Production Company: Sony Pictures
Director: Mike Binder
Cast: Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, Safforn Burrows, Cicely Tyson, Robert Klein, Melinda Dillon, Mike Binder, Ted Raimi
Rating: Rated R for language and sexual situations.
By Gregg Tubbs
(UMC.org)—The human instinct to survive is both physical and emotional. But what price are we willing to pay to recover from a tragic loss? Would we blot out our own past? And what happens to the human heart when a national tragedy also becomes a very personal one? With Reign Over Me, writer/director Mike Binder (The Upside of Anger) balances both humor and pathos, as he again explores the themes of loss and recovery and the fine line that separates survivors from victims. The film tells the story of a man who has lost everyone he loved and whose only hope for a real future is the unexpected compassion and commitment of a friend from his past.
The story opens with a chance encounter between two old friends who haven’t seen each other in years. Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler) and Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle) were college roommates, studying dentistry. Their lives and careers, though separate, followed predictably successful tracks. Yet, as this film constantly reminds us, life is unpredictable, and now, their lives couldn’t be more different. On September 11, 2001, Charlie’s wife and three daughters perished as their plane from Boston struck the World Trade Center.
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Reign Over Me tells the story of Charlie, a man who has lost everyone he loved and whose only hope for a real future is the unexpected compassion and commitment of a friend (Don Cheadle) from his past. Copyright © 2007 Sony Pictures.
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Alan finds Charlie disheveled and detached, denying that they were ever roommates or that he ever had a family. But something awakens in both of them, and their friendship rekindles. Alan becomes determined to help his friend get "back in the game." And as we soon discover, Alan’s game needs recharging as well, and Charlie just might be the juice.
Charlie has abandoned his successful dental practice and is living off several million dollars in post 9/11 aid. He has reverted to a rudderless, adolescent existence, losing himself in video games and other childish pleasures. Alan, on the other hand, maintains a burgeoning practice, but finds it and his "perfect" family life stifling—especially his sometimes controlling wife Janeane (Jada Pinkett Smith). He spends more and more time in "Charlie world" trying to get his old friend to open up about his loss and seek help. But every breakthrough is a potential booby-trap that could send Charlie into seclusion or rage.
We expect the best from Cheadle—and get it—but Sandler is an inspired choice. With his natural child-like detachment, he easily plays Charlie in denial. But when his emotions flow, they erupt in furious, messy torrents and his loss and emotional collapse are palpable. Such unexpected dramatic depth from Sandler helps punctuate a story that itself is about coping with the unexpected.
While not expressly Christian, the film's portrayal of Alan's attempts to reach out to Charlie, enduring the ups and downs of his long road to recovery, is an inspiring testament to essential Christian values like compassion, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Alan gives generously of himself—his time, his caring, his emotional fortitude—for the healing of another. He endures his share of criticism, from his business partners and his family, and abuse and rejection from Charlie himself. Yet, Alan perseveres. It’s incredibly stirring to watch a character as determined to comfort, as so many others in movies are determined to hurt.
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Alan (Don Cheadle) spends more and more time in "Charlie world" trying to get Charlie (Adam Sandler) to open up about his loss and seek help. Copyright © 2007 Sony Pictures.
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Reign Over Me excels at showing the reciprocal nature of relationships. One can not help others without also being helped. Alan is jolted from his own malaise by sharing a bit of Charlie’s loss and feeling a bit of his pain. Although he first envies Charlie’s freedom—even though it’s a form of withdrawal from life—he soon gains a new appreciation for his family and recognizes the blessings in his life. Janeane’s appreciation for the true goodness of her husband increases as she witnesses his compassion towards his friend. It’s even apparent that helping Alan overcome some of his problems boosts Charlie’s own recovery.
But this is no fairy tale. Reign Over Me acknowledges hard truths. Tragedy is as much a part of life as joy, and it could just as easily have visited Alan as Charlie. The film shows the indiscriminate senselessness of 9/11 and acknowledges that Charlie may never fully recover from the tragic deaths of his family. But we also see importantance of simply trying to help, to put compassion into action just like Alan—especially when the odds of success are long. Director Binder uses The Who song "Love Reign O’er Me" as a recurring theme, and as the song Charlie takes refuge in, to either hide or recharge. As the songs implies, love is the balm that heals life’s greatest wounds and gives us hope to carry on.
Study Questions
- Throughout the film, popular music is used to underscore Charlie’s emotional turmoil. Where is this evident?
- What do you think draws Charlie to Alan? Does it matter that Alan is from Charlie’s past and never met his lost family?
- Two songs that factor strongly into the story, "Love Reign O’er Me" and "The River" (Bruce Springsteen) both relate to water. What is the symbolism of water in Christianity? How might this relate to the film?
- How has Charlie responded to his personal tragedy? Do you think he really forgot his family? What scene hints otherwise?
- Do you believe Charlie should have been "all better" at the end of the film? Why or why not?
- Have you ever tried to help someone get over a terrible loss? What part did your faith play in helping them?
- It’s easy to see how Charlie changed over the course of the story, but how did Alan change? What did he learn?
- Does the existence of tragedy affect your faith in a just God? How does your faith help you face troubles? Do you think hardships can help us appreciate God’s blessings? (See Romans 8:28, Ps 31.23-24.)
- Do you admire Alan for trying to help Charlie? What about Charlie’s in-laws? Is it possible to try too hard to help?
- How is Alan a Christian role-model? Is giving comfort to those who suffer a Christian attribute? Who has helped you through hardships in your life?
Related Links
Official Reign Over Me site
Theatrical Trailer
QuickTime
