Sandler's departure from comedy carries emotional "Reign"

By: Dan Hubsher

Posted: 3/23/07

It's surprising that it took six years before a movie like "Reign Over Me" was made. Though truthfully, this film isn't really about dealing with what happened on Sept. 11. Instead, it's a story about two friends who are both lost in life, trying to find their way back.

"Reign Over Me" follows the life of Dr. Alan Johnson, played by Don Cheadle as he attempts to help his old college roommate, Adam Sandler's Charlie Fineman, who lost his wife and three daughters on Sept. 11. In classic Hollywood life-lesson fashion, Charlie ends up helping Alan with his own issues.

The plot of the movie, though well-conceived, thoughtful and poignant, is mildly executed, hindering the overall finished product. Inconsistency is its biggest detractor, with some scenes really knocking the emotional baseball out of the park, while others strike out. What's sad, is "Reign" could have been a truly excellent film. Instead, it ended up as only a good film.

Cheadle and Sandler lead a cast of actors who know exactly who they're playing: regular people. While there's nothing exceptional about any of these characters, they're exceptionally portrayed. Cheadle sells the role of the everyman Johnson perfectly, a dentist and family man who loves his wife and daughters, but is frustrated by the constraints in his life.

Meanwhile, Sandler digs deep to play a Sept. 11 widower. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Charlie retreats into a foul-mouthed college-level mentality, a very comfortable fit for the actor. Throughout most of "Reign," Charlie seems completely unreachable, unwilling to recollect anything about his family or his previous life, so when he finally does break down and open up, it's truly heart-wrenching.

Rounding out the cast are Liv Tyler, as a too-sweet-for-words therapist and Saffron Burrows, in a turn as a delightfully crazy divorcé whose story parallels Charlie's. The one performance I was not pleased with was Donald Sutherland's. His part as a stern yet understanding judge feels like it was simply pasted onto the end of the story.

"Reign" is heartwarming, tragic and hilarious in all the right places, without overselling it a single bit. Surprisingly enough, Cheadle provides most of the laughs, not necessarily because he's an especially funny guy (no offense Mr. Cheadle, I'm sure you know some excellent knock-knock jokes) but because of the ridiculous situations he finds himself in, for instance, dealing with a character's dangerous obsession and offers of oral sex.

The most striking part of the film is the ending. It isn't necessarily a happy ending, rather a satisfying one. In life, people's problems aren't always resolved, and writer/director Michael Binder realizes that. And something about watching Don Cheadle ride into the distance on a motor-scooter to Pearl Jam's rendition of "Love, Reign O'er Me" just seems fulfilling.

"Reign Over Me" starts off strong, only to lag behind here and there, trying to catch up with itself. However, overall, it is a film with plenty of heart that tells a story about something all films should: people.