Its overall sweet-natured tone and well-paced material yields a better than average number of laughs.
Anger Management (2003)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:187
Fresh:80
Rotten:107
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: There are funny moments in this one-joke movie. Unfortunately, there are not enough of them.
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: In Revolution Studios’ riotous new comedy Anger Management, Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson star as patient and therapist, though at times it’s hard to tell which one is which. After a... In Revolution Studios’ riotous new comedy Anger Management, Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson star as patient and therapist, though at times it’s hard to tell which one is which. After a misunderstanding aboard an airplane that escalates out of control, the mild-mannered Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler) is ordered by Judge Daniels (Lynne Thigpen) to attend anger management sessions run by Doctor Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson), which are filled with highly eccentric and volatile men and women. Buddy’s unorthodox approach to therapy is confrontational and abrasive and Dave is bewildered by it. Then, after yet another mishap, Judge Daniels orders Dave to step up his therapy or wind up in jail. So, Buddy moves in with Dave to help him battle his inner demons. Buddy himself has no inner demons since he acts out at every opportunity and that includes making lewd comments about Dave’s girlfriend Linda (Marisa Tomei) and goading Dave into confronting every slight, past or present, head-on. But Buddy finally goes too far and Dave must decide whether to crawl back into his shell or stand up for himself. Could it be that Buddy’s confounding and contradictory treatment is just what the doctor ordered? Anger Management is scheduled for release nationwide April 11, 2003. Revolution Studios Presents A Happy Madison Production Anger Management, a Columbia Pictures release starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson. The co-stars are Marisa Tomei, Luis Guzman and Lynne Thigpen, with Woody Harrelson and John Turturro. The director is Peter Segal. The film is written by David Dorfman. The producers are Jack Giarraputo and Barry Bernardi. The executive producers are Adam Sandler, Allen Covert, Tim Herlihy, Todd Garner and John Jacobs. The director of photography is Donald M. McAlpine, ACS, ASC. The editor is Jeff Gourson. The production designer is Alan Au. The music supervision is by Michael Dilbeck. The music is by Teddy Castellucci. The costumes are by Ellen Lutter. Anger Management is rated PG-13 for crude sexual content and language. [More]
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Adam Sandler, Marisa Tomei, John Turturro
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Adam Sandler, Marisa Tomei, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Allen Covert, Kevin Nealon, Lynne Thigpen, Krista Allen, January Jones, Jonathan Loughran, Kurt Fuller, John C. Reilly, Heather Graham, Woody Harrelson, Harry Dean Stanton
Director: Peter Segal
Director: Peter Segal
Screenwriter: David Dorfman
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Reviews for Anger Management
Imagine Punch Drunk Love as a Happy Madison production and that gives you some idea.
"Anger Management" is "Punch-Drunk's" Barry Egan and "The Witches of Eastwick's" Daryl Van Horne thrown into a second-rate cross of "The Game" and a photo negative of "What About Bob?"
The strikingly superficial Anger Management is too callow to warrant anyone getting an enjoyable hissy fit over...has all the trivial frustration of a brat holding his breath because his parents told him to clean his filthy bedroom.
Rest assured, my dude-saying friends, Anger Management will make you laugh.
There are plenty of laughs and solid surprises in Anger Management, as well as the sheer pleasure of watching Jack Nicholson untethered.
[Nicholson's] performance here is one long, screechingly furious effort to squeeze laughs out of the cantankerous character of Dr. Rydell.
Funniest when it's still repressing itself, and only the maniacal Nicholson is allowed to let his emotions flow.
With this lineup of actors ... they should have conjured up fiery explosions of sidesplitting comic anger management rather than this tepid taste of implausible assertiveness training.
Like in most Happy Madison productions, the delirious supporting cast steals a lot of scenes.
A couple of brakes-off set pieces to the side, the antics here are strained, graceless and tiresomely crude, the sorts of things audiences feel they're supposed to laugh at rather than well-developed situations that generate genuine amusement.
Flimsy follow-through or not, the teaming still works, and so, at times, does the premise.
This Adam Sandler/ Jack Nicholson vehicle spends a long 105 minutes spinning a witless sitcom variation on The Game.
It's not the first time Sandler has played this role, or the ninth time. But it's fairly entertaining.
Latest News for Anger Management
January 10, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Captain Jack and Captain Morgan Set Sail
For the first time in three weeks, studios will pack a Friday with plenty of new releases as four films open or expand nationwide giving the box office chart a major shakeup.... More...
December 04, 2006:
Movie Pirate Gets Seven Years in Jail
Think it sounds like a good idea to head into your local multiplex and videotape the biggest movies so you can upload them onto the internet and give a bunch of strangers free... More...
July 17, 2006:
Box Office Wrapup: Audiences Still Love Their Pirates
The Johnny Depp juggernaut Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest remained the most popular film in North America for a second weekend easily defending its box office crown... More...
June 22, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Click" Doesn't, Ahem, Click; "Waist" Isn't Deep Enough
This week at the movies, we've got a magical remote control ("Click") and a father who's trying to rescue his son ("Waist Deep"). Will the critics dig... More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Anger Management at Rotten Tomatoes
- Anger Management at IGN
- Anger Management at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

