Dr. Alan Johnson, a well-to-do dentist checks in on his mate from med school, Dr. Charlie Fineman. Charlie has left his practice and turned into a recluse who’s stuck in his own world of playing video games, listening to loud music over headphones, circling around aimlessly on his scooter (which he also uses to abscond confrontation quite literally), and Mel Brooks marathons since it seems to be his only coping mechanism after the death of his only family—his wife and three daughters—during 9/11. Soon enough, Dr. Johnson finds himself being pulled further into ‘Charlie’s world’ (as he terms it), while trying to help his pal deal with his grief, deal with his own grief of losing his father, and deal with a patient who is quite problematic—and who is dealing with her own grief poorly much like Charlie.
What I liked most about “Reign Over Me” were the performances, which are quite underrated, especially Adam Sandler who transforms himself into Charlie Fineman. It reminded me of how other comedy greats such as Ricky Gervais transformed himself into the depressed Tony in his TV show “Afterlife” or Simon Pegg who delivered a realistic performance as the reclusive Jack in the movie “A Fantastic Fear of Everything.” Thanks to the early 2000s Andy Samberg hairdo that Sandler sports, he even looks the part. Seriously though, Sandler makes playing a reclusive, grief-stricken, and depressed man look like a cakewalk, getting everything just right, from the low and shy tone, the occasional stuttering and defense mechanisms when he’s confronted, to the repetitive mannerisms and the back and forth rocking to music as he tries to drown out people and things that distress him further.
Don Cheadle in a scene from “Reign Over Me” (Columbia Pictures, 2007).
I especially got goosebumps during the mental breakdown scene that takes place in Dr. Johnson’s office and the diner…heck, any scene wherein Charlie is prone to breakdowns and outbursts when he finds himself confronted (Adam Sandler really does take screaming to another level altogether). I’m pretty sure if this movie was more well-known when it came out, his performance would have certainly bagged him an Oscar.
Don Cheadle shares a great chemistry with Sandler; and it made me wish I was friends with him too since he goes out of his way just to help Sandler’s character overcome his pain and sorrow. It’s refreshing to see Liv Tyler who plays the therapist; she’s an actress who does wonders as a minor but pivotal character. Her character is responsible for one of the most moving scenes of a character opening up in this movie. Additionally, Saffron Burrow’s character feels very much like a female Charlie Fineman due to how her symptoms are quite similar to his. She too is grieving and longing and unable to confront her feelings and she adds a lot of depth to the proceedings and the character of Charlie Fineman himself.
“Reign Over Me’s” cast, like BJ Novak, Donald Sutherland, and others are great, especially in the courtroom scene when Charlie is subjected to a jarringly harsh trial by fire by his loved ones, his landlord, and by a lawyer (who isn’t very self aware and doesn’t understand his boundaries), and who all think that Charlie ‘poses a risk’ to others. All the characters in this drive the story of Charlie Fineman forward (or even set him back most times) and deeply impact his mental health either positively or negatively as he tries to navigate his own feelings.
Cheadle and Sandler perform at their best in this compassionate and sympathetic view of trauma (“Reign Over Me,” Columbia Pictures, 2007).
Scenes like the one in Charlie’s apartment—wherein his past life of a cheery family life is juxtaposed with his dreary present as he contemplates suicide—are hard-hitting and again, gave off hints of Ricky Gervais playing Tony in “Afterlife.” The film also makes good use of its setting, since much of Charlie’s trauma and PTSD is only worsened by him living in a post-9/11 New York City, where everyone around him—from the cops to the general public—are still terror-struck, grieving, and traumatized by the unfortunate events and still coping.
The colour scheme—a series of greys, browns, whites, and teal blues—adds to the dreary atmosphere. But the dreariness is well-balanced with a catchy soundtrack made up of hits from Pearl Jam and Bruce Springsteen, which just makes one want to jam out. The occasional dry humour and phrases made in jest cracked me up and make up for an otherwise serious drama. It even takes self-aware potshots at Adam Sandler’s often over-the-top, stereotypical, crass humour, especially when Charlie is called out for using dated phrases by Alan—although Charlie alludes it to his love for Mel Brooks, or a brief scene when Alan passes off his very American receptionist as Guatemalan and she plays along with it sportingly.
While “Reign Over Me” drags a bit in the first half, the slow pace is worth the wait just for Charlie Fineman, who slowly but steadily comes to terms with his grief and trauma.
