New Review! REIGN OVER ME (2007, dir. Mike Binder)

Not bad. I liked The Upside of Anger. What separates Mike Binder from, let's say, Nancy Meyers, is that he strives to find the movieness in everyday life rather than force movieness upon reality. He doesn't always succeed. I'd say he fails almost as often as he scores. But I like him. He's trying. In Reign Over Me, which boasts a premise that will probably make most New Yorkers adverse to seeing it, he explores the pain and grief that still remains untended in post 9/11 New York. I liked the New York in this movie. Unlike Prime which had a weird smugness to it, Binder not only captures some great locations but goes the extra mile and shoots those locations as one might actually experience them.

I'm gonna be honest. The movie drags. For the first hour or so, I was checking in and out. Mildly amused by pretty great performances from Cheadle and Sandler, it seemed breezy with a whiff of mystery. It was just foreboding enough to keep me engaged but not riveted. Then at about the 75 minute mark, WHAM! Sandler delivers a monologue and I was crying. I mean, tears rolling down my cheeks. I was completely unprepared. I have no idea how Binder managed to do it. I had fancied myself holding the story at very safe and judgeable distance. And then... Lord. I was just sobbing.

This is why I believe the movie succeeds despite its flaws. It really does tap into that bizarre place where we quarantine grief. I'm not exactly sure how he did it. It may have just been dumb luck. I'm going to have to watch the movie again. I was sitting then thinking about how I never really grieved 9/11 or an old relationship. It's a tricky emotion in real life. The inital shock of a tragic event is enough to almost bury one's grief if not stunt its growth. It's an emotion that's considered weak by most people. It's labeled depression by others. When someone breaks your heart, you freeze. You psychologicalize what you went through. You dismiss it as a "phase" or a "mistake". But one must grieve for loss. Whether its love or a person or anything. Grief, unobserved, spurts up at the most inopportune moments. Or it fuels an outburst you cannot really understand. Sandler utilizes his big-screen persona to illustrate this. He mainpulates a one-trick joke into something really touching.

Sandler is really good in this movie. If you hate him with the fire of a thousand suns, then this is probably not the movie for you. I was duly impressed with him. Loved Don Cheadle as well. They have a great banter that's hesistant but never milky. Cheadle is a great actor. What I loved about his character was that it was not all about him being black. Inevitably with a lead character portrayed by a black actor, there has to be some "black" moment and there wasn't and I really appreciated that. Liv Tyler... what's your appeal? I'm kind of glad you look like a normal person but I don't know... you're so blah. Overall though, good performances by great actors and a competent script shot with agility and care. Also, Donald Sutherland cameo.

Bottom Line: If you come at it with an open mind, it might be As Good As It Gets.