Reign Over Me

This is Adam Sandler like you've never seen him before. He's not the big goober that we see in the comedy films, talking in that annoying tone and making faces. He plays a guy with some serious problems. On 9/11, his whole family perished in one of the airplane crashes, and his whole life changed after that.

At one time a promising dental student, Sandler has now given that up, and sits around all day playing and listening to music, and playing video games. He was in the process of redoing his kitchen when his family died, and now can't ever complete the project. Every time it's done, he rips it out and starts over again. Don Cheadle plays his old roommate from dental school. He recognizes Sandler on the street, but can't figure out what's wrong with him, as Sandler doesn't even seem to recognize him much. Sandler likes to be with him, though, as it's someone he can trust, yet he doesn't have to worry about him talking about his family, as he never really knew Sandler during that time.

What shocked me the most about this movie is that I think of Cheadle as one of acting's finest. Yet, somehow, Sandler acts circles around him. Sandler is just brilliant in Reign Over Me, and what I've found since, is that seeing the other Sandler films no longer have the same merit for me. Now that I know he's capable of this, I want this every time.

As a movie snob, I don't get excited about movies very often. When I saw the preview for Reign Over Me, I knew I was going to like it. Don Cheadle, for me, is the Google of actors. He can do no wrong. Adam Sandler is brilliant in his serious roles, and I think he's more brilliant than he knows. If you are a movie snob, check him out in Punch-Drunk Love. If you're not a snob, you probably won't like it.

The movie starts off pretty innocuously, you're peering into the life of Don Cheadle's character. The thing I liked is, you don't know you're supposed to be judging him, as most movies will have you do as they introduce a character. His life is good, by most standards at least.

He sees this very Bob Dylanesque guy on the street, riding a motorized scooter. He recognizes him as his old friend, and college roommate, and you quickly find out his friend is troubled. The two start a rocky climb back into a friendship, and Don Cheadle's character starts to see how he can help his friend, even though he's not sure it's the right thing to do.

In the process of helping his friend, he realizes that he himself needs a good deal of help. Again, the excellent directing does not force the acknowledgment of this. It's not hacked at, to make sure the audience gets the message. It's laid out, very naked, funny, and innocent. That, along with the strength of the cast, make this an easy 5-star movie to me. I would recommend this one to anyone.