Sandler's new movie offers a lot to like

By Scott Meeker The Weatherford Democrat Fri Mar 30, 2007, 10:47 AM CDT

JOPLIN, Mo. — There’s a lot to like about “Reign Over Me” — the post-9/11 drama starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle.

First and foremost is writer/director/costar Mike Bender’s use of the terrorist attacks as back story. We’ve seen gripping re-enactments of that day (“United 93”) and tales of heroism (“World Trade Center”), but this is one of the first movies to put it in a historical context for those who lost someone close to them that day. It’s a reminder that as the years pass, it doesn’t get any easier for them to deal with.

And no matter what the result, it’s always interesting to watch an actor mainly known for one genre try to stretch his range in another. Here, Sandler plays Charlie Fineman, a New York dentist who quit his job and cut himself off from everyone in his life after losing his wife and three daughters on Sept. 11.

Then there’s Cheadle, one of the best actors working today. He brings a lot of humanity to his role as Alan Johnson, Charlie’s old college roommate who sees him on the street one evening and takes an interest in helping him deal with the grief he still has bottled up inside. It’s not written as a showy role, but it requires him to carry the story along, and he does it with ease.

And there’s a fantastic soundtrack, which features cuts from Bruce Springsteen, The Who and Pearl Jam (covering The Who).

So it’s a shame that all of this doesn’t add up to more when it’s all over with.

The main problem is Binder’s script. Laden with needless subplots and underdeveloped secondary characters, his “Reign” also has all the subtlety of two or three blows to the back of the head with a shovel.

As in 2002’s “Punch-Drunk Love,” it’s fascinating to see Sandler try his hand at something that requires him to not act like a half-wit. He fared much better in the earlier film, but he does express a certain vulnerability here that shows promise. It helps that Charlie is similar to his characters in “Happy Gilmore” and “The Waterboy,” in that he’s a goofball barely suppressing a lot of pent-up rage.

It works well as a male-bonding flick for a while, as Alan enters into the world that Charlie has retreated into — one where music, videogames and kitchen remodeling help drown out any unwanted memories.

But Alan’s wife (Jada Pinkett Smith) doesn’t have much to do other than express disapproval that her husband is spending way too much time with Charlie; and there’s a cringe-inducing subplot about a sexual-harassment claim that Alan has to deal with, which exists mainly to serve a contrived purpose later on.

There are some genuinely touching moments as Charlie agrees to start seeing a therapist (Liv Tyler) and starts taking baby steps toward re-establishing contact with his in-laws (Robert Kline and Melinda Dillon).

But the movie drives its point home a few too many times in the last act — crossing the line from poignant to pure sap without ever looking back, and goes on far too long.

It’s hard to dislike “Reign Over Me,” because it does a lot right. In the end, though, it’s hard not to wish the movie had tried to do a little less.

Scott Meeker writes for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe. Write to him at smeeker@joplinglobe.com.

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Sandler's new movie offers a lot to like

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