“Billy Madison,” “Happy Gilmore” and “The Waterboy” are three of the most immature, idiotic and inappropriate characters created by Adam Sandler. All three have made adolescents laugh out loud over and over again at the stupidity of their shenanigans. All three have made Adam Sandler famous for silly jokes and sheer ridiculousness. However, Charlie Fineman, Sandler’s character in “Reign Over Me,” is unlike any other.
Although Charlie, an eccentric lunatic who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, showcases Sandler’s ability to make an audience chuckle at a simple everyday concept, he can also make an audience cry along with him as he tells the story of his family who was killed in 9/11. His three young daughters and beautiful wife were on the plane from Boston and he has never been the same since he watched the live footage. His story is heart wrenching.
Spending most of his time alone in his dark, disorganized apartment playing video games, listening to classic-rock classics and remodeling his kitchen several times a week.
Charlie left his profession as a dentist and rides around New York City on a motorized scooter. Although, at times, the events are redundant and the movie is long, Sandler makes the movie a must-see.
Charlie seems hopeless until Dr. Allen Johnson (Don Cheadle), his college roommate from dental school, runs into Charlie on the street. Johnson, who lacks friends and the ability to communicate his feelings, reaches out to Charlie and the two men rekindle their friendship.
While Johnson is looking for a way to escape the bore of photography classes and jigsaw puzzles with his ice-queen wife (Jada Pinkett Smith), Charlie is crying out for a family, a friend, a companion to reconnect him to the real world and bring him out of his reclusive, lonely existence.
Friendship is the saving grace in this movie. From the first moment Allen bumps into Charlie on the street, both men embark on a journey of rediscovering the meaning and beauty of life.
An uplifting and inspirational story about two friends that overcome the trifles and heartache of life, “Reign Over Me” displays the power of friendship as a vehicle through which Charlie and Allen become ready to accept the past and gain a new perspective on the future.
“Reign Over Me” is just a great movie.
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