Reign Over Me (2007)

A man who lost his family in the September 11 attack on New York City runs into his old college roommate. Rekindling the friendship is the one thing that appears able to help the man recover from his grief.

Director:

Mike Binder

Writer:

Mike Binder

Stars:

Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adam Sandler	...	Charlie Fineman
Don Cheadle	...	Alan Johnson
Jada Pinkett Smith	...	Janeane Johnson
Liv Tyler	...	Angela Oakhurst
Saffron Burrows	...	Donna Remar
Donald Sutherland	...	Judge Raines
Robert Klein	...	Jonathan Timpleman
Melinda Dillon	...	Ginger Timpleman
Mike Binder	...	Bryan Sugarman
Jonathan Banks	...	Stelter
Rae Allen	...	Adell Modell
Paula Newsome	...	Melanie
John de Lancie	...	Nigel Pennington
Paul Butler	...	George Johnson
Camille LaChe Smith	...	Cherie Johnson (as Camille LaChe-Smith)

Storyline

Alan Johnson has everything he needs to get through life: a good job, a beautiful and loving wife, and their wonderful children. Yet he feels isolated because he finds having a hard-working job and managing a family too much to handle and has no one to talk to about it. Charlie Fineman, on the other hand, doesn't have a job or a family. He used to have both until a terrible loss, and the grief caused him to quit his job and isolate himself from everyone around him. As it turns out, Alan and Charlie were roommates in college, and a chance encounter one night rekindles the friendship they shared. But when Charlie's problems become too much to deal with, Alan is determined to help Charlie come out of his emotional abyss.

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Plot Keywords:

grief | mental breakdown | depression | post september 11 2001 | attempted suicide by cop | 

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Taglines:

In a city of millions, finding one can change your whole life

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Empty City

Filming Locations:

Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,460,690, 23 March 2007, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$19,661,987, 29 April 2007

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,418,543

Company Credits

Production Co:

Relativity Media, Madison 23, Sunlight Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joey King's first movie.

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Goofs

Just before Alan and Charlie go for a coffee, he has his headphone around his neck, few secs later when Charlie goes inside, he's listening to hes headphone. When he walks up to the bar there on, split sec later there of again.

Starts 00-12-48.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Melanie: New patient?
New Dental Patient: Yes, I was referred by my lawyer about veneers.
[big grin]
Melanie: You're a new patient, that's all I need to know. Fill this out so we know who to contact in case we loose you in the chair.
New Dental Patient: [speechless]
Melanie: That was a joke, sweetie, I was being funny.
[abruptly slides the window closed]

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Alternate Versions

A scene removed from the UK version of the film is the montage of scenes with Angela Oakhurst (Liv Tyler) consoling Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler) with the original version of 'Love, Reign o'er me' playing in the background.

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Connections

Featured in Top 5 Best/Worst: Top 5 Best Adam Sandler Peformances (2016)

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Soundtracks

I'm Old Fashioned
Written by Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer

User Reviews

Good flick

Reign Over Me is a success due to the powerful work by Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle. While comedic actors going dramatic has been seen as somewhat of a distraction, Sandler is no stranger to playing more serious roles. Most of the characters he portrays have an unstable temperament and a vulnerability that can burst at any moment. He might even be typecast for characters with such hidden anger problems. However, this performance has some considerable dramatic weight, unlike his roles in less comedic fare like Punch-Drunk Love and Spanglish.

In the film, Alan Johnson (Cheadle) runs into his old college roommate, Charlie Finerman (Sandler), whom he hasn't seen in several years. Five years before, Charlie suffered the overwhelming loss of his wife and three daughters in a plane crash. Charlie barely even recognizes Cheadle's character due to the repression of his memories and consequent reclusive childish lifestyle since the accident. It isn't until Alan persists in engaging him in conversation that Charlie remembers who he is. Their renewed relationship that follows will allow Finerman to have a friend who doesn't speak about his loss, eventually enabling him to confront the thoughts and feelings he has suppressed on his own terms.

Though writer-director Mike Binder doesn't show much sense of an individual style and some of his shots and transitions are a bit awkward, he does have a knack of getting decent to great performances from his actors while being a talented and funny writer. He shot this film with a digital camera, as more and more filmmakers are doing today, enabling the crew to shoot the night scenes with limited lighting. This kept the colorful backgrounds of New York City in focus, but resulted in creating frequent digital grain, which resembles blue specks scattered and moving on the screen.

Almost every main character in Reign Over Me gives a great performance. Jada-Pinkett Smith and especially Liv Tyler are memorable in their respective roles as a frustrated wife to Cheadle's character and a psychiatrist. However, it is Sandler and Cheadle that give some of their finest work to date. They completely owned this movie. Sandler actually plays a character that doesn't outwardly resemble or act like himself at all, partially credited to his Bob Dylan-esquire wig. Though Cheadle's character has more screen time than Sandler, they both should be considered to be leading roles, as they equally support and help each other throughout the film.

Music also plays a great part in this film, especially the title song "Reign Over Me," or "Love, Reign O'er Me" by The Who, and later covered by Pearl Jam. In one of the most powerful moments of the film, Binder shows Sandler using music to shut out his feelings and memories, but this particular song provokes such intense emotion that rather than diminishing his anger, it incites his emotions. All an all, Reign Over Me is an enjoyable, sad, yet many times funny film, driven by its amazing leading performances.