the upside of anger

By now, some of you know that tonight, a movie of my book "For One More Day," produced by Oprah Winfrey, will air on ABC. People this past week have been saying congratulations. And this is indeed a lucky, wonderful feeling. But I have one regret.

I wish it had been made in Michigan.

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It wasn't, as many films are not, largely because of money. The film is set in a small town, with modest houses and baseball fields, and we certainly have those in Michigan. The producers were not against the idea.

But in the end, the film was shot in Connecticut. That state offers a big tax rebate to filmmakers, about 30%. As a result, one report estimated Connecticut's film and TV business grew from $1 million in the first six months of 2006 to more than $300 million since.

Similar acts have been passed in states such as Louisiana and New Mexico, and you'd not believe how many movies are shooting there.

Meanwhile, Michigan sits largely untapped. Mike Binder, the wonderful filmmaker behind such movies as "Reign Over Me" and "The Upside of Anger," is from Michigan. He loves Michigan. He has an upcoming movie called "The Emperor of Michigan."

He may have to shoot it in Connecticut.

The war of the states

A few weeks ago, Binder and I spoke before the Legislature about our frustrations in trying to bring film work home. Many were shocked to learn how movie producers work. The conversation goes like this:

"What kind of rebate does Michigan offer?"

"Well, it's not as good as (xxxxxxx)."

"Sorry. We're going to (xxxxxxx)."

Now, I can think of a dozen reasons why films should be interested in Michigan, including our varied landscape -- from hot urban to frozen wilderness -- and low cost of housing.

But I can think of 100 reasons why Michigan should be interested in films. One, money. Two, it's a clean business -- no smokestacks. Three, it's a huge growth industry, with digital and Web-based production increasing. Four, it needs young, creative minds, the kind leaving our state every day. Five, movies can be good for image -- and business. Look at Mackinac Island and "Somewhere in Time."

A few years ago, New Mexico, when it came to films, was as barren as its landscape. Then its new governor got aggressive, a 25% rebate was passed, and, according to Variety, not only did the state see film revenue jump from almost nothing to $428 million in 2006, but a 26-acre soundstage has been built. Support businesses are opening there. Money. Jobs.

If New Mexico, why not us?

And roll the credits ...

If Michigan could pass an aggressive rebate program -- one that would lead the nation -- movies and TV would flock here overnight. We thought we passed a decent rebate early this year. But it wasn't competitive with top states (ours is a max of 20%). As a result, only two major movies partly shot here this year, "that brought in about $4 million," said Janet Lockwood, director of the Michigan Film Office.

That's nowhere near what it could be. You can argue that we shouldn't give breaks to moviemakers if we don't give them to everyone. You may be right. But they're going to get them somewhere. And they'll go where that is. And a portion of something is better than a whole bucket of nothing, right?

Until recently, many movies were shot in Canada because of rebates and the exchange rate. My previous book/movie, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," was shot in Vancouver, and many crewmembers told me they'd moved there "to get into the film business."

Well, if they can move there, they can move here -- where the exchange rate now favors us.

Understand, this does not financially benefit people like Binder, Jeff Daniels or myself. We're paid the same either way. But with so many film-related Michiganders who prefer to bring the work back home, doesn't it make sense to capitalize on that?

Our lawmakers are considering action. If it had been in place, the movie tonight on ABC -- and the names in the credits -- might have looked more familiar. Meanwhile, I am scheduled to have a movie shot next year. It's about a homeless man, a casino and the Detroit River.

I hope we don't make it in Albuquerque.

, as long as there's great chicken like that. Right here is where Denny becomes very close and eventually is almost a part of the family.

Each of the girls has their own plot line. The oldest daughter, Hadley, away at college, falls in love, becomes pregnant then engaged (in that order). Meeting the boyfriend's parents at a country club, Terry makes a drunken fool of herself.

Andy had decided not to go to college and Denny gets her a job at his radio station as a production assistant. She actually gets the job because Denny's producer, Adam "Shep" Goodman (Mike Binder), a lecherous 40-something man is instantly attracted to her. One night Terry walks into Andy's bedroom only to find her in bed with Shep.

