Harry here... Well, ya know how on that DARKNESS FALLS pair of reviews I was all high on Revolution Films? Well, this is the other side of that studio that I just loathe. The shit comedies they produce like THE HOT CHICK, AMERICA'S SWEETHEART, THE ANIMAL, MASTER OF DISGUISE, THE NEW GUY and TOMCATS. You remember those trailers? Hopefully you don't remember the films. Hopefully you shifted Nancy Reagan's advice about all natural herbs and fungi, and shifted it to saying no to those films. Well, after the wonder that was PUNCHDRUNK LOVE and the upcoming ABOUT SCHMIDT, you might've been tricked by a trailer featuring Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler... Except, AICN and this poor wretched soul is here to save you. I wanted to call this spy Kevorkian, but he chose the name Marvin Nash. Well, here... Flush when you're done....

Hello Harry and co.

I guess nobody else wrote in yet about Tuesday's test screening of "Anger Management" so here's a quick scoop on it for you if you're interested.

It's a "hilarious new comedy" starring the unlikely and quite frankly, ill-suited duo of Adam Sandler and...Jack Nicholson(!?). Sandler plays a regular Joe who gets falsely accused of an air rage incident in assaulting a flight attendant, and is sentenced to attend an anger management class that is run by Jack (who was actually sitting next to him on the plane). The group is filled with oddball cult actors like John Turturro as a psycho and the great Luis Guzman as a gay gangster, at least I think that's what he was supposed to be, it was never really clear.

Sandler gets partnered with Turturro as his "anger buddy" for reasons which are never quite explained, and they immediately get into a bar fight, and Sandler is arrested again (although for some reason Turturro doesn't appear in court with him, even though he started the whole thing??).

This is where The Plot kicks in, as Jack decides that to cure Sandler's anger problems, for some reason he has to move in with him for 30 days to observe his day-to-day life, at home and at work and with his friends etc. Oh, the wackiness! From hereon, it's basically one contrived sitcom style situation after another. I'll give you a painful example- there's only one bed in Sandler's apartment, so...yes, wait for it...they have to sleep in the same bed! Sandler is obviously horrified at this, but of course he doesn't leave the bed as it wouldn't be as "hilarious" if he opted to sleep on the couch or floor, would it. This is the kind of film where people don't make logical, ordinary decisions because it wouldn't be, uh, as funny if they did. The central gag of the film here is that Sandler is actually a well-adjusted regular guy, it's just that everyone around him is highly strung and irritating, which pushes him into the occasional angry outburst. He's playing the kind of nice guy Jim Carrey role and doesn't really do any of his trademark goofy antics. However don't think that he's suddenly gone all highbrow after Punch drunk love, because it's just strictly formulaic lowbrow humor here; and don't get fooled into thinking this will be something special because Jack's in it.

Jack's been on a roll lately with As good as it gets, The Pledge and About Schmidt, but sadly all good things must come to an end, and this is the end. Doing fart gags in an Adam Sandler movie...not exactly a career highlight, this is easily his worst movie probably since "Man trouble".

Oh, Marisa Tomei is in it too, as Sandler's girlfriend. I'd actually forgotten all about her, which tells you how great her role is. So...not a recommended film, but then again it's going to make a ton of money, so what do I know! I gave it a generous "fair" because I laughed (although never really, really laughed) at about 1 out of every 10 jokes.

call me Marvin Nash