3 Pulses
Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows
Directed by Mike Binder
Rated R
Writer/director Mike Binder, who has also done his fair share of acting, continues to show that he is an actor’s director. He brought the best out of Kevin Costner in The Upside of Anger and now does the same with Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me, a film which evokes many moods-mellow, depressing, dramatic, and sometimes darkly funny. The title of the film is a reference to The Who’s “Love, Reign O’er Me,” which, along with a cover by Pearl Jam, serve as an unofficial score.
After Sept. 11, 2001, Charlie Fineman (Sandler) was never the same person again. He lost his wife and three daughters on American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to L.A. He still lives in New York City but has shut himself away from everyone that knew him and his family, occupying his time with video games, record collecting, playing the drums, and painting the kitchen.
Fineman’s college roommate, Alan Johnson (Cheadle), is a dentist who constantly has women flirt with him at work, but he still remains faithful to his wife Janeane (Smith). However, he feels like he doesn’t do enough guy things, as he’s always doing things that Janeane wants them to do?photography classes and puzzles.
When Johnson sees Fineman riding his scooter and listening to music one day, he tries to get his attention, but Johnson soon realizes that Fineman isn’t the same college roommate he remembered. He doesn’t even remember him. Still, Johnson continues to hang out with Fineman.
Johnson sees their friendship as an opportunity to do guy things, while Fineman sees it as an opportunity to be friends with someone who won’t remind him of his tragedy. However, at an open-mic club Johnson starts to pry. Fineman, thinking that his mother-in-law sent Johnson to have him get psychiatric help, flips out and throws root beer all over Johnson.
As Johnson continues to try to help Fineman, he gets deeper and deeper into Fineman’s world of depression, which ultimately starts to put a strain on his marriage.
Sandler goes somewhere deeper than he even went in Punch-Drunk Love. I really wish that he would do more drama and less of his schtick, but it is refreshing to watch because he doesn’t do it that often. Cheadle, who could also be considered the lead of Reign Over Me, continues to shine as an actor, moving out of his minor supporting roles. Smith always does a wonderful job, and she is such an amazing actress to watch. Also, she always seems like a together woman, even when her roles may not dictate that.
Reign Over Me also has a little something to say about who should and who shouldn’t be considered legally insane. Just because someone may seem to have a loose screw and not conform to society, it doesn’t mean that they need to be committed. They may need personal help but not to that extent, as is the case with Fineman. He definitely is someone who has a right to not be completely together after what happened to his family.
The film took awhile to get going, but it is a real personal story that eventually sucked me in. And, while it started to unravel at times, it often left me not knowing where it would go next.
