Thursday, March 29, 2007
Adam Sandler has finally grown up. The 40-year-old comedian/actor/singer has not sworn off his antics of old (case in point: 2006’s Click), but Sandler — who gave a generation of boys enough penis slang to last a lifetime — has more range than our still-resentful parents might give him credit for.
In his latest film, Reign Over Me, Sandler plays Charlie Fineman, who is, err, not so fine (there’s nothing like a little name-character paradox). His inability to cope with the loss of his family in the 9/11 attacks has led Fineman, once a successful dentist, to suppress his pain to the point that he no longer acknowledges his past. Long-haired and gruff (it even looks as if Sandler accumulated some acne for the part), Fineman wheels through New York City side streets on a go-ped, while music-blaring headphones act to shield him from the outside world.
When Fineman is hailed down by his old dental school roommate Alan Johnson, who has some problems of his own, Johnson feels obligated to lend support. The obligation becomes a friendship; the support, mutual; but as they get closer, Johnson (the always solid Don Cheadle) must face the task of getting Fineman psychiatric help.
The film is the first to give insight into the small-scale effects of 9/11. It strikes a healthy balance: heavy, but never overbearing; funny in parts, but there aren’t any tallywhacker jokes. Most importantly, it’s genuine, not contrived, as many of the Hollywood tear-jerk dramas have the tendency to be.
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