Anger Management coincidentally falls into the category of Tommy Boy, of which both have the same director; both comedies share a unique duo that in the end, regardless of some of the stupidity they end up being solid pieces that allow the night to come to an end happily. We get our humor buds played with, enjoyed our leads, and even if the finale is somewhat predictable it does the job in the ways of fulfillment. Now, a real critic might glance at Anger Management and claim that it requires actual sharp substance within the page (and execution) to classify it as a truly enjoyable experience. However, the film actually executes itself rather sharply in an acting standpoint.

And not only that, but the project is handled by a director who evidently knows how to make these things gel. Though Segal did make little bit of a backfire with the Nutty Professor sequel, The Klumps, here he shows some positive signs of being able to helm projects that could even produce more than what Anger Management supplies. He conveys the ability to let performances pave the road and also has a nice sense of music-to-scene matches that at times really makes the comedy feel like something special.

If not special, it permits the experience to be one of those fulfilling Saturday afternoon flicks where it’s more of a for-everyone-comedy, a label that is not often connected with Sandler’s name. And that is really what makes Anger Management more of a delightful entry, as its humor range is not just for the adolescent crowd; it’s aimed to produce chuckles and big laughs from anyone in the theater.

The movie stars Adam Sandler as Dave Buznick, a middle-aged man who seems to be living life just fine and peacefully. Through a falsely interpreted airplane encounter where a flight attendant thinks he’s being verbally abusive, Buznick soon realizes that he may in fact have some anger issues hiding within. This leads Dave into the hands of Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson), an anger therapist who believes he can help the young guy. Through a group session and personal visitations in every-day surroundings, the two develop a bond together but are literally forced to, being that without the therapy Buznick will be sent to prison for several years due to the on-flight incident.

The story foundation for Anger Management is far from original, yet despite its cliché nature and the formula style of it, the film surprisingly does some good. What allows the comedy to work is that the duo of Sandler and Nicholson is not only present and sparkling, but the humor within the page is taken up a notch from Sandler’s previous flicks. This is not exactly a purely goofball comedy permitting the comedian to scream in humorous hatred or use his physical humor to lure the laughs out of the audience.

Instead of being silly, the film gives in to a truckload of sexual humor and occasionally dialogue (mostly by Nicholson) that is so sharp and right-on that it brings on an element of surprise. For in any Sandler production there’s typically not a strong quantity of material that is considered weighty in worthiness, yet here the script hands over a few scenes that can make up for a few of the flick’s downers. While the comedy isn’t flat-out hilarious, there are a few spots that are thoroughly enjoyable. But where Anger Management didn’t withdraw laughs from me, I was still enjoying myself. And the aspect that’s unexpected with the flick is that when there isn’t anything to chuckle over, the performances are surprisingly there for the most part.

And such is a pleasant note, as with most of Sandler’s comedies acting doesn’t stand as much of a virtue. Here, the star doesn’t retread to the routinely motions he’s expected (to) to retrieve reactions from us, which saves the project a bit from just being a light diversion. Rather than witnessing Sandler unleashed, of which many of us have seen before and either liked, disliked, or had indifference toward, the film allows Jack Nicholson to take that spotlight. And though there aren’t a large quantity of scenes that give in to a significant flow of laughter, both stars are very watch-able and even are a riot at times. We can observe that the two figures had a ball while filming the flick, which can rub off on the viewer.

One problem I had with Anger Management, despite having a good time, is that it felt especially long. And much of that could likely be pointed toward the thin plot, as there aren’t any heavy goals to accomplish and subplots are not very strong rooted. The film’s almost a loosely constructed fable that accomplishes more than it appears to walking in, and credit for that can be given to both the director and the duo in front of the camera. The script is as much of a component as those factors, but the life that results from the actors’ deliveries is what helps the production feel alive. Management is somewhat alike Bringing Down the House in that the story isn’t very complex but still gives in to a very enjoyable time (and feels longer than it is), even if Bringing Down had me laughing on more of a consistent basis.

Anger Management literally takes the position of a stupid-looking flick that actually isn’t as absurd as it once appeared. Sure, there is some stupidity intertwined with the feature, but Sandler has upped the dosage from what we’re used to and has handed over material that is quite different than previously. The film involves a duo that works, and considering it’s Sandler’s first big pair-up in his entire career, it’s nice to not only see a change but have it gel nicely.

Though the comedy may carry a few scenes that can persuade us to ask why there weren’t many of relevant sequences, the entire ride is enjoyable enough to let some of that complaining slide. Some of the jokes and gags don’t work tremendously well, but more often than not I either had a smile on my face or was giving in to a chuckle, with a few spots that retrieved large laughs. It’s an Adam Sandler edition that while isn’t entirely intelligent, he’s actually progressed a distance from some of his other features, which alone is somewhat astounding.