I promised that I would review every movie I watch in 2007, and in keeping with that promise, here is my review of Reign Over Me starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle.
Reign Over Me is a movie about a man named Charlie Fineman (Sandler) who lost his entire family — including the pet poodle — in the 9/11 tragedy. He has retreated from the rest of the world and suffers from a certain level of amnesia concerning everything to do with his life prior to 9/11. One of those things that he doesn’t quite remember are his college days, days that he spent with now dental cosmetic surgeon Dr. Alan Johnson (Cheadle). Alan tries hard to get into Charlie’s head, trying to get him to remember, but his attempts just bring about intense rage on Fineman’s part. Reign Over Me is a touching, powerful movie for anyone who has ever lost a loved one. It deals with post-traumatic stress disorder, intimacy issues, and old Mel Brooks movies.
Don Cheadle is great, as usual, and while I had a hard time taking Adam Sandler seriously in a role like this — his childlike, comedic presence would pop up from time to time — I think he did a good job, considering he is only now trying to crossover from the realms of slapstick comedy to something a little more dramatic. He doesn’t quite have the same level of crossover appeal as Jim Carrey, Robin Williams or Steve Carell, but it’s certainly a move in the right direction.
Yes, he suffers from overacting, but it didn’t bother me all too much. What did bother me was that this movie was long… far too long for its own good. After you factor in the trailers, commercials and so forth, the total running time was about two-and-a-half hours. Yes, there was material there that was captivating, but there was also a lot of fluff that added nothing to the main storyline. I’m not going to ruin it for you, but near the end, there’s a moment where you think the movie is drawing to a close and we just have to wait for that final concluding moment before the credits roll. Unfortunately, you still have about another half-hour to go from there.
I applaud Adam Sandler for taking on this role — he looks a little too much like Bob Dylan, according to Darren Barefoot — as it allows him to exercise a bit of drama, stretching his acting more than a hair away from his usual Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore-type fare. Jada Pinkett Smith also did just fine, but it wasn’t a performance that’ll capture anyone’s attention.
Overall, I rate Reign Over Me 3.5 stars out of five.
When I first saw a promo pic for this picture, I thought it was actually ABOUT Bob Dylan…
Then I realized that 30-40 year old Dylan didn’t live in 21st Century New York.
I think Adam Sandler is too typecasted to do something like this and be taken seriously..
Cool post, and thanks for not spoiling it. This is one of the few movies that I have wanted to see so far this year. It seems a lot of comedic actors are making the transition to more serious roles. The one that sticks out most is Will Smith in the Pursuit of Happiness (which again, I have yet to see).
It’s Pursuit of Happyness, not Happiness. I’m not really sure what is the meaning behind the intentional typo.
And yeah, I’ve noticed that too with guys like Jim Carrey and such trying to make it as more serious actors. Following in the footsteps of Robin Williams, perhaps?
I hate Adam Sandler’s attempts at comedy so much that he is in my “Do Not See” list. I might be interested in this movie if a different actor were in the lead.
What is it about comedians these days that make them want to try serious drama? Are they trying to get an Oscar before their careers are over?