A dinner at Charcoal Grill last night and Kates and I were off for a night at the movies. Both of us really wanted to see "Reign Over Me" ...
The trailer has been all over the place the last few weeks, so you likely know the story: Adam Sandler plays Charlie Fineman a man who lost his wife and three girls when their plane crashed into the Twin Towers on 9/11, and he's since blocked any memory of them from his mind, choosing to live every day in a barren apartment playing video games, listening to records and remodeling his bathroom over and over again. A pair of earphones is almost always on his head, and when anyone he encounters even tries to approach the subject of his lost family, he turns the volume louder ... So when Alan Johnson, his college roommate in dental college, played by Don Cheadle, bumps into Fineman after years apart, they rekindle their relationship. Both are at pivotal points in their lives and in need of someone they can trust ...
Let's be honest. Not the greatest film I've ever seen. The first half of it spends a little too much time trying to set up the story, bouncing the audience between different characters and subplots like a game of Pong -- there's Alan and Fineman, Alan and his wife (who Alan has started to close off), Alan and his psychologist, Alan and his dental partners and then a crazy woman who threatens to sue Alan for a bogus sexual harassment allegation ... At times the action was so uninteresting I caught myself swapping story ideas in my mind and making mental notes of things I needed to get done around the house ...
Then again, it's hard to dislike "Reign Over Me" in its entirety, given my fascination with stories surrounding 9/11, and the fact that music, particularly Fineman's appreciation for classic vinyl records, plays a major role in the film. My favorite films are the ones that tell heartfelt people stories -- like this one.
The story finally picks up when Fineman gives into Alan's subtle suggestions that he needs help. Fineman begins to take some baby steps and eventually lets us in on his memories of the awful day that changed his life, and the pain he's felt since. He begins to make amends with his in-laws and, well, in the end you're left thinking that Fineman is going to be just fine ...
Some of the real charm in the film, for me, came from some small but notable performances. Adam Sandler's performance as Charlie is Oscar-worthy and Don Cheadle is doing some of the best stuff in Hollywood these days. Plus Melinda Dillon (the Christmas Story mom!) leaves a mark as Fineman's grieving mother-in-law. Liv Tyler blends in well as a compassionate psychologist, Angela, trying to help Johnson and then Fineman. And Saffron Burrows was both creepy and hilarious as Donna Remar, a recently-divorced woman whose life becomes intertwined with Johnson, Angela and then Fineman. Jada Pinkett Smith is admirable too, as Alan's wife, but her part in the film wasn't big enough.
... The dark horse performance of the film, however, might have been Donald Sutherland, whose face time lasted all but five or 10 minutes, but he shines in a pivotal scene as the judge who must decide Fineman's fate -- Should he be committed to a mental institution? Or should he be allowed to figure things out on his own?
... Still, BJ Novak, who's face time was just as short playing a snarky state attorney, will always be Ryan The Temp from “The Office.”
And one more thing? Note to self: Find the Pretenders debut album and get a Jackson Browne record ...
Good reads ...
The trailer has been all over the place the last few weeks, so you likely know the story: Adam Sandler plays Charlie Fineman a man who lost his wife and three girls when their plane crashed into the Twin Towers on 9/11, and he's since blocked any memory of them from his mind, choosing to live every day in a barren apartment playing video games, listening to records and remodeling his bathroom over and over again. A pair of earphones is almost always on his head, and when anyone he encounters even tries to approach the subject of his lost family, he turns the volume louder ... So when Alan Johnson, his college roommate in dental college, played by Don Cheadle, bumps into Fineman after years apart, they rekindle their relationship. Both are at pivotal points in their lives and in need of someone they can trust ...
Let's be honest. Not the greatest film I've ever seen. The first half of it spends a little too much time trying to set up the story, bouncing the audience between different characters and subplots like a game of Pong -- there's Alan and Fineman, Alan and his wife (who Alan has started to close off), Alan and his psychologist, Alan and his dental partners and then a crazy woman who threatens to sue Alan for a bogus sexual harassment allegation ... At times the action was so uninteresting I caught myself swapping story ideas in my mind and making mental notes of things I needed to get done around the house ...
Then again, it's hard to dislike "Reign Over Me" in its entirety, given my fascination with stories surrounding 9/11, and the fact that music, particularly Fineman's appreciation for classic vinyl records, plays a major role in the film. My favorite films are the ones that tell heartfelt people stories -- like this one.
The story finally picks up when Fineman gives into Alan's subtle suggestions that he needs help. Fineman begins to take some baby steps and eventually lets us in on his memories of the awful day that changed his life, and the pain he's felt since. He begins to make amends with his in-laws and, well, in the end you're left thinking that Fineman is going to be just fine ...
Some of the real charm in the film, for me, came from some small but notable performances. Adam Sandler's performance as Charlie is Oscar-worthy and Don Cheadle is doing some of the best stuff in Hollywood these days. Plus Melinda Dillon (the Christmas Story mom!) leaves a mark as Fineman's grieving mother-in-law. Liv Tyler blends in well as a compassionate psychologist, Angela, trying to help Johnson and then Fineman. And Saffron Burrows was both creepy and hilarious as Donna Remar, a recently-divorced woman whose life becomes intertwined with Johnson, Angela and then Fineman. Jada Pinkett Smith is admirable too, as Alan's wife, but her part in the film wasn't big enough.
... The dark horse performance of the film, however, might have been Donald Sutherland, whose face time lasted all but five or 10 minutes, but he shines in a pivotal scene as the judge who must decide Fineman's fate -- Should he be committed to a mental institution? Or should he be allowed to figure things out on his own?
... Still, BJ Novak, who's face time was just as short playing a snarky state attorney, will always be Ryan The Temp from “The Office.”
And one more thing? Note to self: Find the Pretenders debut album and get a Jackson Browne record ...
Good reads ...
