Mike Binder makes room for humour in films about grief and family trouble. We rate his patience with actors, but his writing can push them towards melodrama after they have already made us care.
Fi1m perspective
Binder's characters have room to be funny while they are unhappy. Grief, family quarrels and the effort of starting again recur in his comedy-dramas, which depend on actors making contradictory feelings believable. His willingness to accept improvisation and suggestions from performers gives them some say in how these people behave. That is a useful habit for a writer-director whose stories depend so much on the company we keep.
Crossing the Bridge (1992) was his directing debut; Indian Summer (1993) drew on his summers at Camp Tamakwa for an ensemble reunion story. By The Upside of Anger (2005), with Joan Allen and Kevin Costner, family conflict had become the basis of a more assured dramatic voice. Reign Over Me (2007), with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle, continued the interest in grief and friendship. Its slide towards melodrama is the caveat to Binder's gift for drawing strong work from his leads.
The same preference for actors over busy plotting informs our response to Nashville (2012), on which Binder directed three episodes in 2017–18. We cared about Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere's rivalry because their performances put feeling behind the antagonism. The singing convinced us too; the crowded opening and unnecessary complications were harder to forgive. That was enough for a recommendation, with reservations about the writing. Three episodes do not make its successes or failures Binder's alone, and we would not pretend otherwise.
Costner also worked with him on Black or White (2015); Binder's work beyond features includes stand-up specials and The Comedy Store (2020). The latter is a five-part documentary series drawing on his decade performing at the club. It is an understandable turn for a director who began in stand-up, but the family dramas remain the place to test our recommendation. Start with The Upside of Anger.
Biography
Mike Binder (born 2 June 1958) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, stand-up comedian, producer and actor. He grew up in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham and began his career as a screenwriter and comedian, with early credits including the screenplay for Coupe de Ville (1990) and his directorial debut Crossing the Bridge (1992).
Binder is known for writing and directing films in which he has also appeared, including The Upside of Anger (2005), Man About Town (2006), Reign Over Me (2007) and Black or White (2014). As an actor, he played Leo Crow in Steven Spielberg's Minority Report (2002), Lewis Hollis in The Contender (2000) and roles in series such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and Boston Legal. He created the HBO series The Mind of the Married Man (2001–2002) and has directed episodes of Billions and Nashville.
His other work includes the documentary series The Comedy Store (2020) and the novel Keep Calm (2016).
