Reign Over Me (Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B     Sound: B     Extras: D     Film: D

 

 

Adam Sandler attempts to do a “legitimate” dramatic film and has the money to hire Don Cheadle to help in Mike Binder’s poor, tired, flat, dull, illicit-appeal-to-pity-filled melodramatic mess Reign Over Me (2007) as penned by Binder and having the impact of a poor telefilm.

 

The leads play school buddies who have not seen each other for a long time, but while one (Cheadle) has gone onto a better life, the other (Sandler) who has fallen into a deep depression after the loss of his family (wife and son) and is drifting into a darker and darker place as this moves along.

 

We are supposed to pity Sandler because he is Sandler, something that did not pay off at the box office.  This will likely recoup its money on DVD and with this Blu-ray, but it is a lame feature and even the support of Jada Pinkett-Smith, Liv Tyler and Donald Sutherland cannot save the film.  There is not enough character development or challenge for Sandler who actually might show some acting talent if he applied himself, but that is not the case here and the result is another dud in a career that is starting to loose steam.  Add Spanglish and this is like Jim Carrey trying to become Tom Hanks with the likes of The Truman Show.  Forget this one.

 

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image was shot in HD and has the same limits and imperfection annoyances as Click did in its Blu-ray version, while the PCM 16/48 5.1 mix is better than the Dolby Digital versions included, but it is barely better than a Pro Logic 2.0 PCM Stereo 12” LaserDisc in the lack of use of the multi-channels.  The combination is better than a standard DVD, but not by much.  Extras include an extended jam session between the leads, stills montage and making of featurette if you are not asleep by then.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo