(M) The Upside of Anger (Binder, 2005) B-

(M-R) Finally, a movie about the dangers of not getting a restraining order. Apparently, if you don't, Kevin Costner will show up in your house, knock the door of your bathroom down, and peek on you in the shower. In The Upside of Anger, all of this is dismissed as the quirks of a loveable old goof. But given that, three movies later, he's still a tormented baseball star, you don't want any piece of that.

The Upside of Anger is a series of implausibilites peppered with some terrible dialogue and indignant gesturing. Since at heart it's a suburban melodrama, we should be grateful that the camera doesn't linger too long on the neatly trimmed lawns. But its mission--- exposing the dirt that inevitably lies underneath--- is nonetheless a timid one, and director Mike Binder adds nothing to the already overstuffed genre. Not a high crime against cinema, but by no means an innocent bystander.