Reign Over Me

I don't see alot of movies anymore. It's just rare that I get excited for what I know to be coming out. One of the previews shown during the last movie I did happen to see in the theater was for an Adam Sandler/Don Cheadle vehicle called 'Reign Over Me'. With what I could tell was a powerhouse soundtrack and a plot about two college roomates who by chance reunite years later on the streets of Manhattan, this was a movie that I was excited about seeing.

Tonight, my expectations, for this as a movie that I would really enjoy, were fully affirmed. Both Sandler and Cheadle were excellent, and the script, plot, and scenes of NYC were all on equal par. The film was at times emotional, at other times humorous, but most of all it was uncommonly real. All of it, down to the aftershocks of the events of 9/11, was totally believable. Sandler is cast as a PTSD sufferer, withdrawn into a reclusive world following the loss of his family, and Cheadle as a practicing Manhattan dentist who finds Sandler's character as a means of escaping his routine, mundane reality of work and married life. The movie centers on this relationship and the pairs' ultimate discovery of their need for each other to aid in the resolution of their own internal issues. I wholeheartedly recommend this movie to anyone who welcomes being moved by an intense, emotional film.

Oh yeah...did I mention the soundtrack? It's filled with repeat playings of the titular song performed by both The Who and Pearl Jam, as well as tracks by Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, and others. Like many Cameron Crowe movies, the songs presented througout the film not only serve to compliment the goings on, but also play a direct role as an unseen character in the story.

Recorded specifically for this film, Pearl Jam delivers a fantastic reading of The Who's classic Love, Reign O'er Me. Many a man has tried and failed to recreate the powerhouse vocals of Roger Daltrey. Eddie Vedder comes as close as anybody ever will.

Pearl Jam
Love, Reign O'er Me