- Dave Buznik is a businessman who is wrongly sentenced to an anger management program, where he meets an aggressive instructor.
- Mild-mannered timid businessman Dave Buznik works for a pet clothing company out of New York City. He's got an abrasive boss named Mr. Frank Head who frequently takes credit for his work and steps on him in return. He's got a loving girlfriend, Linda, whose best friend is her condescending college ex, Andrew. But when a misunderstanding aboard an airplane goes haywire, Dave is ordered by the court to undergo anger management therapy at the hands of specialist Dr. Buddy Rydell, who is an unpredictable, psychopathic character. As the relationship between Dave and Buddy becomes more tense, when the unorthodox treatment wreaks havoc Dave's life, and Buddy might be the only one who can save him from a problem he recognizes right away in his patient, that could only get worse.—Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}
- After a misunderstanding aboard an airplane that escalates out of control, the mild-mannered Dave Buznik is ordered by Judge Daniels to attend anger management sessions run by Doctor Buddy Rydell, which are filled with highly eccentric and volatile men and women. Buddy's unorthodox approach to therapy is confrontational and abrasive and Dave is bewildered by it. Then, after yet another mishap, Judge Daniels orders Dave to step up his therapy or wind up in jail. So, Buddy moves in with Dave to help him battle his inner demons. Buddy himself has no inner demons since he acts out at every opportunity and that includes making lewd comments about Dave's girlfriend Linda and goading Dave into confronting every slight, past or present, head-on. But Buddy finally goes too far and Dave must decide whether to crawl back into his shell or stand up for himself. Could it be that Buddy's confounding and contradictory treatment is just what the doctor ordered?—Sujit R. Varma
- Overworked and undervalued Dave Buznik is a businessman whose life practically seems stuck in second gear. He's got a boss who just as well step on him, as acknowledge the fact that Dave does all the work but the boss gets the credit. He's got a pacifist nature that always gets the best of him, causing him to avoid conflict whenever possible. But it only seems to get worse for Dave when he can't take action and lets everything just sit. However, when a misunderstanding aboard an airplane lands Dave in court, the only way out is through the therapy of Dr. Buddy Rydell, a psychiatrist and anger management expert. While the unconventional Buddy seems harmful and psychotic, he might just be Dave's only solution to a problem that seriously needs to be addressed.—mystic80
- Dave Buznik is a hardworking businessman with a pacifistic nature that has often gotten the best of him. But a simple misunderstanding aboard an airplane quickly escalates into a legal nightmare for Dave. Now, the only way he can avoid jail time is to seek the help of a very unlikely anger management instructor known as Dr. Buddy Rydell. The good doctor's unorthodox methods border on unconventional and nearly psychotic, but may be the perfect antidote for Dave, who has been a stepping stone his entire life.—monkeykingma
- In 1979, a hot day in the city finds a whole neighborhood of kids and adults relaxing out doors on the street. A nerdy young boy in love with a beautiful girl is about to receive his first kiss. Just then, the local bully yanks down the boy's shorts and underwear, humiliating him to the laughter of the entire crowd.
In the present, timid businessman Dave Buznik (Adam Sandler) works for a pet clothing company in New York City. His abrasive boss Frank Head (Kurt Fuller) takes credit for Dave's money-making work and steps on him in return. His loving girlfriend, Linda (Marisa Tomei) is supportive but wishes he would stand up for himself. Her college friend, Andrew (Allen Covert), wants to date her and treats Dave like a loser. Dave just wants to avoid conflict (and any hint of public affection.)
When an in-flight misunderstanding with a stewardess goes haywire, Dave is ordered by Judge Daniels (Lynne Thigpen) to undergo anger management therapy at the hands of unorthodox specialist Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson).
At his first anger management group meeting, self-effacing Dave is certain he doesn't belong there and asks Buddy to let him out of the course. Odd and volatile characters such as Nate (Jonathan Loughran), Lou (Luis Guzmán), and Chuck (John Turturro) startle him. Buddy pushes Dave hard until Dave actually starts shouting. At the end of the meeting, Buddy says Dave needs to be there. He also arranges for him to pair up with eccentric Chuck for mutual support.
