Anger Management (Blu-ray)

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I don't want to give away too much for those who still want to see it, but we get a Yankee Stadium moment with former mayor Giuliani that's way too similar to "The Naked Gun" to be funny . . . or moving. And as I said, I've never been a fan of those O. Henry sudden stops. The biggest problem with "Anger Management" is that you're laughing one minute and groaning the next. It's as frustrating as the average golfer's game: there are just enough nice shots to make you think that more are coming. It also speaks volumes when the only awards bodies that recognize a film are geared toward young audiences. Sandler received a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Hissy Fit. Now that's a resumé-builder.

Video:
"Anger Management" was transferred to a 50GB disc using AVC/MPEG-4 technology. The 1080p picture is presented in 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Most of the scenes look stunning-far better than the DVD--but there's the occasional soft-looking frame that seems just a little less detailed and a little washed out. For the most part, though, the colors are vivid and naturally saturated, black levels are strong, and there's plenty of detail and 3-dimensionality.

Audio:
The featured soundtrack is an English or French Dolby TrueHD 5.1, which delivers a solid enough audio. The tones are pure, the spread across the front speakers is wide enough, and the rear speakers leap into action just often enough to remind you that this is a true surround track. I wouldn't say that the sound is pushed far from the speakers to where it fills the room, so it's not quite as dynamic as some of the best Blu-rays I've reviewed. But it's still a solid audio experience.

Extras:
"Uneven" seems to be the theme for this film, because that's how I'd describe the bonus features as well. I expected more from Sandler and director Peter Segal, though I'm not sure why. This is the guy who gave us "Tom Arnold: The Naked Truth," "Tommy Boy," "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps," and "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult." Then again, he also came up with "My Fellow Americans" and "50 First Dates," which are far superior to this one. Sandler and Segal mostly comment on various actors' "chops" and talk about the film as if we hadn't seen it before. There's laughter and a lot of self-congratulatory nonsense, but no real insights to speak of. For that, you have to turn to an under 20-minute featurette called "Skull Lesson," which gives more of the background and behind-the-scenes info than we got on the commentary track. The only other bonus features are a not-very-funny gag reel that's under 10 minutes and a very brief cast and crew tribute (genuflection?) to Nicholson that seems misplaced. That's it.

Bottom Line:
When the smoke clears and the dust settles, it's hard not to walk away from this film thinking it could--and should--have been better. The performances aren't the problem. Nicholson is more irritating in "Anger Management" than he is holding court at the Oscars, but in fairness he's just having fun with the script. It's that road map for comedy that takes Sadler and his Buddy on a wrong turn, giving us situations that annoy as often as they amuse, and an ending that's clichéd.