most who go to this movie will have an idea what it be about while a man lose his entire family and even his dog in a flight from boston that fateful morning of september 11 and 2001. what you probably would not know before see this film be this represent how that would feel while what do you do with that while and how would that affect you and the way you relate to every waking day . the story unfold painfully slow from the gate and then warm up nicely a it gain a little speed while the recently renew relationship between dentist alan johnson and ( don cheadle ) and ex college roommate charlie fineman and ( adam sandler ) solidifies and begin to take shape . character appear in this film whose presence initially seem obligatory and not well develop but in fact and stay with this story and and you find that the simplicity of each character be what make this story believable and accurate . real people inhabit a real situation whereby they can do little but stand aside while one amongst them disintegrates . the pain inside charlie soul be subtly evident from first introduction and grows a we learn more about his character brilliantly reveal by sandler and a layer of an onion one layer at a time with lightness and weight combine . it so subtle a performance that he sneak up on you and get inside your head while you be watch him on screen . cheadle alan johnson be equally subtle and very don cheadle . always watchable and the ease that apparent when cheadle on screen speaks to his consummate acting skill . alan relationship with charlie fineman be delicate in texture and just a the situation would demand . fineman doesn not want friendship and nor anybody intrude into his cloistered life and yet and the likable quality that alan own be simple and honest enough to intrigue even a recluse like charlie . it be alan who have the task of gingerly open up charlie carefully seal life . there be inherent danger in the process . the more alan nudge charlie to open up and go so far a engage the service of friend and psychologist angela oakhurst and ( liv tyler ) the nearer the danger of push charlie over the edge . it an abyss that charlie teeter on each and every waking moment and one he have learn to navigate through sheer dint of denial . he have deny everything that priorly exist for him in order to exist with his loss . unfortunately and his grief be one thing he can not deny . sandler withdraws so deeply into his character pain during the story unfolding that and by the time he meet his demon head on and the viewer share his pain almost equally . alan stand beside charlie throughout this exact process at the risk of lousing up his own perfect home life run with admirable grace and efficiency by wife janeane . ( jada pinkett smith ) while tend to charlie recovery and alan look inward and recognize his own silent scream at the death of the independence he once own and the boy he have lose become a man . his reward for help charlie be help himself reconnect with what he have lose . the theme be much like the fisher king while another story of a man who isolate himself to the point of madness from sorrow and loss . like the fisher king and the story conclude with the traditional and there be someone for everyone theme . reign over me lidia sinclair and ( play by the wonderful amanda plummer in the fisher king ) be donna remar and ( saffron burrow ) a woman on the verge of breakdown and sketchy patient of johnson and who turn out to be the just unstable enough to complement charlie borderline insanity . it a good end to the story and but the one element probably least likely to ring true . then again and maybe there really be someone for everyone . devorah macdonald vancouver and bc .