Reign Over Me

Reign Over Me (2007)

Directed by: Mike Binder

Written by: Mike Binder

Starring: Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler

Rating: R

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

WOW! I can't believe I've got time to do this again! I love writing and being able to bring you this quality literature and journalism (pause for laughter) time and time again really does bring me joy. So without further ado, here we go!

Obviously my vacation involved a lot of movie time (there were a couple of rainy days) and it was one of my greatest pleasures to share Reign Over Me with my friends and fiancee. Reign Over Me is an incredible film. It's number 10 on my Top Ten favorite movies of all time, and hopefully I can make you see why!

Brief Synopsis:

Alan Johnson  (Don Cheadle; Iron Man 2), a dentist dragged down by the battle of everyday life runs into his old college roommate, Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler; Billy Madison), who lost his entire family on September 11th. With the help of a psychiatrist in his office building (Liv Tyler; The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring) Alan decides to rekindle their friendship, and it turns out to be a good thing for both of them.

Thoughts:

I think this film is fantastic. In viewing, I constantly found myself wanting to know more about Charlie. Unfortunately for the first half, Charlie didn't want you knowing anything about him! Director Mike Binder did an excellent job of crafting the story so that he didn't reveal too much too soon, and keeps the audience's interest.

One of the most excellent components of this film is how real it feels. Charlie Fineman and Alan Johnson are not real people, but their story resonates with the Americans who lived through September 11th. This could be anyone you encounter on a daily basis. The illustration and the storytelling of the writer/director and the actors feels INCREDIBLY real, and that really appeals to my taste in films, generally speaking.

Of course (I'm certain people who haven't seen this will cringe at my saying this) but my favorite element of the film was Adam Sandler. As I often reveal to anyone who talks to me for more than 20 minutes, I have an obsession with comedic actors in serious roles (like Jim Carrey in The Truman Show or Steve Carell in Dan in Real Life) but this is one of my favorites. What Sandler brings to the table in this film, I can't see many other actors bringing. There are incredible, really funny moments (you know when you share a moment with your former college roommate? I'm looking at you, DG), and then you see Charlie Fineman's obviously tormented soul. As he opens up to Alan, Charlie hits barriers and emotional hurdles, and Sandler channels them brilliantly. On several occasions I've been able to catch Sandler take on a serious role, and I've yet to be disappointed.

The above is not to take away from the acting of the rest of the cast, either. Jada Pinkett Smith (Scream 2) is great as the wife of emotionally drained and frustrated Alan, and Liv Tyler's Angela (the psychiatrist) is a perfect casting fit. Donald Sutherland (The Hunger Games) also has a minor role later in the movie, and he is brilliant (as per usual). Though his dramatic chops are no secret, Don Cheadle deserves a lot of credit for the performance he gives in this film as well. Cheadle's Alan is dragged down by the details of his every day life. After reaching out to Charlie, Alan has a renewed sense of self that impacts all the areas of his life. Cheadle is perfect for the part, and his scenes with Sandler have so much emotion packed into them.

This film tops my list of overlooked movies. I vaguely remember it hitting theaters when I was 18 years old and transitioning from high school to college, but my first viewing came from the same DVD a few days later. In my research for this post (which I do actually do from time to time) I read a lot of critical reviews, and the worse they got, the more impressions I got that the critics had a short attention span (though it DID make me want to be a better writer). Paying attention and following the story really pays off in this film's case.

Final Thoughts:

As I said above, an attention span that will last you for two hours and 4 minutes will really pay off for you in this endeavor. It is NOT for everyone, but if you have a good attention span and are in the mood for a realistic, human, dramatic journey, I'd recommend you dive in. If you've never seen Sandler be serious, this would be a good starter (there are others).

Generally I will not accept someone's criticism of Adam Sandler until they have seen him in a serious role, so keep that in mind as you comment (HA! Like anyone ever does that!). That may seem narrow minded, but (to me) it isn't being fair to Sandler as an artist to pigeon hole him as a washed-up comedian.

In conclusion, I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts on this film. If you have seen it, what was your impression. If you haven't, would you watch it knowing what you know now? Let me know via comment, Facebook, or Twitter (@archivesreport) what you think!! I'd love to hear from you!!

