Customer Reviews

Reign over Me

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Upon walking out of this decently made film, I quickly raced to the store to pick-up what I assumed would be a soundtrack full of classic rock sounds and rock favorites, which were so eloquently put in the film as safe haven in which Adam Sandler's character, Charlie Fineman, lives in on what seems like almost a 24 hour basis. Unfortunately, there was NO Bruce Springstein, Jackson Browne, The Who or even Pearl Jam. Bands, whose songs drove the plot and characters in the movie. The powerful scenes in, which were sync with "Love reign O'er Me" by The Who, and sounds of the Boss's "River" album were non-existent. Why bother even putting the soundtrack on the shelves of your local store, not to mention purchasing it and putting it in your personal collection.

I want my money back!!! Who cares about background music, if I want Muzak I'll just ride in the elevator for a couple hours. This album contains NONE of the awesome and compelling songs that were such an integral part of this film. What a complete letdown....

i also went out immediately after this film to buy the soundtrack and i was so disappointed. I loved the film mainly because the tone that was set by the FANTASTIC music. it makes no sense that in a film so music based that the soundtrack contains NONE of the songs. limewire here i come.

I was tempted to give this CD 5 stars to try and help counteract all the 1 star reviews that were written by all those people who didn't do their homework before purchasing. Many reviewers rated this 1 star because it didn't have the music they were looking for on it. However the music that is actually on this CD is amazingly beautiful. It is, as one reviewer stated, understated jazz, and NOT, what another reviewer stated, muzak. This CD is rich with atmospheric textures and paints an aural landscape. True, it is somewhat melancholic, but that is part of the beauty of this amazing CD. If you are looking for the classic rock tracks that adorned the movie, skip this. If you are looking for a great, atmospheric jazz CD, this one is a winner.

The serious side of Adam Sandler gets a rare outing in director Mike Binder's film Reign Over Me. Sandler plays Charlie Fineman, a dentist whose entire family - wife, kids, dog - was wiped out in the September 11th terrorist attacks in New York. Since then, Charlie has shut himself off completely from the outside world, unable to cope with the trauma of his life; that is, until he meets up with old college roommate and former fellow dentist Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle), who is having personal and professional problems of his own. Recognizing Charlie's grief, Alan attempts to rekindle their friendship and bring Charlie out of his depression - hoping that, in doing so, it will bring him out of his own. After receiving critical acclaim and Award nominations for Sideways in 2004, I expected big things from Rolfe Kent, but for one reason or another it hasn't quite happened for him - although his score for Reign Over Me continues to show he is a composer with talent. Balancing the obvious tragedy inherent in the story with the numerous lighter moments the film contains must have been a difficult task for Kent to undertake, but his score works well. The musical stylistics are similar to those he employed on Sideways - a small ensemble with prominent sax and guitar solos, vaguely jazzy textures, as well as hints of pop and even calypso music - and the eclectic nature sums up the vibrant New York setting of the film, while still making Charlie's emotional angst very real. The opening "Learning What Has Happened to Charlie", as well as "So Broken" and the lovely, delicate "Alan Open's Up" are amongst the most resonant cues, while "Alan's Parents" and others have that light, pseudo-Thomas Newman suburban sound which seems to be so popular these days. It's not an album which will fly off the shelves or convert thousands of listeners into Rolfe Kent fans, but it achieves its stated aims successfully.

The delicate textures and soulful melodies of this score are captivating. Kent has masterfully created a unique color palette that runs the full range of the film's emotions - from lighthearted and tender to exquisitely haunting. The music perfectly captures the characters of the film and renders them with depth and beauty. I particularly recommend listening to this score when writing, or driving, or well, pretty much anytime.

That's exactly what it was, a 'sound' track, it was just background music, I wanted get the feel of the scenes through the classic rock songs of the film. Don't even hear one! It must be a copyright, legal issue. This just happened to be the 3rd film I've wanted the soundtrack for only to find no soundtrack or just background music. I think the front of the CD should state that the music is the music score or the songs actually heard in the film.

I watched this movie the other night and couldn't wait to order the soundtrack. I wanted to hear the great MUSIC in the film - I don't even remember the Muzak on this stinkin soundtrack.

Though I would have liked to get some of the songs played in the movie on this CD, I was more than pleased with the score music. It's a moody combination of dark textures and haunting piano melodies, together with some more lighthearted grooves. Kent is excellent at setting strange combinations of acoustic instruments against ambient electronic washes, and I thought the score did a fantastic job of capturing the moods of the characters, especially the emotionally catatonic character Charlie, played by Adam Sandler.

Just got this score CD by composer Rolfe Kent. I was turned on to his music by friends that have his Sideways and About Schmidt scores. A true musician. I have this playing throughout the day. Incredible sounds from this artist. Score albums are the best!! Soundtracks can't compete with score only.