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Following the unfortunate lapse into critical acclaim that 'Punch Drunk Love' brought to his CV, Adam Sandler returns to what he does best.

'Anger Management' once again finds Sandler playing a simple, unassuming man in a broad, lightweight comedy with a wafer thin script. This time he applies the nice guy routine to the mild mannered Dave Buznik — an overworked office drone, accepting the constant exploitation by his unappreciative boss. Although he has a longstanding girlfriend, Linda, their stagnating relationship is affected by her ever-present platonic friend, Andrew, and Dave's quirks. Just about the only characteristic distinguishing him from Sandler's roles in 'Big Daddy' and 'The Wedding Singer', poor old Dave has a phobia of public affection.

As usually happens to Sandler's characters, his everyday life is thrown upside down. Instead of inheriting millions ('Mr Deeds') or a little boy ('Big Daddy'), the unassuming Dave is sentenced to anger management sessions following a misunderstanding on an aeroplane. Enter a series of caricatured oddballs and the eccentric Doctor Buddy Rydell. The good doctor takes control of our hero's life — taking great pleasure from pushing Dave into compromising situations, forcing him to face his fears, and then watching him flail.

Sandler also repeats the trick of masking his nondescript performance and the film's virtually non-existent plotline by surrounding himself with famous actors.

Following in the footsteps of luminaries like Harvey Keitel, Winona Ryder and Drew Barrymore, are Marisa Tomei (Linda) and, more significantly, Jack Nicholson. The veteran of such acclaimed comedies as 'As Good As It Gets' and 'About Schmidt', one would have expected Nicholson to bring some class to his role as Dr. Rydell. No such luck. He dumbs down to Sandler's level, throwing in a performance that veers between auto-pilot and manic overacting. Watching him throw away his reputation singing 'I Feel Pretty' from West Side Story is cringe-worthy, not to mention unoriginal: Robert de Niro pulled off the song to much better comic effect in 'Analyze That'.

Yet, it is not only Nicholson who is wasted. Following his spell as the sinister butler in 'Mr Deeds', the once respected John Turturro sleepwalks his way through the role of the unbalanced, near psychotic Chuck. Just like every other character in 'Anger Management', he is a cardboard cut-out with about as much depth as the movie's overly sentimental climax.

Yet, these flaws are unsurprising. Written by a first timer (one David Dorfman) and with a director responsible for such gems as 'Naked Gun 33 and 1/3' and 'Nutty Professor 2', one could hardly expect a stellar, or even hilarious, comedy.

Despite some early digs at America's justice system and the country’s obsession with air safety, it lacks the intelligence of a 'Notting Hill', the absurd hilarity of a 'Zoolander' or even the fun of 'The Wedding Singer'.

'Anger Management', therefore, is an average Adam Sandler movie: low brow, generic, and undoubtedly destined to do big things at the South African box office

For more on the film, go to the official 'Anger Management' website: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/angermanagement/

What the international critics say:

"Has its moments."
- Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

"[Nicholson and Sandler are] not the most felicitous comedy team ever devised, but they make the mismatchup work, and that's all the film needed to accomplish."
- Bob Strauss, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS

"The jokes are aimed low and delivered with the intensity of a wet paper towel. By the time Woody Harrelson shows up in drag, you'll be wondering if you just bought a ticket to the first film ever scripted by Mrs. Filarksi's 3rd grade English class."
- Scott Weinberg, EFILMCRITIC.COM

"Anger Management is a ragged piece of filmmaking, but the odds are you'll have as good a time watching it as Nicholson and Sandler seemed to have making it."
- Lou Lumenick, NEW YORK POST

"[A] disaster from the start."
- Richard Roeper, EBERT & ROEPER