Friday

I thought Reign Over Me was a very good film. Admittedly it was conservative in style and structure, and the cynical will say, or probably have said, that it's too sentimental, exaggerates emotions, and simplifies the grief process. But the script, the acting, the mood, setting and the music were all great, and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It isn't about 9/11, as some have suggested, but about loss. 9/11 isn't mentioned: the closest they get is something like 'on September 12th 2001 he stopped talking to me'. The event isn't important. It's the repercussions that count. Adam Sandler was fascinating in a serious role, Don Cheadle good beside him, and Liv Tyler better than I've ever seen her. I felt uncomfortable at times, the plot lost direction at points, and the new relationship for Sandler's character at the end was rather badly contrived (albeit emotionally satisfying). I had thought the cinema would be busy - this was the opening night - and so I bought my ticket several hours early. However, there were only five people in the theatre with me. One of them was an enigmatic woman who laughed at all the same points as me (this is quite rare, as you'll understand), but disappeared as soon as the credits began. Anyway, the film is good and I recommend you see it.