Thanks for reading as always, folks! I always welcome discussion!

God bless!

NAH

Billy Madison

Billy Madison (1995)

Directed by: Tamra Davis

Written by: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler

Starring: Adam Sandler, Darren McGavin, Bridgette Wilson, Bradley Whitford, Norm MacDonald

Rating: PG-13

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Hello readership! Since I wrote last I've had significant growth in readership thanks to the creation of the new Facebook page and Twitter account representing the Archives Report! I've been really excited to continue writing lately, and now that I've gotten some vacation time, I have more time to contribute, and of course, to watch more films.

First up was Billy Madison. Everyone gets in the mood now and then to watch ridiculous silliness. For me, of course, it happens more often than it should, probably. 

I came across a copy of this several years ago (in my college, prime movie watching days) in the Wal-Mart $5 bin, and it has served me well. If you have never seen this film, you are missing out on some classic Sandler comedy. Let's begin, shall we?

Synopsis:

Billy Madison (Adam Sandler; Grown-Ups) is the son of an extremely wealthy hotel mogul, Brian Madison (Darren McGavin; A Christmas Story) but has done nothing with his life. Then, Billy finds out that Brian plans to leave the company to young executive Eric Gordon (Bradley Whitford; The West Wing) instead of him. Billy and his father strike a deal, and if Billy can complete the core requirements of each grade in two weeks (1-12), his father will leave the company to him instead (regrettably, having paid off his teachers the first time through). Billy then embarks on a quest to prove he isn't stupid, and ends up finding a lot more.

Thoughts (Part 1):

For those of you who are new readers, I write like I speak (so I'm aware of my comma splices, run on sentences and overuse of the parentheses) and I also tend to write mostly positive reviews. I'm starting with the parts I didn't like today because, well, there wasn't much.

To preface, I am a huge Adam Sandler fan, and especially of his older movies. I think they're unique, funny, and all-around fun. One of things I didn't like about Billy Madison was Tamra Davis' direction. She hasn't done much other work that I've seen, but I felt like she tried to force some of the comedic moments. Adam Sandler is known for being over the top and slightly ridiculous, but the director didn't harness it well at all. At times, the overgrown child motif worked for the movie, and made it loveable, but in the scenes when Sandler's character was supposed to be drunk, it felt like he was trying too hard, and (had I been watching it for the first time) I would have the impression that Sandler didn't know what it was like to be drunk.

Thoughts (Part 2):

What I liked about this movie goes beyond finding it funny. While, yes, I DO find it funny, I also became a Sandler fan because (unlike some/most comedies of today), because his films often carry a deeper message.

First off, I really enjoyed the well crafted comic moments, like the academic decathlon. Sandler and the rest of the cast have obvious comedic talent, and in those scenes, it shows.

Second, I love the minor roles by comedic celebrities, like Chris Farley (Tommy Boy) as the bus driver and the "Adam Sandler repertory company" recurring player Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), as former picked-on high schooler Danny McGrath, to whom Madison called and apologized to for bullying on the first time through high school.

Third and finally, I love this film because of the message. It emphasizes the importance of education, of treating other human beings with respect (regardless of their high school social status), and finding your purpose in life (which I truly believe everyone has). Sandler's films have always done a good job keeping a good message prevalent throughout, and (in that respect) Billy Madison does not disappoint.

In Conclusion:

I would recommend this movie to someone with taste like mine. I love silly comedy and I love taking a good message out of a movie with some questionable content in the middle. Pretending every movie you see is going to be squeaky clean in today's day and age is kidding yourself, and many people get wrapped up in the content and miss the point.

So my suggestion to you is this, watch a movie like Billy Madison and look for the silver lining. I firmly believe that we can learn something from every cinematic endeavor, and Adam Sandler has always been an unlikely teacher of those lessons. So open up your eyes and ears, and take a look! I know you won't regret it!

I really appreciate you reading! I have several more reviews queued up already and my vacation is only half over! Thanks so much for reading, and if you haven't already, you can now follow The Archives Report at facebook.com/thearchivesreport or on Twitter at @archivesreport.

Thanks so much for reading! Please comment, share, or somehow send me your feedback!! I really appreciate any discussion whatsoever! God Bless!!

NAH