Reign Over Me Movie Review: At Least You Two Have Each Other

Movie Review:

There is nothing worse in life than suddenly losing someone you love, and in the movie Reign Over Me, for Charlie (played by Adam Sandler) he is grief-stricken by the loss of his beloved wife and three children after the September 11th attacks. They are memories he would rather bury deep within than ever acknowledge again. 

Continuing to live in denial and isolation, Charlie meets his old College friend Alan played by Don Cheadle, who is dissatisfied with his career, his inability to connect with his wife/kids and life in general. Alan begins to find happiness again and a real purpose as his friendship with Charlie deepens but soon realizes he must do whatever it takes to not give up on someone who has already given up on himself. 

Whether you actually mourned the loss of someone close to you during September 11th, or just felt compassion towards those whose lives were forever changed that day, this is a movie you will never forget. 

I couldn’t have asked for a better pairing as the bond between Alan and Charlie never seemed forced. They were both genuinely committed to their roles. Adam Sandler is mostly well-known for comedic films, but he certainly proves that his talents are not limited to one genre. I also thought that although he only had a very brief part, Donald Sutherland as the judge gave a great performance. 

Overall, an inspiring movie that really shows how someone can come back into our lives after years of absence and still help to transform us even in times of crisis.

Funny People Movie Review: I'm Guessing Your Friend Is The Fat Version Of You

Movie Review

In the film, Funny People, those wild nights accompanied by debauchery seem like the ideal life for performer George Simmons (played by Adam Sandler). He makes a lot of money, never has to wait in line at a restaurant, people always want to pose for pictures with him and best of all, he never has to answer to anyone but himself. However, all that changes after finding out from the doctor that he has a rare blood disorder and the only hope is an experimental treatment. Reflecting upon his life, George realizes that the main thing that he needs to do is make amends with the one true love that he let get away. By hiring a down-on-his-luck guy, played by Seth Rogan, whose hopes are to get a big break in the stand-up comedy circuit, their friendship reaches a breaking point where life becomes more than just a few laughs.

There were definitely some humourous moments with Adam Sandler, Seth Rogan, Aubrey Plaza, and Jonah Hill in this movie, as well as the cameo appearances with stars, such as Ray Romano. The movie had potential to be very memorable, but somewhere along the way, it lost meaning up until the end, where it tried to redeem itself.

 The biggest disappointment for me was the overwhelming amount of vulgarity that seemed to dominant most of the dialogue. A joke or two, fine, but when every second word in almost 2 and a half hours is a profanity, it lost appeal. 

Trying to have a combination of comedy and drama could have worked well because Adam Sandler is not a one-trick pony type of actor, but unfortunately in this movie, these funny people still need to practice getting their acts together.