Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up… developing a severe anxiety about public affection. Ever since a bully pulled down his pants in front of his grade school crush, Dave has had trouble showing signs of love and devotion in public.
Living… with his anger management therapist, Buddy Rydell. After a bizarre altercation with a flight attendant aboard a plane, Dave is tazered by a sky marshal and then sentenced to anger management therapy sessions.
Profession… secretary for an abusive and arrogant man named Frank. Frank has pushed around Dave ever since he started at the company. He constantly steals Dave’s ideas and claims them for himself.
Relationship Status… in a relationship with Linda, whom he loves dearly. However, Linda knows that Dave has trouble expressing his feelings to her in public — a fact that continuously frustrates her.
Challenge… getting his girlfriend back and dealing with his anger issues. After his therapist, Buddy, manages to woo Linda, Dave goes on a rampage. As he yells in one instance at Buddy, “You had your crazy, corroded tongue in my girlfriend’s mouth!?”
Personality… eerily calm and polite. Dave doesn’t seem to have an anger problem, at least on the outside. He hides most of his emotions because he’s afraid of expressing affection in public. In fact, he generally only gets angry when he’s around his irritating therapist. Though Buddy insists that Dave’s “implosive” anger will one day explode outward.
Get to Know him in...
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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?
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Charlie is a non-traditional therapist specializing in anger management. He has a successful private practice and he performs pro bono counseling for an inmate group at a state prison. Prior to his career as a therapist, he was a major league baseball player whose career was put on the shelf for good by his own struggle with anger issues.
