Reign Over Me

Reign Over Me (2007)
Columbia Pictures
Directed by Mike Binder
Starring Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler

Reign Over Me is a very personal and emotion tale of one man’s breakdown following the loss of his entire family following the tragic events of 9/11. Don Cheadle plays Dr. Alan Johnson, a dentist who is having some marriage problems due to having no personal space. One day as he is heading home, he sees his old college roommate, Charlie Fineman (Sandler), who has all but disappeared from society. Charlie does not remember him nor his past life as he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Johnson becomes closer to Charlie and tries to help him with his personal problems.

Adam Sandler gives a tremendous performance in Reign Over Me that shows that he does have the ability to act. His character has tons of emotion, depth, and pity that makes Charlie a lovable and pitiful character. It is nice to see Sandler break away from his comedies and return to drama comedies such as he did with Drunk Punch Love. Don Cheadle shows that he is an amazing actor with his role as Johnson. There is a strong chemistry between the two leads that makes the friendship seem more realistic.

The message of Reign Over Me is that everyone needs to grieve in their own time. This is a very feasible message, but at points it seems that director Mike Binder has too much screentime to portray this. It is an overly overdrawn message that keeps coming back throughout the film. The message appears whenever Charlie becomes suspicious, flips out, or finally opens up and tells his story. Binder perfectly lets his message flow onto the screen, but there is not enough content in this film to fully justify his intent.

The idea of incorporating 9/11 is a smart move for this film. Though not as intense as World Trade Center, this film shows how one man’s life has changed because of the tragedy. Charlie’s story is heartbreaking. This is parallel to everyone who lost someone that day. Charlie could not deal with the pain and blocked everything out. It is hard to watch Charlie’s character and not be touched by Sandler’s performance. When Charlie does open up, it is tear jerking and definitely plays with the emotions.

Reign Over Me comes from the classic The Who song “Love, Reign O’er Me.” This title is fitting because Charlie had so much love for his family, and now others love him and love is “raining” on him now. This is very powerful film, despite a few holes and flaws, which showcases emotion. Sandler is at his best here; no silly, childish jokes: just plain raw emotion with some grown-up humor. Reign Over Me is a wonderful tearjerker that features some impressive performances and wonderful messages of grief and time.

Rating: B

June 21, 2010