REEL FANS:Sandler shines in ‘Reign’

Daily Pilot staffer Sue Thoensen went to Edwards Metro Pointe 12 to get moviegoers’ opinions of “Reign Over Me,” starring Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith and Liv Tyler.

Charlie Fineman (Sandler) and Alan Johnson (Cheadle) were college roommates in dental school who lost touch over the years, but Johnson knows that Fineman’s wife and three daughters were killed in one of the 9/11 plane crashes.

When Johnson, a successful dentist with his own practice — and a happily married man with two daughters himself — runs into his old friend on the streets of New York several years later, he realizes that Fineman has not recovered from his loss and needs help.

“The movie was a good diversion, and I think Adam Sandler did a great job — it was good to see that change of pace for him. Sandler, Cheadle, good actors — it was very well done. The plot is sad, it takes you back and puts a good, healthy perspective on [9/11]. I liked the music — a little quirky. The movie went well — good continuity.”

Grade: A-

Joan Bergerson

Tustin

“I thought the movie was quite good, actually. I don’t normally like Adam Sandler, but he was good. They both (Sandler and Cheadle) did an excellent job. I thought the plot [the 9/11 subject] was difficult to watch, very emotional, but they carried it through well. I liked the part where he [Sandler] finally opened up — it was very moving, and I could feel his pain. I think the comedic timing was great — I thought it was very appropriate and gave the movie some levity.”

Grade: A

Carol Grose

Huntington Beach

“I thought it was a very, very good movie. I enjoyed it very much. I thought the acting was outstanding. I don’t particularly care for Adam Sandler, but I enjoyed [his performance] very much. I believe a lot of families went through something like what he went through and portrayed [in the movie].”

Grade: A

Carol Castellana

Costa Mesa

“The movie was a lot deeper and more emotional than I expected it to be. I’d seen some of Adam Sandler’s comedies, but I’d never seen him in a dramatic role before. I especially enjoyed his monologue when he first came out of the psychiatrist’s office, where they kept the camera on him the whole time and showed his full emotion. I appreciated the humor in the movie — to lighten it, bring it back a little bit, so it wasn’t so heavy and somber.”

Grade: A-

Debbie Duffield

Costa Mesa

“I had seen Adam Sandler interviewed, and they [described] the film as [covering] a range of emotions — you’re happy one time and then sad the next time, so I knew what to expect. Normally, I don’t like Adam Sandler, but in this movie I really liked him — I thought he did a good job. I think they handled the 9/11 plot line very well — they didn’t dwell on it, but you knew what they were talking about. The comedic moments helped lift the movie up, because you’re down and then it pulls you back up again.”

Grade: A

Lynne Shockley

Costa Mesa