A sad and unlikely friendship between two lost men and their very different struggles with themselves is the main theme of Columbia Pictures’ Reign Over Me.
Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler) and Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle) were college roommates in dental school over a decade ago. Since then, Alan has gone on to start a successful dental firm and a family. Still Alan feels suffocated by his overbearing wife and isolated from his colleagues, often soliciting the psychiatrist in his building (Liv Tyler) for advice.
Alan runs into Charlie one night by chance, but his old roommate does not even remember him. Charlie is disheveled, disoriented and paranoid, a husk of the man Alan once knew. Although Charlie had once had the life and family Alan did, he fell apart when his wife, three daughters and family dog were killed aboard a plane that struck the World Trade Center.
The two men begin to simultaneously cling to and push each other away, each searching for something within themselves and finding it in the other person. According to Mike Binder, the writer and director of the film, “The soul of this movie is the story of two men who don’t have anyone to talk to but who, as the movie progresses, find they have each other.” Although Charlie is a virtual basket case and the majority of the movie is focused on convincing him to get psychiatric help, by helping Charlie come to terms with his loss through friendship, Alan learns to stand up for himself and communicate more effectively with his wife (Jada Pinkett Smith).
Sandler is incredible as the poignant Charlie, asserting himself as a capable dramatic actor as he scales the versatile role with ease. Charlie is a tragic but believable character suffering through something far worse than average grief, teetering on the brink of insanity. Cheadle is a likable hero who seems to have the perfect life, but shows in even his subtlest scenes that he is uncomfortable and withdrawn. He conveys emotion without words, and in the storm of Charlie’s story, the audience often forgets about Alan as having his own problems, but Cheadle brings the attention back to the character at the perfect moments. The chemistry between the characters is profound and realistic.
New York, Charlie’s scooter, and the music in the movie are all characters in their own right as well, playing a huge role in moving the plot and adding a reality to the film. Trying to hold onto an era in his life before he knew his wife, Charlie collects vinyl from the 70s and 80s, and spends most of his time riding randomly around New York on his motorized scooter, listening to an iPod. Every song in the movie was carefully plotted and relevant, adding chaos or calm to any scene with lyrical sense and appropriate mood. The importance and intent of these elements should not be overlooked.
The movie is heavy and dark, although there are some more lighthearted scenes sprinkled throughout. Still, the audience is constantly in Alan’s shoes, unaware if a question or situation that seems innocent will cause Charlie to blossom, or pull away or go off.