Anger
Management: Season 1 (2012)
Review by Jude
Felton
It’s fairly
safe to say that the wide eyed days of innocence that Charlie Sheen portrayed
in movies such as Platoon and Wall Street are long gone. Much has been made of
his off screen shenanigans, of which I have paid little attention, which has
resulted in Sheen playing up to the stereotype in car commercials etc. I pretty
much grew up watching his movies, with the aforementioned Oliver Stone flicks
being favorites, as well as the underrated The Wraith, which was made in the
same year as Platoon. However, when Sheen made the move to TV with Two and a
Half Men I did not pay much attention. I still have not seen an entire episode,
and I doubt that will change.
His second
headlining gig in the world of the sitcom is the far more interesting sounding
Anger Management, in which he plays a former baseball player turned therapist
that specializes in the treatment of the titular ailment. I didn’t catch it on
TV, but to be fair there is very little television I do watch on a regular basis.
So, I had the task of watching the entire first season in a couple of sittings.
Honestly, the episodes fly by, seeing as though they are only just over twenty
minutes in length.
Set mainly in
Charlie’s (Sheen) living room, where he conducts his group therapy sessions,
the show rarely ventures outside this one location. When it does, it is usually
Charlie’s bedroom, kitchen or the local bar, which is run by Brett (Grace under
Fire) Butler. The only other real location being his ex-wife Jennifer’s house,
which Jennifer being played by Shawnee Smith of Saw fame.
Charlie’s
therapy sessions revolve around the same four clients; each with their own
unique, if not totally original, problems. You get Ed, played by Barry Corbin,
who’s basically a bigot, Patrick, who being gay gets a fair amount of abuse
from Ed, Nolan (Derek Richardson of Hostel) who’s the wimp of the group and
Lacey, who shall we say is just a little hostile. That pretty much covers all
bases there, and to add a little spice we also have Charlie’s purely
sexual/professional relationship with fellow therapist Kate (Selma Blair).
Anger
Management follows sitcom standards and to be honest the first episode did not
do too much for me. However, the more I watch the show the more I liked it.
Once it got past it growing pains it actually turned into a really funny show.
Sure, it’s not going to break any boundaries in terms of comedy, but the great
cast do a wonderful job of keeping the jokes coming; Sheen’s comic timing is
actually spot on.
Guest stars
pop up here and there, such as Denise Richards, to add a little spice, and each
supporting character has their own fair share of screen time. It’s definitely a
show that I plan on revisiting when the second season hits, and it has been
renewed for 90 new episodes apparently. So, I am guessing I am not alone in
enjoying the show.
Overall,
Anger Management was far more enjoyable than I expected it to be. It doesn’t
try to be anything it is not; it focuses on the therapy, Charlie’s sex life and
personal life, and that’s about it. But, it is very funny and that’s exactly
what you want from a sitcom.
Included on
the Blu-ray released from Lionsgate is Anger Mismanagement, which is the
obligatory gag-reel, Charlie’s Baby (a new interview with Sheen) and Behind the
Couch in which we get to meet the cast on set. All in all this was damned good
fun and had me laughing along with it. It took a while to get going, but soon
found its rhythm. Good times.
Anger Management Season 1 is released on Blu-ray and DVD by Lionsgate on January 8th.
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