Tooth Fairey should skip it
I saw Rein Over Me last night and while I did cry -- hard -- twice (any parent would -- the manipulation was blatant when I was so hoping for subtle -- it could have been so much more) -- it was a great story idea but I couldn't fully commit myself to Adam Sandler's disturbed character because he kept talking in his baby talk voice, or as *Tooth Fairey put it, "In almost every movie he has to adopt some kind of simpering cartoon voice that varies between "cutesy" to moron...".
I usually like the simperings of Adam Sandler, but it was too distracting for this roll -- it prevented me from believing that this was once a guy with a regular life -- the baby talk was a constant reminder that I was watching Adam Sandler and not a guy who lost his entire family plus one dog.
There was also a disturbed beautiful woman in the movie and she too played it like the psychological snap had turned her into a child. Her intro scenes were fine and she had one scene where she talked like a struggling grown up, but the rest -- it was like some movies where someone is trying to portray a retarded person and they think all they have to do is act like a little kid.
When I think of disturbed people, I don't think "I'm a baby, oh I'm small and vulnerable like a little baby" -- no, think Glen Close in Fatal Attraction, Angelina Jolie in Girl Interrupted or Bob Geldof in The Wall (shaving off nipples? - Disturbed human being. Talking like a baby? -- Annoying Human being -- see the difference?).
I still like Adam Sandler, there were moments where he tapped in, unfortunately, he went in and out of it. Don Cheadle and Jada Pinket were also surprisingly flat and unconvincing.
With so much unrealized potential in this movie, much of the fault has to go to the director (whomever it was -- I know not) . I would have to say, Reign Over Me was a potentially great story told by someone who didn't dig deep enough .
There is enough there if you are looking for something to munch popcorn to -- go see it, but if you are searching for a haunting and heartfelt human drama -- skip it.
* I don't know how to link to my own posts -- to read Tooth Fairey's complete thoughts on Adam Sandler click the January 2007 archive and check the comments on the "Dear Blog" post.
I usually like the simperings of Adam Sandler, but it was too distracting for this roll -- it prevented me from believing that this was once a guy with a regular life -- the baby talk was a constant reminder that I was watching Adam Sandler and not a guy who lost his entire family plus one dog.
There was also a disturbed beautiful woman in the movie and she too played it like the psychological snap had turned her into a child. Her intro scenes were fine and she had one scene where she talked like a struggling grown up, but the rest -- it was like some movies where someone is trying to portray a retarded person and they think all they have to do is act like a little kid.
When I think of disturbed people, I don't think "I'm a baby, oh I'm small and vulnerable like a little baby" -- no, think Glen Close in Fatal Attraction, Angelina Jolie in Girl Interrupted or Bob Geldof in The Wall (shaving off nipples? - Disturbed human being. Talking like a baby? -- Annoying Human being -- see the difference?).
I still like Adam Sandler, there were moments where he tapped in, unfortunately, he went in and out of it. Don Cheadle and Jada Pinket were also surprisingly flat and unconvincing.
With so much unrealized potential in this movie, much of the fault has to go to the director (whomever it was -- I know not) . I would have to say, Reign Over Me was a potentially great story told by someone who didn't dig deep enough .
There is enough there if you are looking for something to munch popcorn to -- go see it, but if you are searching for a haunting and heartfelt human drama -- skip it.
* I don't know how to link to my own posts -- to read Tooth Fairey's complete thoughts on Adam Sandler click the January 2007 archive and check the comments on the "Dear Blog" post.
Labels: movie review
posted by kim at
4:35 PM
5 Comments:
i noticed that you like Running With Scissors. I love all the Augusten Burroughs books! Did you like Dry?
All of them (maybe not "Sellevision") -- laughed my ass off, read it out loud to people, funny screwed up stuff.
I made my best friend read it and she called me and said, "this is not funny -- it's sad". She's no stranger to gallows humor, but I guess it depends from which gallow you laugh.
Me? Not a stranger to the one filled with fucked up adults in charge.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Wow. Adam Sandler pandering for an oscar. Wonder what took him so long. I guess holocaust pics are passe now so he went for the 9/11 schmaltz.
I suppose it has the "fun" montage where he and Don Chedals charactor do wacky things like chase piegions or ride a motorcycle together or sneak into a ballpark or something innocent and free, you know..like he did with his family.. before.. *snif*
Kudos to his agent.
You can't talk about his family, it makes him break things.
...one little ride on a scooter to get away from the past(in-laws). Freedom was a prevelent theme -- Don's trapped, married with children charecter has some 'pshychotic and free' envy.
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