Expecting the Unexpected

Who would have thought that a movie about a man who loses his family on 9/11 could ever bring more laughter than tears? I definitely didn't, but Reign Over Me definitely has some laugh-out-loud moments. Thankfully, though, the comedic moments never once make light of the tragedy.

Adam Sandler plays Charlie Fineman, a 9/11 widower whose family was aboard one of the planes. In another life, far separated from the one he leads now, he was a successful dentist, a happy man, and a good friend. Now he's simply a mess. The always wonderful Don Cheadle plays Alan Johnson, Charlie's former college roommate. While Charlie has lost everything, Alan seems to have everything--the successful dental practice, a beautiful family, and wonderful home. When Alan happens upon Charlie one night on the street, a wonderful relationship begins to blossom. Both Charlie and Alan need each other more than they know. Charlie needs a person to escape with him, someone who didn't know him when he was a family man. Alan needs someone with whom he can be wild and irresponsible just to escape the overwhelming responsibilities of his life.

I could talk about how much I love Don Cheadle for days, but I'm going to keep it short and sweet. Don Cheadle is such a great character actor as well as a leading man. He plays comedy well; he plays drama like a champ, and that kind of versatility really shines in this film. Cheadle successfully shows both a man desperate for change who relishes in the freedom of irresponsibility as well as a man who can't let go of all that responsibility.

One critic said Adam Sandler's performance was like his Billy Madison character on a sedative. I beg to differ. I've always been impressed with Sandler's serious turns, and Reign Over Me is no different. Charlie is a man so deeply depressed that he's past knowing anything is wrong. He'd rather forget his family ever existed than deal with the fact they no longer exist. With every silly thing he does and every violent outburst, Charlie's pain always shows. Sandler may be great with pratfalls and funny voices, but he does destructive and depressed equally well.

I know that this story is ultimately about Charlie and his coming to terms with reality, but I really wish Mike Binder had explored Alan's story a little more. At the beginning of the film, Alan's burden of responsibilities is well-established, but then the story takes a third-row seat to Charlie's larger issues. Jada Pinkett-Smith, as Alan's wife, only gets about 15 minutes of screen time, and the majority of it is spent in the kitchen. I got closure in the Charlie-Alan storyline, but I didn't get the closure I was hoping in the Alan-family story. That aside, I really enjoyed Reign Over Me.

Some people may be turned off by the laugh-out-loud comedy sprinkled with tissue-grabbing drama, but I thought it really worked. People deal with tragic circumstances in many different ways, and it's comforting to find that writer-director Mike Binder wasn't afraid of to make his characters laugh, cry, get angry, and just try to live.

Lost Gems of the 80s, Part 1

If you are a true friend of mine, you understand the glory that is the Teen Eighties Movie genre. Anyone who was a preteen, teenager, or young adult during this glorious decade understands what goes into making a perfect 80s Film. It’s hard to define, but you know it when you see it, and you guiltily relish in the pleasure of seeing these campy masterpieces.

Mostly everyone knows the true classics of the decade: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Goonies, The Breakfast Club, and Fast Times at Ridgmont High to name a few, but there are some obscure ones out there worth mentioning. These movies hold a soft spot in the hearts of a few, but if brought up in a conversation, most “regular” people have never heard of them. I’m here to attempt to change that. Prepare to jot these down and take the list to your nearest video rental place—whether it be online or in store—because if you’re a lover of the 80s, you should see these movies.

For those who are short on time (or attention span), I'm splitting the list into three parts. Please feel free to put in your two cents and let me know about your lesser-known favorites from the decade of neon colors and choreographed prom dance routines.


Just One of the Guys (1985)
One of the many role reversal movies of the decade, Just One of the Guys stars Joyce Hyser as Terry Griffiths, a beautiful girl who’s convinced her good looks keep her from being taken seriously as a journalist. When one of her articles doesn’t make it into a journalism contest, she decides to switch schools and go undercover as a boy so she can re-enter her article there. She only intends to stay a boy for a couple of weeks, but of course, craziness ensues, and Terry must play, um, Terry for the remainder of the school year.

Unlike Hilary Swank, who was quite convincing as a boy, not even in a heartbeat, would I ever believe Hyser as a guy. But of course, everyone at the new school is completely convinced that this girlie-man Terry is the real deal, including the over-sexed girl who develops a crush and the guy who becomes the best bud. Yes, yes, we all know how the movie will end, but it’s still great fun just watching all the high jinx that get us there.


Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)
Helen Hunt, Sarah Jessica Parker, and more dancing than anyone should be asked to handle. This movie is a teen girl’s dream.

Parker plays Janey, the new girl in town who wants nothing more than to be a dancer. When the hit show “Dance TV” holds auditions for two new dancers, Janey wants it more than anyone in the world. With the help of her wild child friend Lynne (Hunt), Janey goes behind her military father’s back and tries out for the show. She’s paired with hot, athletic, motorcycle-riding Jeff (Lee Montgomery). Instant attraction isn't so instant, but soon Jeff and Janey grow a little closer every night Janey sneaks out to practice what is sure to be the hottest routine anyone has ever seen.

