reign over me
So you’ve got Adam Sandler (Punch Drunk Love) and Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) paired up in a dramatic movie. Considering the subject matter and the talent involved, it couldn’t really be bad, so I gave it a shot. I’m not disappointed, but I’m not screaming from the rooftops either. It was slow, and predictable, but there was a lot of heart to it.
Alan Johnson (Cheadle) runs into his college roomate, Charlie Fineman (Sandler), and tries to catch up with him. His life has become too routine and Charlie is his way of venturing out of the house. Charlie’s family was killed in 9/11 and he’s taken it very hard, blocking most of his memories. He hides from the outside world, keeps out of contact, and tweaks whenever his family is mentioned.
The pace is slow. Not a lot happens. Alan learns from Charlie to appreciate what he’s got. Charlie doesn’t really change much. I think that’s the point. The film is very subtle. The symbolic video game (Shadow of the Colossus), the dialog, and the relationships between the characters all seem to hide much more than they show. It works well. The bond between Alan and Charlie is stronger because so much is left unsaid.
There are some funny bits scattered throughout. Sandler nails his character and Cheadle is spot on. The acting with the rest of the cast is adequate, but no one’s stretching, so that should be expected. Binder did a good job directing. He used focus, or loss thereof, quite a bit. He also kept the timeline moving. The events in the movie are spread out so you’re left filling in the gaps with assumptions.
It’s a good movie, but over-hyped.
*** 1/2