The short:
It's technically kinda bland, but Sandler's best performance and a great job by Cheadle make the film more than worth seeing. I liked it a lot.

The longer:
The audience ate it up...they laughed when they were supposed to, shut up at the right times, and the old ladies around me all brought out their kleenex in unison. But on the surface I couldn't help but think how it looks and kinda 'feels' just like so many other recent drama/comedy types. Binder's own The Upside of Anger, and In Good Company were the first examples to come to mind, but there are plenty others. Very standard style and direction, that kinda bland horn-and-piano score, an obtuse/predictable script, etc. Binder makes great use of light and color, and the soundtrack works perfectly...but really, largely a boringly made film.

However...all that said, this movie is a head and a half over its Hollywood peers for two reasons: Sandler and Cheadle. I'm a Sandler fan. His worst comedies are still watchable because of his acting. He's just a unique, interesting guy and I enjoy watching him. Click was terrible, but still worth watching for his performance. Punch-Drunk Love is one of the best movies of the decade, and really is the best example that he really can act. This movie will hopefully prove this fact to the people who only see him in Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, because...omg...he is GOOD. If you've seen the trailer, you know basically what's up...he's a troubled, fucked up man who really doesn't seem to have grown up. It's not a far stretch from other Sandler characters, but this one is much deeper and more intense than really anything he's done. The character calls for a ton of emotional range and Sandler nails it. At times he's funny (duh), but he also manages truly devastating, moving moments that any actor would be proud of. See the movie, if only for this performance.

Which brings me to Cheadle. He has nothing to prove, because everyone knows he can act. But he doesn't phone it in. His character is basically there for Sandler's, but is also the only other one in the movie that really has any problems, and Cheadle really makes it work.

That's really all the movie is...two messed up men using each other to try to fix themselves (or, exactly the opposite, in Sandler's case.) It's all been done before, and chances are good many people are going to be two or three steps ahead of the script at all times. You know basically what everyone's problem is, and basically how they're going to solve them. Normally that's a bad thing, but for me, it's absolutely worth watching for the soundtrack and the acting, which really makes the whole movie moving and fresh.

ivs iknea want to se ethe film

I'm leaving in 20 minutes to see this.

Considering how much I hated Binder's Upside of Anger, and how thoroughly he wasted great performances by Joan Allen and Kevin Costner, it may not be the best idea.

Still, I hope for the best.

I was disappointed by this. While I loved Don Cheadle and his general storyline, I found Adam Sandler to be incredibly grating and annoying. His only great scene was in the therapy office late in the film. The direction is bland and uninteresting, and it needed to be edited by about 20 minutes. I'd give it a low B- bordering on a C+.

Very affecting and well-made. This post 9/11 drama is highly effective and very well-acted. Don Cheadle is really good as a man meeting up with a former college roommate, but it's Adam Sandler(as the former roommate) who takes the prize for best acting in the film. For the first time, Sandler gives a very satisfying emotional performance, and would possibly be considered for Oscar consideration if the film was released late last year as originally expected(his telling of the story of his deceased family to Cheadle later in the film is very heartbreaking and emotional). Solid in supporting roles are Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows, and Donald Sutherland. Director Mike Binder(The Upside Of Anger; just like in that film, he has a supporting role here) makes a very satisfying drama(with a couple of low-key comedic moments) that is very well-acted and rather touching, and another early bright spot among the first quarter of the year. B+

A very pleasant surprise.

Don't get me wrong; it often went the hokey route rather than the subtle one, but it was sharp, funny, deeply felt and genuinely moving (yes, even to this curmudgeon). Sandler and Cheadle were both great; I was nervous about the former at first as he only seemed to be utilizing his 'retard' voice, but he disappears into the character early on. He has two or three big 'emotional' scenes near the end and, believe it or not, he carried each off perfectly.

Really, really liked it.

I guess I'll be the only one that just simply found this "OK." Don Cheadle was miles better than Sandler, and this is coming from someone who appreciates Sandler in both comedies and dramas. The only scene where I thought Sandler was excellent was during the therapy sequence where he finally talks about his family.

