Joan Allen is an amazing actress. I’ve admired her skill in several movies through the years, but she really stands out as the lead in “The Upside Of Anger.” As a mother of four who suddenly finds herself without a spouse, Allen runs the gamut of emotions, and every one is believable. If there’s any complaint that can be made about Allen, it’s that she is impossibly thin — but that doesn’t stop her from having the most front-and-center talent anyone has seen onscreen in a long time.
Kevin Costner also shines as Denny, the ex-baseball-player turned radio personality, who is obviously but loosely modeled on onetime Tiger pitcher and former WXYT morning man Denny McClain. Although writer-director Mike Binder erred in casting himself as a radio producer (he’d be wise to stay behind the camera), he did include a nice cameo by Detroit radio legend Arthur Penhallow, now into his fourth decade doing afternoon drive on WRIF. One caveat: the ending will have you scratching your head, asking “Why didn’t she…how could…etc.?”