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Reign Over Me
Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing


8.1

based on 33 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 56 votes
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FILM:

The Upside of Anger

MPAA RATING: R for language and some sexual references

Starring Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows, Donald Sutherland, Robert Klein, Melinda Dillon, and Mike Binder

Former college roommates Charlie Fineman (Sandler) and Alan Johnson (Cheadle) meet up again by chance on a Manhattan street corner. Five years after losing his family on 9/11, Charlie has retreated from his life, and Alan is stunned to see the changes in his formerly gregarious friend. At the same time, Alan who should be enjoying his beautiful wife, children and career is overwhelmed by his responsibilities. Their rekindled relationship becomes a lifeline for the two men, who are both in need of a trusted friend at this pivotal moment in their lives. (Columbia Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Mike Binder
DIRECTED BY:	Mike Binder
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: October 9, 2007 Theatrical: March 23, 2007
RUNNING TIME:	124 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

The incredibly moving post-9/11 drama Reign Over Me proves that behind the funny guy facades of former standup comedians Mike Binder and Adam Sandler are a pair of very serious talents.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

It's a courageous, moving, organically funny picture.

Village Voice Scott Foundas

If Binder has a considerably heavier hand when it comes to metaphor, his movie nevertheless remains buoyant because the feelings in it are immutable, and because Sandler has never before held the screen with greater intensity.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

Despite a few weak points, the most heavily dramatic Sandler vehicle to date is a striking, genuinely touching, meticulously well-acted friendship parable, and a big audience pleaser.

The Hollywood Reporter John DeFore

It doesn't exploit our emotions about Sept. 11; it simply tells a story that exists because of what happened that day -- one that should resonate with a wide, appreciative audience.

Variety Joe Leydon

Sandler (never making a false step while maneuvering though vertiginous mood swings) and Cheadle (deftly commingling instinctive decency with quiet desperation) are individually excellent, and bring out the best in each other. And the picture itself transcends its real but relatively minor flaws to score a satisfyingly potent impact.

Premiere Glenn Kenny

A thoughtful, involving and sometimes moving film that almost (and I do mean almost) justifies its use of 9/11 as a dramatic device.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Reign works better much better than "Upside" because of the cast and because Sandler and Cheadle together keep it lighter. It's an easy film to watch, but less easy to be moved by.

USA Today Claudia Puig

This is not a simple, uplifting tale. It's never clear whether Charlie will fully recover, and that sense of realism is the film's strength.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

A triumph for Cheadle and Sandler, whose performances strew the seeds of regeneration.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Though the pain of this 9/11 story doesn't pierce as deeply as it should, the laughs are consistently humane.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

Binder has set a difficult bar -- to make a funny, sad, original movie about the healing power of not necessarily healing -- and he just manages to clear it.

The New Yorker Anthony Lane

That is an unusually gloomy proposition not just for a studio movie but for a society that, despite the acts and sites of official commemoration, must find good cause to forge ahead from catastrophe. Reign Over Me closes with, at best, a cautious hope, leaving us more anxious than when we went in, and throughout the film there is a stunned and bewildered air hanging over the city, like a heavy smog.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

A strange, black-and-blue therapeutic drama equally mottled with likable good intentions and agitating clumsiness.

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

Cheadle takes what could have been a role as a mere foil and creates a rich portrait of a vaguely discontented married man. Yet the drama sputters once it reaches a contrived and melodramatic climax that feels undernourished and artificial – both less than and more than one had hoped for.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

At its heart a simple story about friendship and loss, carried over with enough genuine feeling to excuse its uncertain footing.

Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan

The good news is that this movie is no "Spanglish;" the bad news is that Sandler's performance is actually better than the material deserves.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

In its best moments, Reign Over Me quietly says that we're our problem friends' keepers. At its worst, the movie IS a problem friend.

Empire Helen O'Hara

Cheadle's finest hour and proof that Sandler can act. Funny, sad and flawed -- like its characters.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

Movies about male friendship are often trivialized with the "buddy" tag, but this one resonates beyond that.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

Reign Over Me uses the rhythms and moods of comedy to explore, and also to contain, overpowering feelings of loss, anger and hurt. And like that earlier movie ("The Upside of Anger"), this one is maddeningly uneven.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

This is not a simple picture. It's serious, disarmingly funny at times and certainly ambitious, yet diminished by some of the traits that have made the standard Sandler characters so popular.

