The Upside of Anger is a 2005 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Binder and starring Joan Allen, Kevin Costner and Evan Rachel Wood.

The film flashes back to three years earlier, when a heavily intoxicated Terry announces to her daughters Hadley, Andy, Emily and Popeye that their father, Grey, has left the family to be with his secretary in Sweden.

She later shares the news about her husband with her neighbor Denny, a retired baseball player turned radio talk show host and fellow heavy drinker.

She returns home to recover and, after a night at the ballet with the entire family, Terry appears to accept Emily's desire to pursue dance.

As the story returns to the initial scene, the Wolfmeyers and Denny, now part of the family, leave Grey's funeral to reveal that Terry, while saddened and grieving, is coming to terms with her own and her daughters' life choices and, finally, finding some inner peace.

Mike Binder wrote the role of Terry specifically for Joan Allen, having befriended the actress after working with her on the film The Contender.

"[15][16] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote the film is "a fiercely funny human comedy with jokes that sting and leave marks.

Club noted the film's thematic similarities to American Beauty, another "dark suburban comedy leavened by the promise of arty redemption.

"[19] He added, "So long as the tone stays mean and unpredictable, The Upside Of Anger has a coarse edge that's rare for mainstream cinema, helped along by the offbeat rapport between Allen and Costner.

"[19] Desson Thomson of The Washington Post wrote "What's best about 'Upside' is its gonzo-sitcom craziness, a situation that lends itself to enjoyable performances," and praised the four actresses who play the Wolfmeyer daughters.