Another up-for-grabs DVD that I hadn't been planning to see. I almost passed over it, but then I checked its IMDB rating and looked at the back cover. It occurred to me that I had never seen a whole serious film featuring Adam Sandler, and this was one of his more popular ones. And hey, the price was right, no wait time or anything.
New York dentist Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle) happens upon his former school roommate and friend, Charlie Fineman (Sandler), who doesn't appear to remember him. Alan already knows that Charlie's wife and kids died in the 9/11 attacks, but he's had no idea how poorly Charlie has coped for the last five years. We're not talking The Fisher King-level psychotic, just eccentric, irresponsible, unsociable, and brittle enough to worry his parents-in-law (Robert Klein and Melinda Dillon), yet he refuses all therapy. Fortunately, he soon welcomes Alan's company, and the feeling is largely mutual. Slowly, they inspire each other toward probably healthier behavior.
Brief summaries make Charlie sound like the main character by far, but Alan is actually more focal. As hinted, it's not like he doesn't have his own issues. He feels suffocated at home by his loving but overly assertive wife (Jada Pinkett Smith; make of that what you will). It's partly his fault for not telling her when he doesn't want to do something. He's also a bit of a doormat to his colleagues despite founding the practice, and a patient who's not in her right mind (Saffron Burrows) tries to coerce him into adultery. He keeps asking a therapist (Liv Tyler) for tidbits of advice outside her office. Hanging out late at night with Charlie, while not something he would have done without urging, is a relief to him -- albeit a crimp in his family matters. Clearly, he needs to strike a happy medium.
Sandler plays a manchild as usual, only this time not for laughs. Charlie doesn't work anymore, living on settlements. He spends much of his time riding a scooter with headphones, watching movies, playing an addictive video game, or, most curiously, revamping his kitchen again and again. His mannerisms are an odd combination of withdrawn and not withdrawn enough; he tends to do rude things without intending offense. Before Alan came back into his life, his only associates for years were his enabling landlady (Rae Allen) and enabling semi-friend (director Mike Binder), who would try to head off the in-laws he wants to forget. The worst part is that when someone asks him about his pre-9/11 past, he turns paranoid and furious if not violent.
I have to admit ROM is pretty good at getting me to feel sorry for a bratty jerk. I valued his every tiny step of recovery. At the same time, I wasn't sure about the best way to go about it. Charlie seems adequately tolerable and capable of self-care most of the time, so I wouldn't favor involuntary treatment, but at what point does his own pace become unacceptable?
Some viewers call it a dramedy, but I don't see the "-edy" part. Just because Sandler gets top billing doesn't make it part comedy, or even a "Sandler movie" in my book. The most amusing character to my mind is Alan's snarky receptionist (Paula Newsome).
As for the overall film quality, I find it about average. There is a typical sense of 2000s Hollywood inauthenticity to it, more pronounced thanks to the theme of needing to communicate in honesty. The acting isn't bad, tho I doubt Sandler will ever be up for a non-Razzie-type award. I just find the cinematography stilted and some of the other characters' reactions a little hard to buy.
It's good enough that I haven't ruled out seeing Punch-Drunk Love or especially Uncut Gems. Not much of a recommendation, but make your own judgment.
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