Love Reign Over Me

This morning, I enjoyed one of the little recurring pleasures we have here - I watched a DVD on my laptop. Today's selection was Mike Bender's 2007 drama, Reign Over Me, starring Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler. One of the truths about being on deployment is that the one thing you have in abundance is time. That being said, this film was a very worthwhile way to spend a hundred and twenty-four minutes of that time.


 The film is about two dental school roommates (Sandler and Cheadle) who are reunited years later in New York City. While Cheadle runs a successful dental practice, it is apparent that the quirky and disheveled Sandler, who doesn't initially remember who Cheadle is, suffers from some type of mental disorder. As the story progresses, we learn that Sandler's character lost his wife and three daughters in the attacks of September 11th. They were flying from Boston to Los Angeles for a family wedding when their plane was hijacked.

Cheadle sets out to help his old friend make sense of his life and get psychiatric treatment; two things Sandler is resistant to because remembering is far too painful.

Sandler's performance is amazing, perhaps the best I've seen from him. His portrayal of Charlie Fineman is touching and poignant. He brings an incredibly subdued humor to this movie. In contrast to his normally over-the-top laughs, this portrayal is not slapstick at all. I was reminded at times of a young Dustin Hoffman. Sandler may very well have finally made the jump from comedic movie star to serious dramatic actor.

Cheadle, as always, dominates the screen with his subtle command of his craft.

Several other great actors and comedians round out the cast - Donald Sutherland, Robert Klein, Liv Tyler, and BJ Novak to name a few - but there is another supporting character deserving of mention: the music. Writer and director Mike Binder uses a specific selection of music including Bruce Springsteen, the Pretenders, and Jackson Browne to show how Sandler, mentally and emotionally running away from anything reminding him of his lost family, has taken to almost obsessively latching on to the music of his pre-marriage youth. Even down to his ongoing collecting of vinyl records. In addition, Sandler's character is never seen without his noise-canceling headphones and iPod that he uses to block out the outside world when it become too much for him to bear.

An honorary mention should go out to Pearl Jam for their cover of The Who's classic, Love Reign O'er Me. They honor the legacy of this song with an exceptional version recorded specifically for this film.

All in all this film is a portrayal of grief, love, loss, and mental illness. It is about friendship and camaraderie; it is about reaching out to a friend and helping in a time of need.