As Dave prepares for a romantic evening with Linda, Chuck turns up on his doorstep and insists Dave fulfill his support duties. They go to a restaurant, Chuck picks a fight for no reason ... and Dave ends up back in court on charges of assaulting a waitress and a blind man (Harry Dean Stanton). Judge Daniels orders Dave to step up his therapy or wind up in jail. Buddy decides to move in with Dave for intensive treatment.
Buddy's obnoxious behavior includes everything from throwing out Dave's CDs, nudity, sleeping with Dave in his bed (and farting), throwing food when it's not done his way, flirting with Dave's girlfriend, and pissing off Dave's boss. He forces Dave stop driving on the way to work in order to sing the show tune "I Feel Pretty", while blocking traffic on a bridge. He takes Dave to a street corner and pays a transvestite (Woody Harrelson) to get in the back seat with Dave. Dave is horrified, and finally starts yelling and demanding that the she-male get away from him. Buddy explains that this is an important step forward in the program: righteous anger.
Dave and Buddy go to Boston to see Buddy's mom. At a bar, Buddy lures Dave into hitting on a beautiful girl (Heather Graham) using a crude pickup line. To his shock, she takes the bait. When he looks around, Buddy has left him and he doesn't even know where to go. The girl takes him home and tries to seduce him, and turns violent when he refuses because of his commitment to Linda. She throws him out in the rain where he screams back at her.
On their return trip from Boston, Dave falls asleep. When he wakes up, Buddy has taken him to an out of the way Buddhist sanctuary. His old nemesis Arnie Shankman has become a monk. Buddy incites the two to fight, and finally their anger ignites. Dave discovers the heady feeling of a little righteous revenge.
When he meets with Linda, Dave tries to nerve himself up to propose to her but is unable to do so. Recognizing the lost moment, she says that Buddy has advised that they separate for a while. Dave is devastated, but Buddy assures him things will be fine. When he learns that Linda will be going out to a swank restaurant with some guy, Dave decides to show up with the two porn star girls (Krista Allen and January Jones) who are a married Lesbian couple from his anger management class. The scantily clad girls accompany him in ... where he finds out that Linda's date is Buddy himself. Stacy and Gina start to make out as Gina sucks on Stacy's finger as Stacy moans. Buddy swears he is dating her for Dave's benefit, that nothing is going on. Stacy and Gina then take Dave home with them and he watches them have sex as they make out in their bras and invite Dave to have a threesome with them in bed.But later that night Buddy confesses that the date led to kissing and then announces that he and Linda are in love. Dave loses it and leaps for Buddy ... and Dave is back in court as the judge finds him incurable, promising that at his sentencing he will be going to prison. A bruised, battered and bandaged Buddy is present, accompanied by Linda. Dave sees the two enter a taxi outside (and Buddy removing his neck brace!), as Linda gazes at Dave regretfully.
Dave finds out that Buddy is taking Linda to a Yankees game, and realizes that Buddy is about to steal his proposal "idea" (having it appear on the marquee). He rushes to the stadium to prevent this disaster. Guards try to stop him as he storms on to the field and appropriates the microphone to plead with Linda not to marry Buddy, that Buddy is crazy. Dave admits that he was an angry guy, that letting people step on him was wrong. He tells Linda that he loves her and wants to marry her.
Linda agrees, but on the condition that he kiss her in front of everyone in the stadium. He hesitates, but finally gathers his courage and does it. Amazingly, the loving message appears on the marquee, and Linda happily tells him that he just graduated from anger management! Waiting for the train home, she explains that she'd read Buddy's book and asked if he could help Dave. The stewardess, the judge and many others were in on the plot to help Dave find and express his anger.Stacy and Gina then invite Linda to have a Lesbian threesome with them and she does.
A celebration party in the park with the whole anger management class is interrupted by a man with a gun. Dave stands up to him and refuses to be afraid, while everyone else begs him not to be a hero and get himself killed. The gunman fires - his water pistol, as the whole thing turns out to be Dave's prank revenge on everyone for duping him.
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