I'm Back (and with a movie review, no less)

Okay kiddos and kiddettes, I've finally completed my thesis, defended that sucker, and now I'm almost out the door. I'm still teaching, but the lion's share of my writing energy has returned, so I'm going to start posting to my blog again.

I'm going to review a movie I just saw on date night with my wife--Reign Over Me. First, a guilty confession and digression. The only reason I was remotely interested in this flick was that Adam Sandler looked a dead ringer for Bob Dylan in the previews. Having seen the movie, the resemblance is uncanny at times and also a bit disconcerting, too. The feeling I had can only be compared to the feeling I have while watching a Tom Cruise movie. I can never look past Tom Cruise enough to enjoy any film with him in it. He's that absurdly ubiquitous in our culture. However, so is Bob Dylan (at least to music fans), and I lost the immersion factor a few times.

Overall, though, I'd have to say the movie was very enjoyable. The cast is strong, led by Sandler, Don Cheadle, Liv Tyler, Jada Pinkett Smith, and, in a minor appearance, Donald Sutherland. However, this movie is primarily about the relationship between Sandler's character, Charlie Fineman, and Cheadle's, Alan Johnson. It is an odd coupling, to say the least, but the divergent personalities of the two (Fineman is borderline insane while Johnson is a reserved family man) work well against each other.

The storyline is plausible as the two former roommates link up only to find that their once close relationship is non-existent because of the events of Sept. 11th, 2001. Fineman lost his wife and three kids in that tragedy and has developed a post-traumatic stress disorder. Johnson tries to help him find his way back while dealing with some issues of his own. The misadventures that follow are entertaining, comic, and, ultimately, heartwarming.

However, there is a struggle at times to sympathize with Sandler's character because of his repetitive outbursts against those who both love and try to help him. Yet, just when I thought I couldn't handle another emotional tempest, the plot was gradually brought to a resolution. What is revealed throughout these episodes is the scope and size of Fineman's struggle (symbolized by his addiction to a video game where he fights enemies of colossal dimensions)and the difficulty he has not only with processing his loss, but with learning to trust and love again. And the struggle to relate is not only his, for the inability of well-meaning people to understand him is painfully obvious as well.

Sandler plays Fineman with a depth that surprised me honestly, having only seen him in movies like Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and Big Daddy. He captures the fragility of psychosis during moments almost simultaneously charming and chilling. Cheadle turns in his usual excellent, although understated, performance. This guy is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, and his comments on Captain America's black sidekick in the movie can be taken as a metatextual remark on his star status.

So, to bring this windy exposition to a close, I'd give Reign Over Me two-thumbs up.