly disappears, a sharp-witted suburban wife and her daughters juggle their mom's romantic dilemmas and family dynamics.

Plot Keywords:

Neighbor | Ulcer | Supermarket | Wedding | Detroit Michigan

Awards:

5 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Joan Allen	...	Terry Ann Wolfmeyer
Kevin Costner	...	Denny Davies
Erika Christensen	...	Andy Wolfmeyer
Keri Russell	...	Emily Wolfmeyer
Alicia Witt	...	Hadley Wolfmeyer
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Lavender 'Popeye' Wolfmeyer
Mike Binder	...	Adam 'Shep' Goodman
Tom Harper	...	David Junior
Dane Christensen	...	Gorden Reiner
Danny Webb	...	Grey Wolfmeyer
Magdalena Manville	...	Darlene
Suzanne Bertish	...	Gina
David Firth	...	David Senior
Rod Woodruff	...	Dean Reiner (as Roderick P. Woodruff)
Stephen Greif	...	Emily's Doctor
Arthur Penhallow	...	Himself
Richard Mylan	...	Disc Jockey
Robert Perkins	...	Town Car Man
William Tapley	...	Dr. Lewis
Owen Oakeshott	...	Builder Foreman (as Owen Oakshoot)
Bella Sabbagh	...	Radio Station Receptionist
Kathryn Wade	...	Ballet Dancer
Michelle Denholm	...	Ballet Dancer
Natalie Domanski	...	Ballet Dancer
Sophie Gorrod	...	Ballet Dancer
Carolyn Logan	...	Ballet Dancer
Alison McWhinney	...	Ballet Dancer
Natasha O'Brien	...	Ballet Dancer
Stina Quagebeur	...	Ballet Dancer
Olivia Ratcliffe	...	Ballet Dancer
Laura Suttle	...	Ballet Dancer
Nicola Wallis	...	Ballet Dancer
Miki Weatherford	...	Ballet Dancer
Nao Yamazato	...	Ballet Dancer
Gavin Munn	...	Wedding Band - The Gavin Munn Band
Nicholas White	...	Wedding Band - The Gavin Munn Band
Peter Hajioff	...	Wedding Band - The Gavin Munn Band
Chris Banks	...	Wedding Band - The Gavin Munn Band
Roger Batting	...	Wedding Band - The Gavin Munn Band
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Danny McCluskey	...	Fan (uncredited)
Peter Rnic	...	Bodyguard (uncredited)

Directed by
Mike Binder

Writing credits (WGA)
Mike Binder		(written by)

Produced by
Jack Binder	....	producer
Chris Curling	....	associate producer
Mark Damon	....	executive producer
Alex Gartner	....	producer
Andreas Grosch	....	executive producer
Stewart Hall	....	executive producer
Peter Heslop	....	line producer
Sammy Lee	....	producer
Andreas Schmid	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Alexandre Desplat

Cinematography by
Richard Greatrex

Film Editing by
Steve Edwards
Robin Sales

Casting by
Danielle Roffe

Production Design by
Chris Roope

Art Direction by
Tim Stevenson

Set Decoration by
Neesh Ruben

Costume Design by
Deborah Lynn Scott		(as Deborah Scott)

Makeup Department
Sarita Allison	....	makeup artist
Chris Benoit	....	hair stylist
Elle Elliott	....	hair stylist: Mr. Costner
Daniel Galvin Senior	....	colour consultant
Teresa Kelly	....	hair stylist
Teresa Kelly	....	makeup artist
Sian Richards	....	hair designer
Sian Richards	....	makeup designer
John Schoonraad	....	makeup effects designer/supervisor
Felicity Wright	....	hair stylist supervisor
Felicity Wright	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Jack Binder	....	unit production manager
Jay Coquillon	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Binder	....	second unit director
Chris Burgess	....	additional third assistant director
Melanie Dicks	....	first assistant director
Martin Krauka	....	second assistant director
Sarah MacFarlane	....	third assistant director
Andrew McEwan	....	first assistant director: second unit (uncredited)

Art Department
Lee Bryant	....	chief dressing props
Alfie Burgess	....	stand-by props
Stephen Campbell	....	stand-by art director
Steven Campbell	....	stand-by art director
Lee Reilly	....	stand-by carpenter
Zoe Scivoletto	....	assistant set decorator
Andrew Tapper	....	art department assistant
Ian Williamson	....	stand-by painter
Terry Wood	....	property master

