Amarillo College Ranger

Issue date: 4/5/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: RottenTomtoes.com Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler) loses his family in the tragedy of 9/11. After a run-in with his college roommate, Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle), the healing process slowly begins and a friendship is restored. [Click to enlarge]

Reign Over Me begins with a scooter ride and ends with a scooter ride. Well, maybe that's not 100 percent true, but close.

What I'm getting at is: Reign Over Me warms you over to a very dismal plot with lighthearted things. It warms you over with scooters, iPods, Chinese food and some Mel Brooks.

At least an hour into the movie, I still wasn't sure whether Reign Over Me was a drama or comedy.

That is answered when Adam Sandler's character breaks out in a traumatic rage, something that might hit home for people who are familiar with the emotionally disturbed.

Coupled with the serious undertones of 9/11, this movie puts you in a sullen state at times.

But just as soon as the tone turns to drama, it turns back to a lighthearted story about two former college buds. Reign Over Me is the perfect opportunity for blowhard critics to mix up their best batch of criticism, and rightfully so.

Reign Over Me falls short many times; it fails to piece everything together masterfully. The ending left me wondering if any conclusion was made or if there was a moral to the story. But I will save all that criticism for the blowhard critics.

I enjoyed this movie; it had me "slapping my knees" at moments. The best line in the movie transpires over dinner when Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler) says, "I'm more worried about you," toward the obviously saner Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle).

It's one of those lines that you've heard maybe from a friend, and I think the writer ripped it straight from a real conversation he had over dinner. Nonetheless, it made me laugh.

I give Reign Over Me six stars out of 10; OK, I'll give it seven just for the one-liners.

Reign Over Me is a bold undertaking. It's hard to mix drama with comedy and do it proficiently. I can't say this movie is going to move you, that it's deep or that it will even make you cry.

I can say it will make you chuckle. Just remember to go into this movie with an open mind. Leave your preconceived notions at the door and just enjoy.

Don't look at it as Adam Sandler's break-out serious role, nor as a 9/11 offshoot. Simply go into the theater knowing you'll get to see Adam Sandler ride doubles on a scooter with an African American man - which could be the shining moment of the movie

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