Movies We've Just Watched discussion
Reign Over Me (2007)
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I agree Alex, this was an awful movie. Sorry I even wasted my time on it. Should have known better.
I didn't see the movie the way you did Alex. I saw Sandler's ignoring life and not dealing with the death of his wife and daughters to be very heartbreaking. SPOILERS- Redoing his kitchen over and over, doing things just so he wouldn't have to be reminded (video game playing, seeing old movies, record collecting, jamming with that band, etc...), quitting his job, not seeing old friends or family, completely losing reality. Through Cheadle and finally Tyler, he is finally able to open himself up and talk about losing the most important people in his life. You are finally given a chance to see him at the end with a bit of hope that he might be able to live a normal life now that he's been given the tools to cope and deal. I wouldn't call it a 9 out of 10, but I'd say it is a solid 7. I found it so much more enjoyable than Punch Drunk Love, another movie that Sandler plays a serious roll. "Love, Reign O'er Me" done by Pearl Jam isn't on the soundtrack although it's used at the end of the movie. Just a side note that I noticed.
Jenn, I agree that there were touching moments in the story, but for me the overall feel of the movie was forced and contrived.And was Adam Sandler's character about to be set up with the lunatic who accused Don Cheadle of sexual harassment? What were they thinking?
Adam Sandler seemed to be channeling Bob Dylan's craziest psychedelic period.
"Liv Tyler is a therapist who thinks it’s a good idea to “fix up” two of her mentally unstable clients."I work with victims of trauma and a counselor would never do this. Ever. Period. Just a Hollywood contrived romance.
So Tressa, you nailed it.
I thought Sandler was channeling a pubescent boy to be quite honest. The things he involved himself in, his speech and actions all led me to believe he was regressing back to a time in his life when he might have been happy and able to block out everyone.
I thought it was the Cheadle character who fixed the two damaged souls up. They just crossed paths accidentally at the therapist's office. Oh well, I never believe a movie is telling everything about real life. It's art. I personally loved this movie. I haven't cared for many of Sandler's movies, but I was really touched by this character. For many of the reasons Jenn said. I truly enjoyed the relationship between the two guys. The Cheadle character thought he was rescuing his friend, but ended up learning about himself. I liked the ending because to me it didn't seem like any guarantee that all would live happily ever after. There was still a long way to go. It was just that now there was hope. The sound track was amazing; bonus.
REIGN OVER ME (Mike Binder, 2007, USA) This is an awful Hollywood drama that betrays the true suffering of victims and stereotypes the professionals who are trained to help them. Adam Sandler plays a mentally challenged Bob Dylan impersonator who suffers from “only a broken heart” after his family is murdered by terrorists. Don Cheadle is his old college friend who neglects his own family and finally discovers himself vicariously through his friend’s trauma. Liv Tyler is a therapist who thinks it’s a good idea to “fix up” two of her mentally unstable clients. Donald Sutherland is a judge who, after Sandler attempt suicide, thinks he just needs to spend time with his selfish and distant family. Since he’s not a threat to himself or others (please note my venomous sarcasm) the court decides to lift his 302 Commitment and let him out unsupervised; presumably they confiscate the gun. The ending is a tearfully contrived orgasm of sappiness. This movie fails to examine the real issues of loss, grief, isolation, fear, anger, denial, and loneliness and chooses instead to offer up a pallid and indigestible diet of clichés. Here are the good things: Vinyl (yes, we still listen to audiophile analog!), Mel Brooks, The Pretenders, Don Cheadle (always cool even in bad roles), The River, and Quadrophenia. Here are the bad things: everything else. Even the title is spelled incorrectly. (F)