Sound Department
Stuart Bagshaw	....	sound editor
Howard Bargroff	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tony Bell	....	sound maintenance
Matthew Desorgher	....	sound maintenance
Phillip A. Hamilton	....	adr recordist
Christopher Harvengt	....	adr supervisor
Stewart Henderson	....	adr editor
Dan Johnson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Hugh Johnson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gareth Llewellyn	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Miriam Ludbrook	....	dialogue supervisor
Zak Melemendjian	....	adr editor (as Peter Melemendjian)
Michael Miller	....	adr mixer
Jeremy Price	....	supervising sound designer
Jeremy Price	....	supervising sound editor
John Rodda	....	sound mixer
Brian Simmons	....	sound mixer
Barnaby Smyth	....	supervising foley editor
Graeme Stoten	....	adr supervisor
Gareth Thomas	....	sound trainee
David Turner	....	sound technical coordinator
Michele Woods	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Ben Ashmore	....	special effects coordinator
Paddy Burnside	....	special effects engineer
Tom Harris	....	special effects supervisor
Alan Hedgcock	....	special effects makeup
Paul Kelly	....	special effects supervisor (as Paul Kelley)
Jules Pellicci	....	special effects production coordinator
Simon Rose	....	special effects makeup
Simon Rose	....	special effects technician: exploding head effects
Cliff Wallace	....	special effects makeup

Visual Effects by
Gary J. Brown	....	Inferno artist
Sally Clayton	....	digital film producer
Safiya Ravat	....	digital effects artist
Anthony Wonsoff	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Rod Woodruff	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Jim Alloway	....	second camera operator
David Ashby	....	second camera grip
Robin Browne	....	director of photography: second unit, Detroit
Paul Buffery	....	stand-by rigger
Paul Chedlow	....	still photographer
Bob Cooke	....	clapper loader
Russell Diamond	....	grip
Terry Eden	....	best boy
Dan Garlick	....	second camera grip
Simon Gilmour	....	camera loader
Gary Hedges	....	electrician
Dermot Hickey	....	focus puller
Alice Hobden	....	second camera loader
Andrew Hoehn Jr.	....	first assistant camera: Detroit
Demetri Jagger	....	video playback operator
Brian Jones	....	gaffer
Andy O'Connor	....	electrician
Peter O'Connor	....	focus puller: second camera
Gerry Vasbenter	....	Steadicam operator
Gerry Vasbenter	....	camera operator
Zoe Whittaker	....	video assist operator: dailies

Casting Department
Gary Davy	....	casting: UK

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Elena D'Cruze-Reynolds	....	junior costume assistant
Lucy Denny	....	costume assistant
Rebecca Duncan	....	wardrobe supervisor
Sarah Fawkner	....	costume runner
Laura N. Flores	....	costume production assistant
Rebecca Gore	....	wardrobe assistant
Mari Grimaud	....	costume supervisor
Karen Hobbs	....	costume assistant
Sally Mason	....	wardrobe supervisor
Linda Millen	....	wardrobe mistress
Elizabeth Wilson	....	assistant costume designer (as Lizzy Wilson)
Elizabeth Wilson	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Jeremy Baxter	....	post-production assistant
Joe Fineman	....	post-production consultant
Steve Harrow	....	post-production consultant
Michael Nouryeh	....	assistant editor
Rod Shelton	....	digital intermediate producer
Lance Stubblefield	....	assistant editor
Cliff Thomas	....	color grader
Laurent Treherne	....	digital intermediate supervisor
Mick Vincent	....	colorist
Tracey Wadmore-Smith	....	associate editor
Mat Whitecross	....	documentary editor
Jim Passon	....	final color timer (uncredited)

Music Department
Maggie Bazin	....	music clearance coordinator
Alexandre Desplat	....	conductor
Alexandre Desplat	....	orchestrator
Dave Jordan	....	music supervisor
Solrey Lemonnier	....	music producer
Gordan Nikolitch	....	orchestra leader
Jon Olive	....	music editor
Jojo Villanueva	....	music coordinator (as Jo Jo Villanueva)

Transportation Department
Martin Jones	....	driver
Simon Jones	....	driver
Graham Kelly	....	action vehicle coordinator
Andy Noland	....	genny driver
Chris J. Smith	....	picture vehicle technician

