Ryan Scott
23rd April 2007, 01:09 PM (13:09)
My wife an I took in Reign Over Me this past Saturday morning. It is a story about a man, Charlie, played by Adam Sandler, who lost a wife and three young daughters on one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center. He has essentially recoiled from his life, choosing to deny that he was ever married or had a family, instead living on the government payout and life insurance monies and constantly remodeling his kitchen.
The plot centers around the chance meeting between Charlie and his dental school roommate, Alan, played by Don Cheadle. Alan runs a very successful dental practice in the city, but is experiencing a mid-life crisis or sorts as he feels like his life is no longer his own. He has no friends and no hobbies and longs for something more than he has.
At first both men see something in the other than they envy, Charlies sees companionship, and someone who never knew his wife or kids (the two had not been in touch since college), while Alan sees a liberated man who stays up late playing video games and watching Mel Brooks movie marathons or playing drums in a punk band.
The plot develops as Alan realizes how lost and hopeless Charlie is, having been reduced to a shell, unable or unwilling to remember anything about his life. There are quite a number of peripheral characters: a psychiatrist who works in Alan's building and one of her other, rather disturbed patients; Charlie's in-laws who long to reconnect; and the support structures for both men.
This movie was not the deep philosophical film I was expecting from the previews, but was a really thought-provoking look at everyday life. Adam Sandler has certainly completed his transition from adolescent comedies to serious professional acting with a high quality portrayal of the pain and hurt accompanying Charlies post-traumatic stress disorder. There are moments when he (Sandler) appears in over his head, but at other times he comes though with touching emotional vulnerability. Don Cheadle and the rest of the actors are quite strong in their performances as well, with a special, intense and thrilling cameo by Donald Sutherland as the judge near the end of the film.
This movie is rated R for "language and some sexual references." There is a decent amount of language (I'm not sure what the PG-13 limit is, but I'm guessing that's why it received the R rating), however it is within the context of some pretty intense mental and emotional anguish. I wouldn't deem it graphic or outlandish. The sexual references refer to an incident when one of Alan's patients tempts him to cheat on his wife (which illustrates some of his internal struggle with freedom and satisfaction). He refuses and the incident is handled with an awkwardness and embarrassment not uncommon to real life.
I'm not sure this is a movie for young children anyway. The themes of death and disillusionment, as well as the legal and psychological content probably put it out of the range of interest for many teenagers as well. I (and my wife as well) thought it to be a great movie. I don't want to give too much away, but I saw a lot of room for self-reflection in the themes dealt with. Characters in the movie were all searching for solutions to their problems, ways to fix what was upsetting or wrong. The end result was that there are no solutions, but gradual, often difficult, healing in the context of loving, supportive relationships.
For me, Reign Over Me, reinforced the importance of truly committing to your friendships and embracing community not as a luxury, but a necessity in life. We can't make it on our own and often what we need in life is already there.
The plot centers around the chance meeting between Charlie and his dental school roommate, Alan, played by Don Cheadle. Alan runs a very successful dental practice in the city, but is experiencing a mid-life crisis or sorts as he feels like his life is no longer his own. He has no friends and no hobbies and longs for something more than he has.
At first both men see something in the other than they envy, Charlies sees companionship, and someone who never knew his wife or kids (the two had not been in touch since college), while Alan sees a liberated man who stays up late playing video games and watching Mel Brooks movie marathons or playing drums in a punk band.
The plot develops as Alan realizes how lost and hopeless Charlie is, having been reduced to a shell, unable or unwilling to remember anything about his life. There are quite a number of peripheral characters: a psychiatrist who works in Alan's building and one of her other, rather disturbed patients; Charlie's in-laws who long to reconnect; and the support structures for both men.
This movie was not the deep philosophical film I was expecting from the previews, but was a really thought-provoking look at everyday life. Adam Sandler has certainly completed his transition from adolescent comedies to serious professional acting with a high quality portrayal of the pain and hurt accompanying Charlies post-traumatic stress disorder. There are moments when he (Sandler) appears in over his head, but at other times he comes though with touching emotional vulnerability. Don Cheadle and the rest of the actors are quite strong in their performances as well, with a special, intense and thrilling cameo by Donald Sutherland as the judge near the end of the film.
This movie is rated R for "language and some sexual references." There is a decent amount of language (I'm not sure what the PG-13 limit is, but I'm guessing that's why it received the R rating), however it is within the context of some pretty intense mental and emotional anguish. I wouldn't deem it graphic or outlandish. The sexual references refer to an incident when one of Alan's patients tempts him to cheat on his wife (which illustrates some of his internal struggle with freedom and satisfaction). He refuses and the incident is handled with an awkwardness and embarrassment not uncommon to real life.
I'm not sure this is a movie for young children anyway. The themes of death and disillusionment, as well as the legal and psychological content probably put it out of the range of interest for many teenagers as well. I (and my wife as well) thought it to be a great movie. I don't want to give too much away, but I saw a lot of room for self-reflection in the themes dealt with. Characters in the movie were all searching for solutions to their problems, ways to fix what was upsetting or wrong. The end result was that there are no solutions, but gradual, often difficult, healing in the context of loving, supportive relationships.
For me, Reign Over Me, reinforced the importance of truly committing to your friendships and embracing community not as a luxury, but a necessity in life. We can't make it on our own and often what we need in life is already there.