The downside of 'Upside'

Casting Joan Allen for the role as Terry Wolfmeyer in "The Upside of Anger" is akin to casting Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos in "Monster," but director Mike Binder ("Indian Summer") has done just that.

Allen - a tall, leggy blonde - normally has an onscreen demeanor that is both noble and refined, edging on regal. In past films, she's epitomized virtue in roles as puritan Goody Proctor, first lady Pat Nixon, and a vice presidential candidate in "The Contender."

Now, she's transformed herself into a bitter, frustrated, and always-angry divorc?(c)e, who always has alcohol in hand to fuel her indignant emotion.

Just like Theron turned ugly, Allen turned angry.

Terry is angry because her husband just abandoned the family, leaving her to nurture four pubescent high school-aged daughters - a task that seems as daunting as it does horrifying.

Her hostile nature breeds odd behavior. She becomes a chronic alcoholic, her relationships with her daughters become volatile, and she randomly gives the finger to old men when driving.

Denny Davies, played by Kevin Costner ("Field of Dreams"), is an old friend of Terry's husband who has always had a crush on her. After news of the husband's departure, Denny aspires to be man of the house.

Costner plays an ex-baseball player and a talk radio host who refuses to discuss his baseball past. This develops into a ludicrous subplot, implemented to give the character depth, but it is redundant and unnecessary.

Costner appears to have unintentionally packed on a few too many pounds for the role. With a potbelly, a five o'clock shadow, and a Budweiser always in hand, he resembles Homer Simpson more than the sex symbol of his heyday as Bull Durham.

Allen, on the other hand, joins the slim list of hot elder women with the likes of Diane Lane. The 48-year-old's facial wrinkles and slightly emaciated appearance are easily overlooked with a body that doesn't look a day older than 35.

Although Denny brings laughter and frivolity into Terry's life, her anger remains. Binder tries too hard to allegorize anger into Allen's role. The anger that Allen tries to convey is at times unconvincing and ineffective. Oftentimes her anger seemed playful and soft when it is meant to have a much harsher tone. Because of this, Allen's character is often predictable and two-dimensional.

A collection of the finest dirty "teen" actresses, Erika Christensen ("Swimfan"), Evan Rachel Wood ("Thirteen"), Keri Russell ("Felicity"), and Alicia Witt ("Vanilla Sky") play Terry's daughters. Each of them has their own tribulation with which to cope, apart from dealing with their insane mother. This adds four more underdeveloped and uninteresting subplots.

Director Mike Binder had the form of a first-time film director, despite the fact that he's directed over 10 movies. Edits as basic as scene-to-scene transitions seemed awkward and random, clogging the fluidity of the film's progression. "The Upside of Anger" follows the family over the course of three years. It casually jumps seasons when condensing the film into a year would have been more effective.

Interaction within the ensemble cast felt awkward and phony at times. Binder concentrated too much attention on the daughters and lost focus of the story that should have been the focal point of the film: the relationship between Denny and Terry.

Costner and Allen's onscreen relationship was the film's highlight. Whether they were screaming at each other or spooning in bed, their relationship was both believable and captivating.

"The Upside of Anger" steers away from the conventional romantic comedy by paying attention to more serious aspects of the plot, giving the film a "drama-like" essence. "Upside" is remindful of Altman's "Dr. T and the Women," in that it characterizes a male in the midst of irrational and unreasonable women. Unlike "Dr. T," this film works because Denny and Terry's relationship give the plot's irrationality both meaning and depth.

Costner seems to have turned his career around by avoiding films like "The Postman" and "Waterworld" and fits much better into the lead role of a romantic partner while doing well providing comic relief. Allen's performance will be revered and celebrated, more for the transformation of her typical character than the performance itself.