Other crew
Jasa Abreo	....	assistant: Kevin Costner
Huda Abuzeid	....	assistant: Jack Binder
Sonya A. Avakian	....	production assistant
Linzi Baltrunas	....	assistant location manager
Terry Blyther	....	location manager
Sean Bradley	....	representative: Media 8 Entertainment
Lesley Broderick	....	production accountant
Carn Burton	....	location finder
Clair Chrysler	....	lead stand-in: Joan Allen
Valentina Coccia	....	assistant production coordinator
Merryn Conaway	....	assistant: Jack Binder
Christopher Coote	....	floor runner
Kerstin Dyroff	....	production coordinator: VIP Medienfonds
Billy Edwards	....	charge hand stand-by propman
Mike Fraser	....	digital film consultant
Robin Green	....	second assistant accountant
John Gunnery	....	stand-in
Chaz Harris	....	assistant: Jack Binder
Alexander Hodgson	....	production assistant
Jessica L. Jordan	....	representative: Media 8 Entertainment
Solomon J. LeFlore	....	production financing
Maggie Murray	....	assistant accountant
Eva Neufahrt	....	controller
Brian O'Shea	....	executive: Media 8 Entertainment
Claire Packer	....	assistant: Sammy Lee
Jenna Piccolo	....	executive
Aris Piliguian	....	assistant: Alex Gartner
Pam Plummer	....	assistant: Joan Allen
Bill Ridealgh	....	unit medic
David Rumble	....	production assistant
Bella Sabbagh	....	stand-in: Alicia Witt
Nicole Sacker	....	assistant: Jack Binder
Katryna Samut-Tagliaferro	....	production coordinator
Caroline Sax	....	script supervisor
Richard Senior	....	floor runner
Diane Slattery	....	unit publicist
Charlie Somers	....	location scout
Tamara Stuparich de la Barra	....	creative executive: Media 8
Jelena Tadic	....	executive
Michael J. Urann	....	representative: Media 8 Entertainment
Matthew Waldman	....	production liaison
Oli Wennink	....	post-production assistant to producer
Rachel Zimmerman	....	assistant: Mike Binder
Christa Zofcin	....	business affairs executive
Richard Rowntree	....	assistant: Steve Harrow (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Media 8 Entertainment
• Greentrees Films
• VIP 3 Medienfonds
• MDP Filmproduktion
• Sunlight Productions
• VIP 2 Medienfonds

Distributors

• New Line Cinema (2005) (USA) (all media)
• Fine Line Features (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hoyts Distribution (2004) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Independent Films (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Shaw Organisation (2005) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• TOBIS Film (200?) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Telexcel (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• TriPictures (2005) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Eagle Pictures (2004) (Italy) (all media)
• Gateno Films (2005) (Peru) (all media)
• Gativideo (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2006) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Universum Film (UFA) (200?) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• VTR (visual effects)
• Any Effects (special effects)
• Cine Image Film Opticals (end titles)
• Vertigo Rigging (special effects engineering)

Other Companies

• 2020 Casting  extras casting
• ABC News Video Source  footage (as ABCNews Videosource)
• ARRI Media  camera and lenses
• Angel Studios  music recorded and mixed at
• Axiom Films  payroll services
• Barclays Bank PLC  banking services
• Big Time Picture Company  cutting rooms
• Big Time Picture Company  editing equipment
• Bungee Extreme  equipment & safety
• Business Affairs  production counsel
• Cable News Network (CNN)  footage (as CNN)
• Cine Image Film Opticals  titles (as Cineimage)
• Compuhire  video playback
• Corbis Motion  footage
• David Deane Associates  health and safety
• Edit Hire (New Technology)  cutting rooms (as Edithire)
• Edit Hire (New Technology)  editing equipment (as Edithire)
• Film Finance  completion guarantor
• Fujifilm  film stock
• Greentree Films  footage
• ICB Entertainment Finance  production financing
• ITN Archive  footage
• Image Bank Films by Getty Images  footage
• International Documentary Services (IDS)  shipping agent
• Lee Lighting  lighting
• London Symphony Orchestra, The (LSO)  music performed by
• Malde & Co.  auditors
• Midnight Express  shipping agent
• Midnight Transfer  cutting rooms
• Midnight Transfer  editing equipment
• Midnight Transfer  rushes transfer
• NBC Studios  footage
• Now Clear This!  script clearance
• On Set Location Services  facilities vehicles and trailers (as On Set)
• Premiere Catering  catering
• Professional Negative Cutting  negative cutting (as PNC Ltd.)
• Runway  post-production
• Sapex Scripts  continuity scripts
• Speare & Company  insurance provider
• Steeple Post Production Services  post-production consultant
• Streamline Films  footage
• Stunt Dogs  animal handler
• Technicolor  laboratory (as Technicolor London)
• VTR  digital intermediate
• Videosonics Cinema Sound  sound re-recording (as Videosonics Cinema Sound, London)
• WPA Film Library  footage
• Wavevend Communications  mobile telephones (as Wavevend)
• Wavevend Communications  walkie-talkies (as Wavevend)

Also Known As:

An deiner Schulter (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexual situations, brief comic violence and some drug use.