I thought it was absolutely wonderful. Just as good, if not better, than Binder's previous movie The Upside of Anger. Don Cheadle is his reliably solid self, while Adam Sandler is surprisingly very effective in this role. Supporting performances from Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, and others are credible, although the direction of Saffron Burrows' apparently insane character left a little to be desired. In addition to being deeply moving and heartfelt, the film is also witty and sharply on-target. Highly recommended. A-

This film blew me away. It's brilliant. A profoundly moving drama about grief and friendship. It's a cliché, but you'll truly laugh and cry. Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle both give Oscar-worthy performances. Who knew Sandler was such a powerful dramatic actor? And the cinematography and music are top-notch. One of the year's best films! A.

Really well done. I agree that it is sort of bland... it got off to a rough start, but I can see why the director might have purposely arranged the film in such a way. The performances are all around top notch - especially Sandler. By far, this is the most touching film about 9/11.... it really works well.

It has the edge over Zodiac and 300 to be the best film of the year thus far. Flawed but very much worth your time...

A-

What everyone said. Its a great movie.

A-

#2 of 2007 right here and probably my favorite film from Adam Sandler

A+

A-


What a great movie and it's a shame that it was apparently forgotten by most towards the end of the year. I had my issues before seeing this with Adam Sandler playing this dramatic role. I have seen him before in Spanglish and didn't feel that he pulled it off well. Here, however, I was completely blown away by his performance. What a huge pleasant surprise! I still thought his voise seemed awkward in this performance, but I guess he just can't help that. Other than that, he was completely submerged into his role and pulled off every single dramatic and poignant scene very well. I must say that the scene in which he finally tells Cheadle everything and breaks down has got to be the single saddest and most touching scene in any 2007 movie that I have seen. The scene in which he finally talks to his parents-in-law is almost equally moving, though. Yes, some parts are quite cheesy, but I just fell for it.

Sandler is great with his character's quirks and his hidden emotional side. His outbursts, his attempts to hide from the reality. All of that feels so painfully natural. Cheadle is very good on his own here, but just can't hold a candle to Sandler...I never thought I'd be typing that! In any case, their interaction is another thing that makes this movie so great. They play off each other very well. The supporting cast, comprised of Saffron Burrows, Liv Tyler and Jada Pinkett Smith among others is very good too. I must say that I wasn't a big fan of Cheadle's scenes of his family life situation, but I understood its need for the story and the way the two men helped each other. Also, the tasteful approach to the 9/11 tradegy was handled perfectly here.

Binder films New York very well, showing all his scenes on street level, never having these sweeping skyline shots. It's a pretty grounded and simple movie, yet very affecting and emotional. I liked the main characters, but Saffron Burrows' character was another great one here. Man, she should be playing in more major films!

As I said, it's not a perfect movie, but it's a great drama dealing with a personal tradegy that so many had to experience after 9/11. Without any political implications and only rarely getting overly dramatic, the movie's quiet approach to the topic is pretty great in itself and presents one of 2007's best drama efforts. I was disappointed with Binder's The Upside of Anger, but this is the real deal.

Oh and another thing: This "Reign O'er Me"-song stuck in my head for days after seeing the film.

Cheadle and especially Sandler lead this movie from mediocrity to almost greatness. The directing was bland and I'm positive a better editing process could have chopped off another 15 minutes with no little loss. Liv Tyler got on my nerves from the moment she appeared on screen. I don't know what it is about her that irritates me so much. The rest of the supporting cast does well enough, with Jada Pinkett Smith just a smidge ahead of Sutherland and Burrows. The story as a whole is mostly predictable, but just original enough to not be distracting...which I kind of like because it wasn't obscure or abstract, but it still had some intelligence to it.

Sandler man....that's where this movie is at. I really want him to branch away from his self-produced films. They are occasionally funny, but more than that they limit his talent and how his talent is viewed. It took Jim Carrey and Robin Williams years to start being taken seriously because of their comedy film schticks. I'd hate for Sandler not to learn form them.

B