My mother used to sometimes mention that it wasn't people who die for whom we should feel sorry, but those they left behind. I'm sure I've heard the same thing repeated by others in one iteration or another, as well. "Reign Over Me," starring Don Cheadle, Adam Sandier and Jada Pinkett Smith explores this particular dynamic. It does so in a rather unique manner, alternating between between pathos and humor. One minute the viewer is laughing out loud, and the very next, moved to tears.

Cheadle, playing Alan Johnson, is outstanding as a very successful, if overwhelmed, dentist who bumps into Charlie, his old roommate from dental school. As soon as he does, his life centers around bursting the black cloud that has menaced Charlie since September 11, 2001. Charlie lost his wife and two daughters on that day and hasn't been the same since.

Trying to stand under the weight of being responsible for a dental practice and supporting his wife and his own two daughters, Cheadle, too, is fighting his own existential battles. Though not as readily apparent, he fights in the same basic manner as Charlie — he retreats. Jada Pinkett Smith, in the role of Alan's stay-at-home wife, gives a solid performance as a woman reaching out to her distant husband and who becomes fearful and envious when her husband begins to prefer Charlie's company to hers. She becomes so apprehensive that she gives this particular state of affairs a name: "Charlieworld". This world consists of three things — music, video games and food. Make that four things: the rides on Charlie's scooter at any hour of the day or night.

It is painful to watch some of the scenes because the performances are so honest. However, true-to-life moments of levity are also part of this film's canvas. This was a brilliant stroke by the filmmakers, as this effect reminds us that even in the wake of the worst kind of tragedy, such as 9,11, life still consists of laughter, tears and everything in between.

PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE)

PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE)

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By Nadine Matthews, Special to the AmNews