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

Punch-Drunk Love

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring: Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Luis Guzman, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Rating: R

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

"Here we go again" said every memorable sitcom character from (insert your favorite sitcom here). I am into a momentary escape from my unpleasant brush with adulthood today. Last week, when my parents and brothers were on vacation, (and therefore I was on vacation) I watched this movie waiting for my lovely lady friend to get off work. It was quite an experience, to say the least.

How did I come into a copy of said movie? First things first, I am a HUGE fan of Adam Sandler's serious roles. Reign Over Me and Funny People are among some that have displayed a less comic and more human, emotional side to Sandler. He's got some serious talent. So you can imagine when dear friend and mentor Justin Boccitto mentioned this movie on a list of Sandler's serious roles, then I had to see for myself. I found a copy about a year later at Mckay's Used Books, Cd's, Dvd's and More, in my old Nashville home. I paid $1.95 (American) and it could not have been better spent (Maybe on a couple Polar Pops, but I digress).

Short Synopsis: Barry Egan (Adam Sandler; Happy Gilmore) is a small business owner with maybe some slight mental instability. He runs his business with his second in command, Lance (Luis Guzman; Traffic) and we don't ever really find out how well he does at that. He seems to be a tightwad, though, so we can assume not great. Barry's sisters are always trying to set him up with people and failing, thinking that would make him "freak out" less, though he doesn't do it that often. I would give away what his "freak outs" are but then the movie just wouldn't be as fun for you!

Then, Barry IS set introduced to someone by his sister, Elizabeth (Mary Lynn Rajksub; 24), whom he finds intriguing. Lena Leonard (Emily Watson; War Horse...not to be confused with Emma Watson, who was only about 12 when this movie was made), is a very interesting girl and Barry, reluctant at first, gives chase, and gets her caught up in a mess, involving an antagonist (Philip Seymour Hoffman; Moneyball), but ultimately shows just how far someone will go when they are in punch-drunk love with someone.

I gave this movie four stars because frankly, it's a tad hard to follow at first. But, it accomplishes the same as other movies in that it makes you ask questions  (Why is he doing this? Where is he going? What is the deal with this guy? etc.). I thought altogether, however, that it was beautifully made, and that the acting was superb. Sandler and Watson all the way down to the smallest characters did a great job with the creating believable, realistic scenarios. Even though it's a four star, that's still pretty good. It didn't win any Oscars, but Sandler better win one before he dies (or my face is gonna hurt. Seriously). 

The important thing is: Don't judge someone's acting ability based on their niche, tendency, or passion. Adam Sandler clearly loves comedy, but there is something (a lot of somethings, really) to be said about his acting. I  recommend this movie. Period. Also, if you're looking along the "Serious Sandler" list, I also recommend Reign Over Me (co-starring Don Cheadle) and Funny People (co-starring Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen).

As always, please leave me your feedback, questions, comments, observations. The only thing I will not accept is grammar critiques. To answer the last reader question I received, which was "How do you decide which of an actor's "other works" to put by their name?", I put the movie (or TV show in some cases) that I feel people who read my blog might be most familiar with. Or just one that I've heard of or seen. :)

Feel free to ask me more questions, post comments, etc. Still working on finding a copy of the film that was suggested to me, but if you have more recommendations keep 'em coming!!

Thanks!

NAH