Reign Over Me

[MacGuffin]

Sandler, Cheadle in 9/11 Drama
From director Mike Binder.

Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler have signed to star in a new dramatic film centering on the 9/11  terrorist attack, according to today's Variety.

The film, entitled Reign O'er Me, will be directed by Upside of Anger helmer Mike Binder.  The story centers around Sandler's character, a man who loses his entire family in the attacks. He then encounters his old college roommate (Cheadle), who is determined to help his friend come to grips with the loss.

The title is likely inspired by The Who's song "Love, Reign O'er Me," the story of a young man who is strengthened after making it through a suicidal crisis.

Sony reportedly has its eye on the picture and may buy the rights with the intent of shooting it next year. It should be budgeted at around $20 million.

This is the fourth 9/11 movie to go into development. Oliver Stone is making a 9/11 film starring Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena, Paramount is producing a tale of the last two survivors pulled from the World Trade Center rubble, and Bourne Supremacy helmer Paul Greengrass is making Flight 93.

[Ravi]

Sandler, Cheadle in 9/11 Drama

The terrorists have won.

Seriously, this sounds like it could be interesting, though I'm wary of films where people come to grips or come to terms with stuff.

[Kal]

Considering that there are four films coming out related to that... I dont really know who's winning or losing here

[MacGuffin]

Trailer

Release Date: March 9th, 2007 (wide)

Starring: Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland, Saffron Burrows

Directed by: Mike Binder  

Premise: A man who lost his family in the September 11th attacks and has never recovered from his grief, runs into his former college roommate who is determined to help his ex-roomie come to grips with his loss.

[grand theft sparrow]

The pairing of Sandler and Cheadle would be enough for me to want to see this.  However, I had always imagined that PTA would have been the one to put them together.

But the fact that Mike Binder is only about a step above Ed Burns in terms of quality and that this is most likely going to jerk its tears from the audience in a dishonest manner... 

Of course that could change when I can see the trailer with sound.

I do like Sandler's Dylan-hair, though.

[Pwaybloe]

       

[pumba]

Saw an early screening...

Besides the fact that the first 20 minutes of this movie is REALLY lame -  besides the fact that it's almost 3 hours - besides Mike Binder's mediocre dialogue... I walked out of this one feeling good.

Sandler gives a fucking AWESOME performance...oscar worthy (not that it means much these days). He owns the movie - with some scenes being very "barry egan" ish and other's that'll give you chills. Cheadle's good in this one too...Overall I really recommend it (not that it means much these days). I really don't see this one makin cash but it's a hit.

[The Red Vine]

SPOILERS!

This was really disappointing. All of the performances are fine, but they're not given much material. The screenplay is really, really weak.

Sandler is good as expected, but his character isn't developed enough. For most of the film he's either wanting to hang out with his friend, listening to his headphones, or having violent fits. The film doesn't go much deeper than that (except for one scene when he expresses his feelings).

Cheadle's character is stuck with the "my wife doesn't understand me" role. As uninteresting as that may be, it seems tacked-on and doesn't serve the movie very well. The same can be said for the side stuff with his patient wanting to seduce him.

The movie is pretty slow, particularly in the first hour. It's just such an awkward and flawed movie. And that's a shame because it could have been GREAT.

[Gold Trumpet]

SpoilersI liked this more than the others.

The screenplay mostly worked for me because of the length. The length allowed the characters to resonate with me. The beginning is sorta hoakey, but with the fact that the movie did not rush in to Sandler's revelation was good. It took some weird corners I didn't expect but I also felt weren't overdone or too unbelievable. When Sandler's character had a sort of revelation with his in laws, it was a deserved one. His character had already gone through a lot. I wasn't looking for history in his character, but I did get a pretty good perspective of all the mood swings with his depression. The film covered his quirks really well without pandering his condition as too unbelievable or making it one note.

The best thing that the screenplay did with Cheadle was allowed him to be charming. In too many movies he is asked to play one note like sadness or seriousness. Hotel Rhamada was too choreographed of a performance for my taste. Even Boogie Nights his character had little room to breathe. But here he is allowed to play naturally before trying to play other notes of emotions. He was inviting to trustworthy in the rare way that Sidney Portier was in movies like A Patch of Blue.

The film isn't a masterpiece, but for a movie that that does want to feel sincere, I feel it mostly accomplishes its job. Certain scenes killed me and I left the movie not just realizing I felt a certain scenes sad, but that I wanted to relive the entire experience again. It really did make you feel good. I believe all around good. 