Runtime:

USA:118 min

Country:

USA | Germany | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Sweden:7 | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (original rating) | France:U | Belgium:KT | Argentina:13 | Ireland:15A | Iceland:12 | UK:15 | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | USA:R | Germany:12 | Canada:14A | Finland:K-11

Filming Locations:

Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Company:

Media 8 Entertainment

Trivia:

The TV show that the girls are watching while the mother has gone to the hospital late at night is "Curb Your Enthusiasm: Trick or Treat (#2.3)" (2001)

Goofs:

Continuity: Every attempt is made to show the Wolfmeyer home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, however the drivers license shown is from West Bloomfield and has the zip code listed as 66020 which is for Easton, KS and Bloomfield Hills, MI is 48301. The address listed is 1246 Puritan Avenue. There is no Puritan Ave in either Bloomfield Hills or West Bloomfield, MI. Also, in Michigan the license expires on a person’s date of birth and the license # starts with the first letter of the persons last name. In this case both of these are in error.

Quotes:

Lavender "Popeye" Wolfmeyer: Anger and resentment can stop you in your tracks. That's what I know now. It needs nothing to burn but the air and the life that it swallows and smothers. It's real, though - the fury, even when it isn't. It can change you... turn you... mold you and shape you into something you're not. The only upside to anger, then...

Movie Connections:

Features The Rink (1916)

Soundtrack:

Nobody Cries

The Upside of My Expectations

After her performance in "The Ice Storm" it is no surprise that Joan Allen could carry a movie like "The Upside of Anger". Nor was it a surprise that she and Alicia Witt could beautifully play off each other in their confrontational mother and daughter roles. What did surprise was that the film featured equally strong performances from the other members of the cast. Even writer/director Mike Binder does a fine "on-screen" job as a slimy but not entirely unsympathetic radio producer. Kevin Costner would be wise to stay with this type of role (and with comedy) instead of big-budget epic stuff.

The casting of Witt with Erika Christensen, Evan Rachel Wood, and Keri Russell as the four sisters was inspired. It was refreshing just to see a film family that looked enough alike physically to actually be related to each other. Since Christensen looks so much like Julia Stiles they could have even added a fifth sister although their resemblance is so strong that it might be confusing. All the subtle birth order distinctions felt right. The oldest (Witt) was the most connected to mom even though it did not appear so on the surface. The second (Christensen-who absolutely glows on the screen) was determined to be different than her older sister. The third (Russell) was the most connected to the father, missed him the most, and had the least understanding of the mother. The youngest (Wood) was way ahead of the curve and the most perceptive character in the film. Watch for all this stuff because it is there, and watch how no matter how down the mother becomes she continues to monitor the welfare of her daughters.

Binder gave into the temptation to use cheesy special effect gimmicks several times (the explosion at the dinner table, the neighborhood transition from summer to winter, the ballet fantasy, and the daughters growing older during the funeral scene). Although done well they seemed out of place. Also Binder should review the Kent State shootings, there were four students killed-not six.

There is a spectacular shot at the wedding. Beginning as an over the shoulder shot of Hadley (Witt) sucking in her "plump" cheeks, the camera pans slightly right and moves toward the wedding party as the focus changes to bring them out of a blur.

The film's ironic twist in the last 15 minutes is borrowed wholesale from "Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice". I particularly liked Wood's beautiful narration which helped clarify the title and theme, necessary (or at least helpful) after this ironic story line twist. She managed to sound both detached and involved, it is actually the voice-over for her broadcasting class project. When we are suddenly forced to reevaluate everything that has gone before in what we thought was just an interesting comedy, Wood steps in and steers us to internalize the theme. They go out on a shot of Wood looking up from her Mac and smiling. Amazing.

This is the best of Binder's writing: "Anger and resentment can stop you in your tracks. That's what I know now. It needs nothing to burn but the air and the life that it swallows and smothers. It's real though, the fury, even when it isn't. It can change you, turn you, mold you and shape you into something you're not. The only upside of anger then, is the person you become, hopefully someone that wakes up one day and realizes they're not afraid of its journey. Someone that knows that the truth is, at best, a partially told story. That anger, like growth, comes in spurts and fits and in its wake leaves a new chance of acceptance and the promise of calm".

"The Upside of Anger" is one of those rare films that I believe everyone should make an effort to connect with, doing so will make you a better person. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.