by CHRIS BARRY, MATTHEW HAYS and JOANNE LATIMER

The Upside
of Anger

There's a lot to like about The Upside of Anger, the latest from actor-turned-director/screenwriter Mike Binder. In particular, it gives Joan Allen the chance to dole out another exceptional performance, as an alcoholic wife and mother who's trying to move her life forward after her husband leaves her. As well, the film also gives Kevin Costner a chance to rehabilitate himself, here playing her new love interest, a fellow drunk.

Allen is blessed with four complex daughters, all of whom have different ways of dealing with their mom, who is bombed most of the time. There's a great deal of tension in the household, as mom is introduced to various boyfriends and while she is courted by Costner.

But for any laughs the film may have, there are also the bad bits: Allen's raging alcoholism is simply glossed over, we never really get to know her daughters properly and then there's that plucky, cutesy, chirpy musical score, which drags the entire affair down at least a couple of notches.

You don't want to knock a film that actually shows an ageing woman dealing with the complexities of life, nor do you want to knock a film that deals with addiction. But Upside becomes so vapid and silly that it's impossible to take seriously. And Allen and her clan seem oddly divorced from the pressures faced by most of us mere mortals. No one ever raises the thorny issue of paying off the mortgage or how they are going to eat. This family appears to be in the unique position of never, ever having to even consider money and how to get it. (MH)

Diary of a Mad Black Woman

No kidding, you could spend a lifetime prospecting the sewers of Chinatown before finding a turd that stinks as hard as this flick. Of course, that certainly doesn't mean there isn't a market for this variety of poop, as depressing as that thought may be.

Adapted from Tyler Perry's hugely popular play of the same name by none other than Mr. Tyler Perry himself, it's the story of one wronged black woman's attempt to get back in the game after being totally dicked over by her über-wealthy, scum of the earth, lawyer hubby of 18 years.

Kimberly Elise is the woman in question, and after being beat around a bit and literally thrown out of her mansion by her big bad daddy-o, finds herself flat broke and living with her grandparents in some of the nicest looking "slums" one could ever hope to collect welfare in. Encouraged by her gargantuan, feisty, gun-totin' Grandma, (played in drag by Perry, who perfectly cops an already bogus concept long done to death by the likes of a tired Eddie Murphy and the similarly burned-out Martin Lawrence - take your pick), Elise must find the strength to confront her demons, and perhaps, even find the spirit within that might allow her to love again. Oy vey.

This honest to God train wreck doesn't know if it's a lame comedy or an equally lame melodrama, but one thing is perfectly clear: this movie sucks on so many levels it's almost disturbing. (CB)

The Boys & Girl from County Clare

Paying money to see this would be one crappy way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Sure, you'll get an eyeful of the magnificent Irish countryside, which is awe-inspiring, but you'll also have to grimace through some of the worst clichés about drinking and fraternal grudges. There is no limit to director John Irvin's (Hamburger Hill) capacity for nostalgia and slapstick - if barf jokes count as slapstick. The story strangles itself with Irish shenanigans and the cheeky charm of country wisdom.

An Irishman (Colm Meaney) returns home from Liverpool with his band to compete in an annual Ceili music competition. His long-suffering older brother (Bernard Hill) has also entered the competition, with a group that includes a lively young fiddle player, Anne (Andrea Corr of the Corrs), and her over-protective mother (Charlotte Bradley). Anne falls for a rival musician, which shakes her mother's tree and reveals some family secrets.

The Boys & Girl From County Clare has an artificial sense of urgency, with characters needless ly rushing across the countryside to register for the competition. Then comes some complicated sabotage between the bands, while adults air old grievances and the teenagers enjoy themselves. The fiddle playing nearly saves this film, along with Meaney's performance, but it ultimately fails as an ode to the Emerald Isle. (JL)

The Upside of Anger, Diary of a Mad Black Woman and The Boys & Girl from County Clare open Friday, Mar. 18

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