Martin Sheen | pinartarhan.com

Anger Management Charlie Sheen. Image via pop-break.com.

When baseball player Charlie (Charlie Sheen) ruined his career because of his anger problems, he went back to college, got a degree in psychology and started working as a therapist.

As Charlie offers group therapy sessions in his house, he also has to find a balance between his ex-wife Jennifer (Shawnee Smith) obsessed with ridiculous business ventures, their teenage daughter Daniela Bobadilla (Emma of Awake)- a smart, sweet kid with OCD, his neighbor Michael (Michael Boatman, Carter Heywood of Spin City) who often considers Michael’s problems as non-problems, his best-friend/sex-buddy/own therapist Kate (Selma Blair) and of course the members of his anger therapy group- Ed (Barry Corbin), Nolan (Derek Richardson), Lacey (Noureen DeWulf) and Patrick (Michael Arden.)

Anger Management: A Few Good Laughs

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy Anger Management. Not that the concept isn’t fun (I liked the movie Anger Management with Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson as well, though they are in general very different), but I wasn’t a fan of Charlie Sheen on TV. I absolutely couldn’t stand One and a Half Man, and didn’t for the life of me understand what so many people saw in it. I didn’t like anything about that show, so I was worried Anger Management would be so…well…not funny.

Now while Anger Management doesn’t deserve all of its laughing tracks, it deserves several of them well- it doesn’t score laughs that gives you stomach pains,but it makes you smile, giggle and laugh a lot- and even when it is not very funny, it is still entertaining.

It’s refreshing to see a modern comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously (aware of the pun, but it really is the case with a lot of new comedies).

People having problems with the show complain about Shawnee Smith’s acting, saying she is not supposed to seem dumb- but her character is gullible, not so savvy and the only thing she is good at is being Sam’s mother-and even there she doesn’t always make the best call. Hell, she was cheated on by Charlie so many times during their marriage, and she still wouldn’t have gotten out without some shoving from the others.

And some people joke that it is unrealistic that Charlie’s character can get so many (hot) dates, in addition to the constant benefits he is getting from his best friend. While I don’t find the 47-year-old Sheen attractive (not that 47 is old, but his relationship with alcohol has showed its effects), his character is likeable. He’s smart, fun, nice and doesn’t lie about who he is. Wouldn’t want to date him, but can understand why others would. And I’ve always liked Selma Blair.

The patients can come off as annoying and not funny at times, but they do make up for it with some decent one-liners and/or amusing events to make up for it within the same episode.

Nope, it is no Friends, Coupling or Spin City (the first 4 seasons with Michael J. Fox.) But it is a good laugh, and I don’t mind watching more episodes. And I have watched all 10.

Fun notes:

1) Charlie Sheen’s ex-wife Denise Richards, with whom he’s not exactly parted well with, appeared in one episode as his love interest. They had some lines about her ex, who she referred to as a total nut job several times, and Charlie stopped her at one point, saying he got it. It was a great self-directed humor, and very well done.

2) Charlie’s dad came to visit for one episode. His name is Martin, and was played by none other than Charlie’s real life dad Martin Sheen.

See it. The worst case scenario is that you will waste 20-40 minutes, assuming you will try 1-2 episodes before writing it off. Best case, you’ll find a fun new show.

Love Happens starring Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckheart. Co-starring Martin Sheen, Dan Vogler and John Carroll Lynch. Image via thorunnsteins.files.wordpress.com.

Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart) has lost his wife a couple of years ago. He has written a book about coping with loss and to his surprise, the book has become a bestseller and made Burke a household name and a hero for anyone who has ever lost a loved one. Now, it is all about book tours and workshops. His current city is Seattle. The problem? This is the city where his wife’s parents lived, the city where she lived and died. It is also the city where she meets a beautiful and intriguing woman named Eloise (Jennifer Aniston).

Eloise runs a flower shop and is in the depressive and pessimistic post break- up mode. She also has an unusual interest in really long and not so typical words in the English language.

When they two meet, it is not exactly sparks and irresistible chemistry. It is full of misunderstandings, misjudgments and then well, sweet awkwardness. However, as Eloise and Burke begin spending time together and develop a close friendship, and along with one particular participant in the workshop, Burke will have to face the fact that he hasn’t come to terms with his wife’s death. And despite all the useful and genuine advice he is giving out, he hasn’t yet taken them himself…

Now, this is not a romantic comedy. It is a drama with some romantic elements . Sure, there are feelings between Eloise and Burke but this is not the story of Burke and Eloise falling in love. This is Burke’s journey and it is a really emotional, fun and interesting one at that. The premise is really good. Even though you hate Jennifer Aniston (which I don’t), and hate the idea of a romantic drama (which again, I don’t), this movie is about one love story. Burke’s story isn’t merely in the background; it is not there to help serve and enhance his relationship with Eloise. Eloise is there to help move Burke’s story forward. Now, it is amusing that how people condemn the movie saying it is predictable. Well, the only thing predictable here is that he will, at some point, move on and give it a shot with her. And? How would it make a better story if he didn’t develop feelings for Eloise at all? Why would it make a better movie if he didn’t move on? Seriously?

Yes, Burke will get to be happy. Yes, Eloise will help. If you despise the idea so much, don’t see the movie. But this is a good movie. In my subjective yet humble opinion, Aaron Eckhart is a terrific actor. I have been following his work ever since he took the backseat to Julia Roberts’s Erin Brockovich as the long-haired, bearded biker who loved rock n’ roll and was a softie who loved kids. I was only bored with two Aaron movies: Nurse Betty and Conversations with Other Women, but his other movies more than made up for it: Thank you for Smoking, Neverwas, Molly, Erin Brockovich and Bill. It is a shame that his character and its development were totally rushed in Batman The Dark Knight. And his romantic drama with Catherine Zeta Jones- No Reservations- is a typical comedy/romance/drama. But despite the typical elements, it is a feel-good-movie that will please the lovers of the genre. And it is rated 6.3 on IMDB.

And why do people love bashing Aniston so much? Well, people love saying her roles lack diversity. They might be right. She may not play very different roles but then again the criticisms are not that creative either. She is branded as Rachel. Well, I don’t know how people watched Friends and how they watched Love Happens but Eloise isn’t Rachel. The only thing they have in common is Aniston. And while her roles may not be radically different, why should she not play those roles? It represents an important segment of the world population: Single women in their 30s, with some bad luck in romance, good friends and careers. I am that girl, only I am in my 20s. So you can’t just say she is Rachel every time she plays anyone. She may not be the greatest actor out there but she is a good enough actress.

This movie has its some really funny moments but it is no comedy. So don’t expect one. And don’t expect it to focus on romance. It is about loss and love, moving on and being stuck. It might also strike a chord on how humane, vulnerable and genuine Burke is. In between enjoying his success and resenting how it happened, he might also remind you, well… you. After all we give advice on a regular basis but it is much harder to stick to our own advice in our own lives. Practicing is much, much harder than preaching. I also loved Martin Sheen’s presence in the film and the significance of both his and John Carroll Lynch’s (he plays the mourning father) characters.

5.5/10 on IMDB. 7 from me. And I just rated I love you Philip Morris. At the end of the day, it all comes down to whether you can relate to the characters and I did. Written by Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson. Directed by Brandon Camp.

Posts Featuring Jennifer Aniston

The Bounty Hunter

Marley and Me

He’s Just Not That Into You

Hollywood Stars in Friends

Derailed

Love Happens on amazon.com