Reign Over Me - C / Evan Almighty - C

Both recently released on DVD.

Finding one’s purpose in life is easy for some and impossible for others, but most fall somewhere in between. Occasionally, it changes due to an epiphany or even a tragedy. In Reign Over Me, Adam Sandler plays a widower whose wife and kids were killed on 9/11. Don Cheadle is a dentist and Sandler’s former college roommate who finds him early in the film after years of passively searching. Sandler now has enough money to sit around, eat junk food, and play video games – all the time avoiding the inevitable grieving that must be done. He shelters himself from the world with his headphones as he listens to Bruce Springsteen’s The River and The Who’s Quadrophenia.
The thing must have looked great on paper, attracting talent as diverse as Donald Sutherland to Liv Tyler to the 2 leads. But the best laid plans often go awry. Sandler just doesn’t have the dramatic chops to pull it off. Of course Cheadle is much better but even he doesn’t know how to deal with a stalker psycho patient who insists on performing fellatio on him. And the whole thing drags with many unnecessary scenes, most of which come in the third act. The movie’s use of 9/11 is suspect as well, since the journey that Sandler endures could be for any random tragedy. The movie’s title comes from The Who’s “Love Reign o’er Me”, an emotional and potentially cathartic song, featuring a knockout vocal by Roger Daltrey. The movie wants to be the equivalent but doesn’t even come close. C

In Evan Almighty, Steve Carell reprises his role as Evan from Bruce Almighty. He has since been elected Congressman and moves his family to Washington D.C. An evil powerful congressman (John Goodman) immediately encourages him to cosign a bill that will allow privatization of National Wildlife Parks. Evan is visited by God (Morgan Freeman) who tells him to build an ark. After suffering through many embarrassing situations as pairs of animals flock to him, Evan reluctantly agrees.

It is very surprising to see Hollywood put out a movie where the lead prays for direction and to make a difference. But they have reduced God to what He can do for you – an 8 year-old's view of the Almighty. As the most expensive comedy ever made, this movie does have some spectacular CGI shots of animals and the ark itself. But while spending all that money, everyone (except the inimitable Wanda Sykes) seemed to forget they were making a comedy – unless you think lots of bird crap is funny. C