Reign Over Me
Its title taken from The Who song of the same name, Reign Over Me is movie about the fallout from 9/11, its impact on a man who lost his family and then himself. Adam Sandler heads the cast in this absorbing drama from which the trailers manage to show nearly all of the film’s laughs. Though there is some comic relief here and there, this film is primarily about one man’s struggle with deep personal pain. Sandler is winning as this oddly broken man who searches for solace in the company of his former college roommate, a hen-pecked dentist played by Don Cheadle. The critical response to Sandler's dramatic roles have been mixed, but I frankly prefer his roles in Spanglish and Punch-Drunk Love to his straight comic vehicles. Cheadle and Sandler maintain an onscreen rapport which manages to rise above the film's flaws. Liv Tyler, Robert Klein, and Jada Pinkett Smith round out the cast. *** 1/2 (out of 5 stars)