Reign Over Me

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on a film that I think was criminally under-appreciated upon it's release.  If you haven't seen Reign Over Me yet, do yourself a favor and go out and rent it.  This touching drama of two men who are both broken in their own unique ways really grabs a hold of you and asks a lot of good questions about life too.  They end up helping each other with their various problems, but in a way that doesn't ever feel contrived or scripted, the emotions come across as genuine and real.  Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler deliver two of the finer performances of their careers, and they have great chemistry as buddies who have reconnected after years and circumstances have led them in different directions.  What I liked most about the film was the raw feeling of it all, that genuine character development seen on screen through the actions of the people themselves.  The script is well polished and follows the old adage that "less is better" and really leaves it up to the actors to bring it home with intensity and impact.  Take the scene of Sandler telling Cheadle about his family after years of pain and denial.  The monologue is well written, but it's the simple, emotionally raw delivery by Sandler that really puts Reign Over Me over the top as a film about reaching out to others in their times of need, about living in community and caring for each other.  I would be at fault to not mention the small yet powerful role played by Donald Sutherland as the court judge at the end of the film as well: his gravitas leads extra depth to the climax of the film and the outcome of Sandler's character.  See this film for yourself, and be challenged to live every day like it's the best day of your life. Rated R for language and a sexual reference.