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TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

‘Reign Over Me’

If there were those who thought Adam Sandler could never escape that “Billy Madison” role, his Oscar-worthy performance in “Reign Over Me” surely sets them straight.”Reign Over Me” is one of those films that reassures us of why we go to the movies in the first place. It manages to evoke emotions of laughter and sadness simultaneously.

Starring Don Cheadle (“Crash”), Adam Sandler (“Click”) and Jada Pinkett Smith (“Collateral”), “Reign Over Me” is the story of Charlie Fineman, a man who lost his entire family in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Fineman, played by Adam Sandler, has chosen to deal with this unimaginable tragedy by acting like it and the rest of his life never happened.

Don Cheadle plays Fineman’s old college roommate, Alan Johnson. Bumping into each other, Fineman has no idea of the past they have shared. Having not talked or seen each other in years, Johnson tries to rebuild their old relationship.

Jada Pinkett Smith, playing Johnson’s slightly overbearing wife, leads the way for the rest of a fantastic supporting cast that includes Liv Tyler (“Armageddon”), who plays Sandler’s therapist and Saffron Burrows (“Troy”) playing a crazed patient of Cheadle’s.

Written and directed by Mike Binder (“The Upside of Anger”), this film captures the essence of what good filmmaking is and should be. By creating real-life storylines, this movie is simple enough for any viewer to understand yet still unpredictable. It also shows how important casting is to a movie. Cheadle and Sandler feed off of each other and look truly genuine on screen.

Cheadle turns in yet another stellar performance, and Sandler proves, once and for all, that he can be a serious, dramatic actor. He does so in a way that “Happy Gilmore” is not too far off in the distance.

“Reign Over Me” is that film that every director and actor hopes to be a part of. It leaves the audience completely satisfied, and it sheds light on how important friends can be in life. Whether it is chance or destiny, those random encounters can save lives, and for Charlie Fineman, it did just that.

Five out of five stars.

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