Since last year brought us big-issue Sept. 11 films (“”World Trade Center,”” “”United 93″”), it’s only proper that Hollywood finally tell the story of the aftermath. “”Reign Over Me,”” an odd title ripped from the classic Who song, follows a burgeoning friendship between well-to-do Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle) and his old college roommate, ne’er-do-well Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler), who lost his entire family in the attacks. Almost everything about the film’s buzz rings in heartwarming sap, although critics claim that this may be Sandler’s greatest performance.
With the hit-or-miss track record of director Mike Binder, it’s difficult to tell on which side this film will fall. Knowing Cheadle to be a straight shooter when it comes to choosing roles (we’ll forgive him for “”Crash””) and after seeing Sandler pull a Jim Carrey with dramatic turns in “”Punch-Drunk Love”” (highly underrated) and “”Spanglish,”” “”Reign Over Me”” could turn out to be the honest depiction of post-Sept. 11 grief that Hollywood’s needs. Only the box office will tell if audiences are ready to deal not only with the actual tragedy, but the emotions surrounding it.
