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    Reign Over Me

    • 20072007
    • RR
    • 2h 4min
    IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    94K
    YOUR RATING
    • Cast & crew
    • User reviews
    • Trivia
    • IMDbPro
    Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me (2007)
    Home Video Trailer from Columbia Pictures
    Trailer2:32
    7 Videos
    88 Photos
    Drama

    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.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.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.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.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
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Mike Binder
    • Writer
      • Mike Binder
    • Stars
      • Adam Sandler
      • Don Cheadle
      • Jada Pinkett Smith
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 252User reviews
    • 156Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 3 nominations

    Videos7

    Reign Over Me
    Trailer 2:32
    Reign Over Me
    Reign Over Me
    Clip 0:56
    Reign Over Me
    Reign Over Me
    Clip 0:39
    Reign Over Me
    Reign Over Me
    Interview 0:18
    Reign Over Me
    Reign Over Me
    Interview 0:39
    Reign Over Me
    Reign Over Me
    Interview 0:24
    Reign Over Me
    Reign Over Me
    Interview 0:33
    Reign Over Me

    Photos88

    Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me (2007)
    Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me (2007)
    Liv Tyler and Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me (2007)
    Liv Tyler, Don Cheadle, Adam Sandler, and Saffron Burrows in Reign Over Me (2007)
    Don Cheadle and Jada Pinkett Smith in Reign Over Me (2007)
    Don Cheadle, Adam Sandler, and Mike Binder in Reign Over Me (2007)
    Adam Sandler and Mike Binder in Reign Over Me (2007)
    Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me (2007)
    Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me (2007)
    Don Cheadle in Reign Over Me (2007)
    Jada Pinkett Smith in Reign Over Me (2007)
    Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me (2007)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Adam Sandler
    Adam Sandler
    • Charlie Finemanas Charlie Fineman
    Don Cheadle
    Don Cheadle
    • Alan Johnsonas Alan Johnson
    Jada Pinkett Smith
    Jada Pinkett Smith
    • Janeane Johnsonas Janeane Johnson
    Liv Tyler
    Liv Tyler
    • Angela Oakhurstas Angela Oakhurst
    Saffron Burrows
    Saffron Burrows
    • Donna Remaras Donna Remar
    Donald Sutherland
    Donald Sutherland
    • Judge Rainesas Judge Raines
    Robert Klein
    Robert Klein
    • Jonathan Timplemanas Jonathan Timpleman
    Melinda Dillon
    Melinda Dillon
    • Ginger Timplemanas Ginger Timpleman
    Mike Binder
    Mike Binder
    • Bryan Sugarmanas Bryan Sugarman
    Jonathan Banks
    Jonathan Banks
    • Stelteras Stelter
    Rae Allen
    Rae Allen
    • Adell Modellas Adell Modell
    Paula Newsome
    Paula Newsome
    • Melanieas Melanie
    John de Lancie
    John de Lancie
    • Nigel Penningtonas Nigel Pennington
    Paul Butler
    • George Johnsonas George Johnson
    Camille LaChe Smith
    • Cherie Johnsonas Cherie Johnson
    • (as Camille LaChe-Smith)
    Imani Hakim
    Imani Hakim
    • Jocelyn Johnsonas Jocelyn Johnson
    Denise Dowse
    Denise Dowse
    • Psychiatric Hospital Therapistas Psychiatric Hospital Therapist
    Anthony Chisholm
    Anthony Chisholm
    • William Johnsonas William Johnson
    • Director
      • Mike Binder
    • Writer
      • Mike Binder
    • All cast & crew
    See production, box office, & company info

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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. —neojeff2199
    griefmental breakdowndepressionpost september 11 2001attempted suicide by cop167 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Let in the unexpected.
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for language and some sexual references
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      At first Adam Sandler declined his part because he was hesitant about it, although he thought the character was incredible after he read the script. A month later, he re-read the script and decided that he wanted to do it.
    • Goofs
      When Charlie is in his first apartment playing the video game and the shot is from where the video screen is, the receiver/amplifier has no cables or wires running to or from it; yet when he's in the second apartment, all the RCA cables and other cables are plugged into it and it is clearly hooked up to work.
    • Quotes

      Charlie Fineman: [Charlie looks at Alan] I had three daughters.

      Alan Johnson: [surprised] I... I know.

      Charlie Fineman: Geena was five. Jenny was seven, she, uh... she liked boys already. Julie was 9. She was... she was older. They all looked alike, Johnson. Like Doreen. Doreen was my wife. DT. That was her nickname. Doreen Timpleman. She had a dog, Spider. Spider... the poodle. They'd wake me up all the time, Saturday mornings, you know, singing Beatles songs to me in harmony, the four of them... so cute, so cute. Doreen never judged me... never nagged like some wives do. Wanted me to take my shoes off so I didn't wreck the carpet. That's it. Doreen and the girls were VERY female. I... I... I was the oddball, you know. Mr. Man. They adored me, Johnson...

      Alan Johnson: I bet they did... I know they did, Charlie.

      Charlie Fineman: With the long brown hair... except little Geena. She kept the hair short... to be different from everybody... she, um, she had a birthmark, though. Looked like a burn... but it wasn't. She always said it was gonna go away, but it... it never did. Jenny, Jenny, this one... she wanted to be a gymnast. She was such a klutz, though. I didn't have the heart to mention it as a problem. They, uh, went to see Doreen's sister Ellen and her girls in Boston, and they took Spider, because... I had to work and they didn't trust me to feed her, but that was a joke. We were all going to DT's little cousin's wedding in Los Angeles, and I was gonna meet them out there... The kids wanted to go to Disneyland, but they... they uh, were already gonna miss a couple days of school, so we had to say no. You know. So I'm going out to meet them in Los Angeles, and on the way to JFK, I'm in a taxicab and I hear on the radio...

      [slowly starts to cry]

      Charlie Fineman: I get there and the man tells me the plane's from Boston... another man tells me there's two planes.

      [sobs]

      Charlie Fineman: Then I go inside the airport and I'm watching. I'm watching on the television... and I... and I... I... I saw it. I saw it and I felt it at the same time. I thought about Geena's birthmark, and I... I felt them burning...

    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in Late Show with David Letterman: Episode #14.113 (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      Love, Reign O'er Me
      Written by Pete Townshend

      Produced by Brendan O'Brien

      Performed by Pearl Jam

    User reviews252

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Powerful when it's being original
    I just got back from a screening a couple of hours ago, and I was very happy with the movie when I left it. It's very intense, and the closest I've come to crying in a movie in quite some time. That is a credit to Adam Sandler, who delivers a magnificent performance on many levels, and who probably deserves an Oscar nom for it, were it not coming out so early in the year. Don Cheadle gives his usual superb performance playing the straight man to Adam's disturbed.

    There is some humor, but most of it is really only funny in comparison to the tearjerking moments, as Adam deals with his loss and Don struggles to help him. Adam plays two levels very well... when he is mentally stable he is funny and likable, but when he is, well, less stable he's powerful and dark.

    I recommend it for anyone who likes intense mental dramas about difficult friendship and loss.
    helpful•333
    47
    • tyler-92
    • Mar 13, 2007

    FAQ2

    • What happened to the scene from the trailer of Charlie and his family playing on the bed?
    • What are the differences between the UK DVD Version and the Uncensored Version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 23, 2007 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Sony Pictures (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Empty City
    • Filming locations
      • Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Relativity Media
      • Madison 23
      • Sunlight Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $19,661,987
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $7,460,690
      • Mar 25, 2007
    • Gross worldwide
      • $22,242,388
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 4min
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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