Friday, November 17, 2023

Reign Over Me

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... Reign Over Me!

Original image located here. Accessed 17th November 2023

And here we have another stab at Adam Sandler's oeuvre. As mentioned previously, he may have a reputation for playing childish idiots but it's a reputation that's made him into a punchline. As a result, it can be one that would be difficult to shake off. 
Therefore, to see him playing a serious role would surely be the most ill-advised career move ever. I mean, the concept sounds awful on paper: Adam Sandler playing a widower who's struggling to overcome his losses and is stuck in some form of PTSD? That sounds utterly ludicrous.

So it is therefore a monumental surprise that it actually works. Sure Charlie is the same jerkass character Sandler has played before but here his behaviour is given some vital context. Sandler makes Charlie, the character he's portraying, sympathetic and, most crucially of all, he finally gets to show what he can truly do with his acting prowess - notably the scene when Charlie reveals the depth of his loss. 
Okay sure the script seems kind of all over the place, but when it works, it knocks it out of the park.

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