REIGN OVER ME
Actor/writer/director Mike Binder, who was the creative force behind The Upside of Anger, mounts another compelling comedy-drama called Reign Over Me, yet another story of the grieving process and how the power of friendship can sometimes impede the process.
This film stars Don Cheadle as Alan Johnson, a Park Avenue dentist who runs into his old college roommate, Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler), who Alan has not seen since the man lost his wife and three daughters on 9/11. What follows is a sometimes volatile re-connection between the two, once Charlie actually remembers who Alan is, who instantly sees Charlie's break from reality, which may or may not be connected to his loss, but Charlie ends up having a surprising effect on Alan's life as well, affecting his business as well as his marriage to Janeane (Jada Pinkett Smith).
Binder has created a story that is a little long-winded, but is rich with humor and unpredictability, despite some hard to accept details in characterization, particularly where Charlie is concerned. Charlie seems to have some serious issues that go far beyond the grieving process but Binder's screenplay never puts a label on it, allowing the character of Charlie to be all over the place and sometimes hard to remain invested...some of his explosive and unmotivated outbursts toward Alan make for high drama but seem to come from nowhere. This not only makes it hard for the viewer to care about Charlie but also makes us wonder why Alan won't leave him alone either, especially with the negative impact Charlie's presence seems to be having on his once cushy if somewhat dull existence.
Binder's screenplay often sacrifices realism for entertainment, which is easy to do when you have a cast of professionals bringing said entertainment to life. Don Cheadle is an offbeat casting choice for the role of Alan, but it's a beautiful and brilliant performance that never gets blown off the screen by Adam Sandler's explosive scenery chewing that defies convention and manipulates viewer emotions. The scene where he FINALLY talks about what happened that horrible day does finally occur and that might be the problem...the wait for that scene is too long and Binder almost loses us, but his impressive cast makes us want to stick it out. Robert Klein and Melinda Dillon were terrific as Charlie's in-laws as was Saffron Burrows as an amorous patient of Alan's and BJ Novak as an insensitive attorney. There's also a stylish cameo from Donald Sutherland as a judge and Binder appears as Charlie's attorney, but it is the surprising chemistry between Cheadle and Sandler that almost makes you forget that this is going on a little longer than it should.
Actor/writer/director Mike Binder, who was the creative force behind The Upside of Anger, mounts another compelling comedy-drama called Reign Over Me, yet another story of the grieving process and how the power of friendship can sometimes impede the process.
This film stars Don Cheadle as Alan Johnson, a Park Avenue dentist who runs into his old college roommate, Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler), who Alan has not seen since the man lost his wife and three daughters on 9/11. What follows is a sometimes volatile re-connection between the two, once Charlie actually remembers who Alan is, who instantly sees Charlie's break from reality, which may or may not be connected to his loss, but Charlie ends up having a surprising effect on Alan's life as well, affecting his business as well as his marriage to Janeane (Jada Pinkett Smith).
Binder has created a story that is a little long-winded, but is rich with humor and unpredictability, despite some hard to accept details in characterization, particularly where Charlie is concerned. Charlie seems to have some serious issues that go far beyond the grieving process but Binder's screenplay never puts a label on it, allowing the character of Charlie to be all over the place and sometimes hard to remain invested...some of his explosive and unmotivated outbursts toward Alan make for high drama but seem to come from nowhere. This not only makes it hard for the viewer to care about Charlie but also makes us wonder why Alan won't leave him alone either, especially with the negative impact Charlie's presence seems to be having on his once cushy if somewhat dull existence.
Binder's screenplay often sacrifices realism for entertainment, which is easy to do when you have a cast of professionals bringing said entertainment to life. Don Cheadle is an offbeat casting choice for the role of Alan, but it's a beautiful and brilliant performance that never gets blown off the screen by Adam Sandler's explosive scenery chewing that defies convention and manipulates viewer emotions. The scene where he FINALLY talks about what happened that horrible day does finally occur and that might be the problem...the wait for that scene is too long and Binder almost loses us, but his impressive cast makes us want to stick it out. Robert Klein and Melinda Dillon were terrific as Charlie's in-laws as was Saffron Burrows as an amorous patient of Alan's and BJ Novak as an insensitive attorney. There's also a stylish cameo from Donald Sutherland as a judge and Binder appears as Charlie's attorney, but it is the surprising chemistry between Cheadle and Sandler that almost makes you forget that this is going on a little longer than it should.
Last edited by Gideon58; 10-11-16 at 11:05 AM.