TV Guide Ken Fox

As overstuffed as a twice-baked potato.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

It's not exactly a surprise the makers of Reign Over Me feel compelled to manufacture a happy ending for a story that really has none. Pity.

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

As moving as some parts are, it's muddled by a script that tries to pack in too much. There's sufficient material for a couple of films and a sitcom.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

It's tough to make a good tearjerker - one need look no further than this misfire to understand why.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Reign Over Me drizzles down on us for two full hours, persistently determined to prove that, if it hangs around long enough, a coherent movie will turn up. No such luck.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Sandler, whose mop of curls makes him look like a 40-ish Bob Dylan, acts up a satisfying storm. Cheadle remains an appealing island of calm; other cast members deliver the little that's asked of them.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Depends on one's ability to accept Sandler in the part: For me, the casting felt too much like a stunt, a filmmaker's compromise to get his intimate, uncommercial script green-lit.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

A very gentle picture, intended to soothe us, not to jolt or shock us. But it's so gentle that it lacks any discernible energy; sometimes it seems there's barely enough tension in the story to keep the images from sliding off the screen.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

Has some nice touches. Cheadle is capable as always, and Paula Newsome kills as his acerbic receptionist.

New York Magazine David Edelstein

The film is slick when it needs to be raw, tidy when it needs to sprawl, and amorphous when it needs to focus.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Veering between sentimentality and exploitation with a few misguided stops at raunchy sex farce, Reign Over Me never finds a tone to suit its purpose.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 56 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Glenn P. gave it an8:
Sandler surprised me, because I laughed not at the outrageousness of the few comedic bits but at the genuine irony of the fun Charlie and Johnson were having in the midst of such profound grief. I really enjoyed this movie. Viewer should be forewarned that the R rating is deserved, so this is not a film for kids at all.

Thomas P. gave it a9:
Loved the movie, Adam Sandler was great for a change, Cheadle was as convincing as always. Great soundtrack.

Jon R. gave it a9:
One of the best movies I've seen in a while. Its is a little strung out, but I still thought it was excellent.

Alex D. gave it a9:
I just read some of the other reviews and comments, and I must say the negative ones surprise me. I also disagree with them, of course. That is to say, I will admit that the "happy" ending seemed a bit too easy, and Liv Tyler's psychiatrist didn't feel very realistic at times. But those are minor blemishes on an otherwise superb emotional story. Many people seem to think of Adam Sandler as a less than serious comedy actor being cast against character. After Punch Drunk Love, and after seeing Jim Carrey basically doing the same thing (very successfully), I was less surprised. What puzzles me more is why he isn't currently in possession of two Oscars, and perhaps a nomination for the Wedding Singer. Yes, I love Adam Sandler. Another thing that seems to bother people about this movie is its treatment of 9/11. I don't get that. This is a movie about New Yorkers, and surely 9/11 is a part of every New Yorker's life. I would be a lot more surprised if there weren't any stories about people's experiences and loss, or if it were only mentioned in movies that deal specifically with the attacks. This is a story about a man who suffered a great loss, which years later still affects him deeply. That seems right to me. Like I said before, there are a few minor points that I didn't totally agree with. For all his suffering, Charlie seems to be somewhat less than credibly blessed with a psychiatrist who goes way above and beyond the call of duty, a beautiful (if disturbed) woman who seems to find mental problems and men who completely ignore her irresistible, and an apartment that's larger than the White House. I guess I'm just jealous that those things never happen to me. But hey, nothing wrong with some escapism in the movies.

Jason E. gave it a10:
I honestly cannot understand why critics have been so mediocre towards this movie. It is possibly the most real, human drama I've seen in a very long. Every single actor in this movie is brilliant, and the writing is honest and natural. Far better than the standard overdramatic drivel you'll find critics praising much more readily.

Mitch M. gave it a4:
I plead guilty to having an adverse reaction to anything Adam Sandler is in. That being admitted up front, sitting through this was still a slow torture. I recognize the good intentions and considerable talents that were part of the production, but it never achieved the well-deserved catharsis of a great tragedy, and even fell into that hollywood cliche of portraying madness as an exalted and "special" state of awareness, by matchmaking Sandler and the psycho woman at the end and wrapping a neat little pink bow around it to suggest that they would be a great couple because of their cumulative madness.

Tony B. gave it a7:
I kept hoping they wouldn't tie things up neatly at the end, and they didn't. Don Cheadle turns in another excellent performance, Adam Sandler is a revelation and the supporting cast is fine.

Reign Over Me Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing

Reign Over Me
Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing