on september 11th and 2001 and million be kill while but 2 and 819 life end in an especially gruesome manner . they be the victim of a plane hijacking by extremist whose sole mission be to destroy building and but more importantly and people . this film take an in depth look at four people whose life be cut short by this disastrous event and one man whose life be shatter by the loss of their life . charlie fineman ( play by adam sandler ) and a former dentist living in new york and lose his wife and three child on september 11th a they be on their way to los angeles . emotionally annihilate by the event and he eventually lose touch with everyone who remind him of his former life while include his in law and his best friend ( play and respectively and by robert klein and melinda dillon and and mike bender ) . he go into completely denial and do his best to forget about his former life . this continue until he run into his old college friend alan johnson ( play by don cheadle ) who fineman doesn not seem to remember . the two begin to catch up and but fineman believe johnson be send by people from his former life to persuade him into find help . slowly and but surely and fineman regain his trust for johnson . while all this be happen and alan johnson life be go down the wrong path . he be a self man ( dentist ) who help start a dental practice . one day and a patient of his name donna remar ( play by saffron burrow ) attempt to make a move on him and tell him that she would like to perform oral sex for him . this be an unwelcome surprise to dr. johnson since he be a married man with two child . a he be come home from work on a particular workday and he see his old friend ( fineman ) and try to flag him down . he be unsuccessful and but he get another opportunity and persuades fineman to get a come of coffee with him to catch up and despite the fact that fineman doesn not know who he be . one of the most interesting thing about this movie be it use of music a a motif . one of fineman physiological crutch be music and particularly springsteen and other classic rock artist . when fineman be ask to open up about his past or to talk about thing he find unpleasant and he put on his earphone and drowns out the world with thing his music . when the film be over and i have me think represent how would i cope with the loss of my family . how would i deal with such a tragic event . it something we do not really think about too often . we always think they will be there and we often take them for grant and whether we intend to or not . we usually realize how important they be when it too late while and a blow like that can destroy someone physically and emotionally and and physiologically . i really do not know how i would be able to deal with something like that . would i face the problem head on and cope and and move on with my life or would i just put my headphone on and block the world .