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SYNOPSIS:
Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith and Liv Tyler
star in this heart-rending story about Charlie Fineman who
has slipped away from reality after the sudden loss of his
wife and children. But Charlie's life takes a turn for the
better when he runs into his old college roommate Alan Johnson
whose life is torn between the demands of career and family.
Their renowned friendship rekindles their long-forgotten bond
and both men emerge enriched and enlightened.
MOVIE
REVIEW
There
isn’t anything much I remember about this drama after
watching it – except how wonderfully touching and real
the characters are.
Telling
a guy-buddy tale of how a successful dentist suddenly meets
his college roommate who has lost his entire family. While
the thriving and respected dentist has his own set of family
and problems of expectations, the emotionally unstable bummer
chooses to forget the past he once had. The two come together
and a moving reminiscence of the friendship they once had
occurs, and at the end of the day, they discover how important
it is to let others into their problem-ridden states of mind.
While
the last movie where I was left very impressed with Adam Sandler
was 2002’s Punch-Drunk Love, this movie about family
and friendship has left me pleasantly amazed with his acting
chops. He has proven again he is not just The Waterboy, Big
Daddy and Little Nicky. Whether it’s his ruffled and
messy hairdo, his introvert behavior or his muttering persona,
Sandler deserves credit for portraying the grief a man has
to live through when faced with a personal tragedy.
Then there
is Oscar nominee Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda), who effortlessly
plays the tortured man career and family man. His steadfast
and comfortable performance settles in nicely the moment he
appears on screen.
Elsewhere,
there are equally strong and mature performances by supporting
actresses like Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler and a very notable
Saffron Burrows, who plays Cheadle’s difficult dental
patient.
There
is also a collection of very apt songs featured in the movie
– Pearl Jam’s “Love, reign O’er Me”,
The Killers’ “All These Things That I’ve
Done” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Out In the
Street” are essential listens for music lovers.
The resonating
and remarkably engaging themes of friendship and family weave
themselves nicely throughout the movie’s 124-minute
runtime, and it never feels long and dreary – simply
because these issues are what we urbanites are probably facing
in real life, and not having enough courage to face them.
It’s
kind of heartrending how a film has to do the job of reflecting
real life with reel life.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD contains a 17-minute Behind
the Reign, where writer director affectingly talks
about how he got his inspiration for the movie from victims
who have lost their families during the 9-11 attacks. The
part he says how people can’t find people to talk to
is almost heartbreaking. There is a five-minute Jam
Session with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle where you
see the two actors strumming guitars enjoyably – it’s
a comforting sequence to sit through. A Still Reign
is a six-minute photo montage of stills and behind-the-scene
pictures complete with heartfelt piano accompaniment. There
are also Previews for a slew of features like Click, Vantage
Point, Spider-Man 3, Sleuth, Superbad, Angel-A, Interview,
Spanglish, The Company, Close Encounters of the Third Kind
and Coming to Blu-Ray.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The disc has a pristine visual transfer which beautifies the
sidewalks of New York City actually complements the heartwarming
mood of the movie, while the audio is presented in English,
Spanish, Portuguese and Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital, or French
Dolby Surround.
MOVIE
RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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