Reign Over Me

Last year when both United 93 and World Trade Center opened, there were cries from many people that it was too soon to portray 9/11 in the movies. Some people will probably say the same thing about Reign Over Me (titled from the Who song), in which a dentist (Adam Sandler) loses his wife and three daughters in one of the planes that crashed that day. Mixing humor with drama as this film does may upset some who aren't ready to deal emotionally with that cataclysmic event and its aftermath, but this courageous movie puts a much-needed human face on the tragedy and, in the process, becomes one of the most powerful films in years. In fact, watching Sandler—in his finest performance—slowly come out of his self-imposed asylum after five years of numbing mourning and denial proves to be downright exhilarating to watch. When the morose widower bumps into his old college roommate (Don Cheadle) on the street one night, their relationship soon reverts to what it was back in school. Sandler's character would rather suppress his grief than relive his very personal tragedy for anyone, even a close friend who has come back into his life. Slowly, Cheadle, who has his own domestic problems, introduces him to a therapist (Liv Tyler), who tries to get him to emerge from the darkness. It's what these two former college buddies give to each other that makes this such a humane and masterful achievement. While writer/director Mike Binder's (The Upside of Anger) brilliant script sometimes goes a little over the top, the great majority of the film really works. Cheadle is wonderful and Sandler is simply remarkable in a brave and surprising performance. This is a film you must see, a profound and deeply affecting experience that will stay with you long after it's over.