The next day everyone is at the dinner table, including Denny and Shep. Shep loudly slurps his soup, Terry glares at him. The longer she glares the higher the tension. Finally, Shep's head explodes sending blood everywhere. Terry is covered in splattered blood where she now has a very happy look on her face. Of course it was all just in her imagination.

Eventually, Hadley is married and at the reception Terry has it out with Shep in a great argument that ends with Terry slapping him. Shep reveals that he likes younger women because they're fun and happy, and he would never date a miserable, angry woman like Terry.

Popeye is attending a private high school. She is attracted to a cute guy and her sister tells her to tell him that she's from a broken home � guys like that. She does but really gets no response. Eventually she has him over to work on a video for her film class She leans over to kiss him but he just turns away. He responds, "I'm gay." Popeye is skeptical but she remains close to him.

The other daughter Emily wants to go to a performing arts school to study dancing, which her mother thinks is ridiculous. Terry and Denny are awakened one night with news that Emily is in the hospital. Terry rushes to be with her while Denny stays home to be with Popeye in case she wakes up. The doctors are unsure if her problem is just stress or maybe even cancer. It turns out it was just stress.

Popeye and Denny make a trip with her gay boyfriend and his dad to a bungee jump. We learn that the boyfriend had always bragged about jumping but he's actually too scared to jump. The dad calls the boy "a watcher". Denny, making him feel better, says he is too. On the way home, Popeye asks Denny if he'll marry her mom. Denny says she's too complicated.

That night Denny tells Terry what Popeye asked and Terry is furious. She screams at Denny that he's trying to use her daughter to get to her. She locks herself in the bathroom. Denny kicks down the bathroom door and explains to her that she's got it all wrong. He's put up with all her crap because he knows she's in pain but it's got to stop. He leaves and goes back to his own house.

A few weeks later while Terry is trying to have a stress free dinner with her kids and grandkid, Hadley announces she's pregnant again. Andy dumps Shep, not realizing that his sex talk can be heard by others in the radio studio.

While at a supermarket Terry meets Shep who says that maybe the two of them should have some drinks together and talk things out. Terry refuses and is pissed. At the radio station, Denny yells at Shep for "hitting on" Terry. He fires Shep as his producer.

Later, Terry, stepping out of her shower, is stunned to find Denny offering a drink. She asks him to stay for dinner. They reconcile and Denny later joins the family for an evening at the ballet in Detroit. Emily again asks Terry if she has called her father; Terry says that now that she is well, there is no need to call. At the ballet, Terry sees Emily on stage in Terry's mind. Popeye's voiceover, about fear and anger, leads us to the backyard of their home.

Cut to Terry's backyard. Work has finally begun on Denny's project. One of the workers is working through some brush and steps on an old well cover and almost falls in. As he looks inside, Denny comes running nearby. He has a flashlight and looks inside where he finds a body. A search of his wallet shows that it is Terry's husband. Terry insists on looking into the well. She is clearly stunned. She realizes that her husband never left her. Instead, he had fallen in the well while walking the property three years earlier. Terry walks away, crying quietly. She falls to her hands and knees. Her crying grows louder.

Cut to Terry lying in bed, awake; she spoons with Denny. He responds.

Cut to the rainy funeral, Terry grieving next to Denny. Terry looks across at her daughters and sees them as their younger selves. Turning from the open grave, her daughters comfort her. We see her walking silently through her house, after the funeral, greeting guests, watching Denny sign a baseball. Mom sits with her three oldest daughters, looking at the woods. Denny joins them. Popeye finishes her narration of her video, describing the upside of anger as "the person you become."


[edit] Trivia
At the wedding scene, the band plays "Try a Little Tenderness" and after singing the first couple of lines, the singer hums, as if he forgot the lyrics. This is a cross-movie joke as this was the same song featured in Bull Durham, where Kevin Costner's character gets upset with another player for not knowing the words to "Try a Little Tenderness"
Another cross-movie reference... When Terry goes to Denny's house to clean, she holds up a poster of Denny in a Detroit Tigers uniform. Costner played a Detroit Tiger in the movie "For Love of the Game".