The one character that I felt was an add in and badly worked was the woman who tried to seduce Cheadle. Her situation had little depth and then her insistance to be with Sandler felt like a plot ploy. But with that said, the movie is a good one to see.

[SiliasRuby]

I really enjoyed this film and while I thought sandler did exceptionally well, there were a few plot points that seemed weak, but that was ok because of Cheadle and Sandler. GT, you're right, Cheadle was able to be charming and the comic relief in this otherwise bleak drama

[abuck1220]

spoilers

this coulda been so much better. i've heard lots of people complain about the first part of this, but the last 45 minutes or so were what bothered me. the whole court proceeding just dragged on and really didn't have a point. i liked his scene with the in-laws that followed it, but the courtroom stuff was really stupid. and speaking of not having a point, the crazy slut was completely unnecessary...was the only point of her character to leave the audience with the feeling that sandler wasn't going to kill himself? cheadle and sandler were great though.

[The Red Vine]

spoilers
was the only point of her character to leave the audience with the feeling that sandler wasn't going to kill himself?

She was just a stupid slut who became a slut because her partner cheated on her. Which is pretty lame. It's implied that she will hook up with Sandler's character eventually.

Fuck this movie.

[john]

I really tried hard to like this film.

I went in with the intention of liking this film. For the most, part, every film I go to see I'm biased towards. Either it can live up to my expectations, or deflate them, or exceed them. Like Cildren of Men, nothing about the trailers resonated how emotioanlly and technically accomplished it was. I dig Alfonso Cuaron a good deal, but nothing prepaired me for the experience of that film vaulting him to damn near the top of my "directors to watch" list.

Now, here, I do not like Mike Binder. I didn't like the few episodes of Mind of the Married Man, I thought The Upside of Anger was self-important, boring, and over-praised. But I still though Reign Over Me would change all of that. I didn't think it would make me go back and examine Binder's past work, but I thought it would make me keep an eye out for everything he does from this point on.

But Binder is a sitcom writer. He writes scripts that are laboriously funnier than they need to be. For the subject matter on hand here, he didn't need to put on a somber, "we're serious, look how serious we can be because this is serious" face, but he certainly didn't need to throw sub-plots that would be tedious even on Will and Grace in there.

Sander was great. Not PDL great, so I don't know why critics are citing this as the better achievement performance wise. Cheadle was great as well.

But that's the thing, there supposed to be great. They're great actors, no shit they can deliver a line.

It doesn't help when the film also feels like a first draft brought to screen. Not in some deleriously expansive, wonderfully tangential kind of way...no, like it's the product of Binder sitting in front of Final Draft going, "fuck, what should happen next? Alright courtroom scene. Eh, doesn't FEEL like an ending, lemme write another scene..."

It didn't feel like he daringly defied any sort of three act structure, more than he didn't have any fucking idea where he was going. And not in the fun Brothers' Coen "We don't have any fucking idea where we're going, but we'll see where it take us." way.

And the music...for all it's self-imposed importance...the only time it really struct me was the opening credits (in retrospect), and when Sandler and Cheadle are rocking out in Sandler's music room together.

I think it might be forgotten two years from now. Not in a bad way, though... there are plenty of decent films people don't, collectively, return to... nobody's clamoring to discuss Living Out Loud, are they?

So, yeah, decent... and there are plenty of decent films out there. Hell, I'll probably add this one to my collection, let it collect dust, put it on again in a couple of years and see what I think then.

I've still only seen Living Out Loud once, anyway. Maybe it's time to dust that one off.

P.S. If you're puzzled by the Living Out Loud/Reign Over Me connection... there really isn't one. Except that Reign Over Me reminds me of something Richard LaGravenese would write, only the difference between LaGravenese and Binder is, at least LaGravenese wrote Fisher King and The Ref.

P.P.S. Fuck Mike Binder.

[abuck1220]

yeah, for a movie that had such potential to use really cool music in really cool ways, it really didn't use really cool music in really cool ways.

i swear, if you just take out the courtroom stuff and the slut, it would be a pretty good movie.

[mogwai]

just finished watching this one and it was alright. sandler gives his best performance to date. and i was wondering if he's eligible to get an oscar nomination? it was only released one week or so after that last academy awards.

the best part of sandler in this movie was when he first talked about his family. it was believable and felt real.