Girls has everything from Catholic schoolgirl jokes to bad boys from the wrong side of the tracks to punk freaks who crash parties, and even the quintessential redeeming moment between father and daughter happens right on cue. This movie is tons of fun and is chocked full of cheesy slow motion dance moves. Hunt’s Lynne, Jonathan Silverman’s Drew, and a young Shannen Doherty as Jeff’s younger sister have some great, albeit corny, on screen chemistry--always a bonus!


SpaceCamp (1986)
On January 28, 1986, the Challenger explosion devastated my world. When I was seven years old, I wanted to be a part of NASA more than anything else, and seeing those astronauts lose their lives that day was really hard for me. Not until 1988, two years after its release, did I see a movie that fueled my NASA dreams all over again.

SpaceCamp is a fantastical family adventure starring Kate Capshaw as Andie and Tom Skerrit as her husband Zach. Zach and Andie are both astronauts, but definitely not of equal standing. While Zach gets the pleasure of going into space, Andie is stuck on Earth teaching at NASA’s space camp. The campers she encounters her first summer on the job include a smart and rowdy bunch: Kevin (Tate Donovan), the resident horn ball; Tish (Kelly Preston), an idiot savant of sorts; Kathryn (Lea Thompson), the headstrong one who longs to be a pilot; scientist-in-training Rudy (Larry B. Scott); and the very young, head-in-the-clouds Max (Joaquin Phoenix back when he was Leaf). While testing the booster rockets aboard a real shuttle, the team is blasted into space accidentally. Andie may have wanted to go up in space, but definitely not with a bunch of kids.

Scary things happen up there miles above the Earth, but unlike that horrific moment in January of 1986, this movie has a child-pleasing happy ending. See it for the dreams it evokes, or just see it for the future stars of the 90s.


The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
The Boy Who Could Fly deals with heavier subjects than most other 80s teen movies-- suicide, autism, and alcoholism, but even when I was at an age where few of these things made sense to me, I still adored this movie. It was like E.T. without the scary little alien.

Jay Underwood plays Eric Gibb, an autistic boy who lives with his alcoholic uncle Hugo (played by the legendary Fred Gwynne). Eric soon forms a very close bond to Milly (Lucy Deakins), the new girl next door who's recently lost her father to suicide. Milly knows Eric is a special person but doesn't realize how much so until after a couple of unexplainable events bring her think Eric might actually be able to fly.

Even though this sounds like sci-fi, this film is firmly planted in reality. It depends heavily on the dreams of young people who want to escape their lives. I found myself wanting to believe this boy could really fly. But, because I was a harshly realistic child at times, I also kept waiting for the moment my dreams, along with his, would be dashed. With many somber scenes, some involving mean-spirited high-schoolers and others involving rather archaic institutional practices, the film comes dangerously close to some serious dream dashing. Even with all that seriousness, the conclusion, though eerily evocative of E.T., brings warmth to my heart and a tear to my eye every time.

What's in a Name?

I may not be an Indian immigrant, or an immigrant at all, but the story of the Ganguli family penetrated me beyond superficial means. I'm still feeling the emotional tug of The Namesake a day later, and I'm sure when I talk about it in weeks to come, I'll feel that tug again. It is one of those movies that fully reminds me why I love movies so much.

The Namesake tells the story of Ashoke, Ashima, and Gogol Ganguli. It begins in 1974 Calcutta where Ashoke is traveling by train to see his grandfather. Tragedy befalls him, setting Ashoke on a course of events that will bring him to marry Ashima, move with her to New York, and raise two children there. As the children grow, the story shifts to Gogol, their oldest son, and his life as an Indian-American attempting to assimilate into American culture.

Not once did I feel like I was watching actors playing parts. I experienced a complete suspension of disbelief and felt completely engrossed in the story of the Gangulis. Indian actress Tabu's portrayal of Ashima, the matriarch of the family, fixated me more than any other. I cried with her and laughed with her as she found her place as an Bengali woman living in the United States. Her reactions were appropriately subtle and stark when necessary. She radiated with a certain loneliness in parts of the movie that honestly brought a tear to my eye almost every time she was on screen. And, of course, when talking about acting, I have to talk about Kal Penn.

The first movie I ever saw Kal Penn in was National Lampoon's Van Wilder in which he played the ever-attentive assistant to Van. The second movie I saw him in was actually his first film--a short produced at AFI about an Indian family stranded out in the desert. It was this film that made me worry less about his ability to take on a serious role. And just so you know, he doesn't disappoint. Penn plays Nikhil "Gogol" Ganguli with grace. It's wonderful to watch him grow from a teenager who wants nothing do with his Indian roots to a young architect trying to find himself when he's battling the traditions of his parents and the allure of American modernity. Gogol's disconnection and eventual acceptance of his family and culture is absolutely profound.

Though the acting is what carries the film, I cannot forget the overall look. If you haven't seen any of Mira Nair's work, you should. With a strong balance between India and New York, she has such an eye for beauty in everything from people to nature to architecture. When the family travels to see the Taj Mahal, I felt the impact of its importance, and I longed to be standing there with them taking in such a magnificent sight. A simple fall day in the suburbs of New York made me feel warm all over for days spent playing in the yard with my friends when I was little.

I haven't read the book, but Sooni Taraporevala's script is rewarding and a great commentary on how we must all find ourselves. The Namesake is packed full of story spanning 30 years, so it doesn't dig deep into any one character and the jumps in time can be a little jarring. Overall, though, the story is a satisfying epic about the evolution of a family through love, grief, and acceptance.