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Movie Review
Reign Over Me
By Lee Tistaert Published March 15, 2007
US Release: March 23, 2007
Directed by: Mike Binder
Starring: Adam Sandler , Don Cheadle , Jada Pinkett Smith , Liv Tyler
R
Running Time: 124 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $19,661,987
Directed by: Mike Binder
Starring: Adam Sandler , Don Cheadle , Jada Pinkett Smith , Liv Tyler
R
Running Time: 124 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $19,661,987
C
97 of 150
The film heavily rips off Punch-Drunk Love; but it's as if all the subtlety is gone in this translation.
In Mike Binder's "Reign Over Me," Charlie (Adam Sandler) is grieving over his family, who perished on 9/11 on one of the planes. Don Cheadle (Allen) plays a family man who roomed with Charlie in college, and bumps into him on the streets of Manhattan. Charlie's post-traumatic stress makes him seem distant and unusual, which pushes Allen to help him reach out and meet people. The film heavily rips off Punch-Drunk Love; but it's as if all the subtlety in the writing and direction is gone in this translation. Reign Over Me preaches about loneliness and tragedy, and then spends even more time making sure we understood everything. It is obvious why two actors like Sandler and Cheadle, who are both humble and well-respected by fans, might find this endearing, but the material is just obvious; and at times, painfully so.
Sandler gets to use foul language with this enraged character, which only fuels comparisons to Paul Thomas Anderson's darker film about loneliness. Here, it is not effective; foul words are tossed around like candy just to reinforce the trauma Charlie is in; and Sandler's rages seem to be out of a horribly average acting class. Cheadle is pretty good as the nice guy, and Sandler is okay at best, but the real star is Jada Pinkett Smith as Allen?s commanding but sharp wife. She doesn't have much screen time, but she stands out from the two stars; she is more focused and more real in her role.
The film is a quest for Charlie to open up to the world and see life as a good thing rather than something to hide from. There are decent moments where its tone actually works, but the film is just too heavy in over-the-top sentimentalism. Binder, who showed a flare for subtle character studies in 2005's The Upside of Anger (B), leaves everything out in the open upfront, and so the story is very predictable; these characters are merely pawns in a feel-good formula.
Reign Over Me isn't one of Sandler's worst movies, but for Cheadle it can be seen as a slight step back. With this offbeat duo, the film could?ve been really interesting; instead, it is just a terribly average weepy.
Sandler gets to use foul language with this enraged character, which only fuels comparisons to Paul Thomas Anderson's darker film about loneliness. Here, it is not effective; foul words are tossed around like candy just to reinforce the trauma Charlie is in; and Sandler's rages seem to be out of a horribly average acting class. Cheadle is pretty good as the nice guy, and Sandler is okay at best, but the real star is Jada Pinkett Smith as Allen?s commanding but sharp wife. She doesn't have much screen time, but she stands out from the two stars; she is more focused and more real in her role.
The film is a quest for Charlie to open up to the world and see life as a good thing rather than something to hide from. There are decent moments where its tone actually works, but the film is just too heavy in over-the-top sentimentalism. Binder, who showed a flare for subtle character studies in 2005's The Upside of Anger (B), leaves everything out in the open upfront, and so the story is very predictable; these characters are merely pawns in a feel-good formula.
Reign Over Me isn't one of Sandler's worst movies, but for Cheadle it can be seen as a slight step back. With this offbeat duo, the film could?ve been really interesting; instead, it is just a terribly average weepy.
Lee's Grade: C
Ranked #97 of 150 between Rush Hour 3 (#96) and The Brave One (#98) for 2007 movies.
Ranked #97 of 150 between Rush Hour 3 (#96) and The Brave One (#98) for 2007 movies.
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
