Reign Over Me (2007)

 Sandler does himself proud
The actors portray damaged adults. And do it well. The only weakness comes in the courtroom scenes. A.S. deserves praise for his great job. The pain comes thru the screen. May 3, 2008

 Rain Over My Parade
This just wasn't my cup of tea. You can't blame Adam Sandler. Everyone is used to seeing him act crazy and funny all rolled into one. This is not one of them. He did an excellent job of my wanting to punch him in the face. I saw this movie on cable and, of course, they had the synopsis all wrong as usual. It's not the dentist who's depressed, it's Charlie (Adam Sandler). That's the way I saw it anyway. April 30, 2008

 Sandler Just Wasn't Convincing
Scruffy hair, an unshaven face and mumbling dialogue don't make Sandler a believable dramatic actor in this movie. It was like he was trying too hard. The mumbling was annoying. He does better when he speaks clearly.

The movie drags a bit. I think it could have been a powerful story but Sandler didn't help. Cheadle's performance was very good though.

Movie was only OK. April 6, 2008

 Depressing and stupid
I didn't really care for this film at all. "Reign Over Me" is about a man named Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler) whose wife and three daughters were killed on one of the airplanes that hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Six years have passed, and Charlie's college roommate, Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle), runs into Charlie on the street one day and is stunned by how much his old friend has changed. Charlie lives his life completely alone, unable to cope with his unspeakable sadness. Alan does everything he can to help his friend and save Charlie from self-destruction.

It's hard to pinpoint what I hated so much about this film. The basic plot is decent, and both Sandler and Cheadle deliver strong performances. However, I didn't think the movie was very genuine. I failed to experience any kind of emotional response to the horrible situation that Charlie found himself in. There was just something off about this movie, and several very random things (Alan's crazy, sex-obsessed patient who sort of befriends Charlie at the end; stupid Liv Tyler cast as a psychiatrist who is a total bitch and eavesdrops on Charlie's private conversation with Alan) pissed me off and totally ruined the movie for me. After watching this film, I felt that it somehow desensitized the whole September 11 tragedy in spite of the fact that the intent of the film was actually to honor it. For that reason, I think this movie was a massive failure. April 6, 2008

 Adam is the Man
I liked this movie enough to want to immediately watch it again. Adam performed this role with so much heart, he made you forget he was also the author of the Chanunkah Song. I do not believe it is my place to dissect or offer a cynical review as others feel they are qualfied to do to this movie. It is evident that a lot of heart and commitment went into this production. It makes you appreciate how fortunate some of us really are. March 31, 2008

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