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Tuesday, 17 April 2007 17:57 |
| Don Cheadle and a serious Adam Sandler talk endlessly about their feelings in front of a gloriously filmed New York skyline.
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By ELIZABETH MEADS
Picture this ó Adam Sandler, known for his many comedies, with conquered posture and a mess of curls, has gone mad with grief. You have met the main character of the movie ìReign Over Me.î
This painfully slow ≠ó yet beautifully filmed ≠ó drama chronicles the friendship of two men as they struggle with their emotional tribulations.
For Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler), Sept. 11, 2001 was the end of his life as he knew it. He lost his wife, three daughters and his dog, who all perished when one of the planes crashed into the World Trade Center.
Since that time, he has spent his life in a whirlwind of pointless hobbies ó his vinyl-record collection, endless kitchen renovation, Mel Brooks marathons, video-game assaults, and his go-ped.
Into this confined existence drops an old college roommate: Alan
Johnson (Don Cheadle), a successful, handsome Manhattan cosmetic
dentist. Johnson feels frustrated in his restricted roles of husband,
father and professional. Upon reuniting with Fineman, Johnson creates a
new purpose in life ó to rehabilitate his old friend.
The movie tediously chronicles how Alan, through his efforts to help
Charlie, rediscovers his own humanity. The loss of his family wounded
Charlie so much that he refuses to believe that he ever had one ó ìI
have these things that I donít like to think about,î he says.
As the film shuffles along, writer-director Mike Binder (ìThe Upside of
Angerî) turns Alanís outreach and Charlieís plight into an unexpected
conclusion about what we think we know about grief.
ìReign Over Meî is beautifully done, as Sandler delivers the charged
emotions on a silver platter. He is not the same goofy character that
has been typecast in every genre imaginable.
Surprisingly, he puts on a stellar performance as the closed-down
Charlie, a man who has walled himself away from the pain and suffering
of losing his loved ones.
 But the heart and soul of ìReign Over Meî belongs to Cheadleís Alan,
who we see breaking out of a midlife crisis and coming to terms with
his own disappointments by devoting himself to bringing his friend back
to the land of the living.
The main issue I had with this movie was the length. The running time
of a little over two hours dragged on at a slugís pace. For about
two-thirds of this excruciating exercise in monotony, Charlie is the
same miserable individual and his relationship with Alan goes through
the same cycles of repetition.
The admittedly alluring camera angles and impressive acting did not
overcome the overall tedium of the movie. On a few occasions throughout
the film, I felt my mind wandering to other places, instead of staying
with the emotion-drenched plotline.
Despite the slow pace, this psychologically charged drama accurately
frames the value of friendship in the lives of two men who both
desperately need help.
ï
Elizabeth Meads, a junior at UNC Asheville majoring in multimedia arts and science, works for the Daily Planet.
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