Whichever executive at Columbia Pictures thought of pairing Oscar nominee Don Cheadle ( Hotel Rwanda ) and hysterical comedian Adam Sandler ( Click ) as two men in need of a change was right on. Sandler, best known for his physical comedy, and Cheadle, more recognized for serious roles like Crash , go together like peanut butter and jelly. Writer/director Mike Binder composes a beautiful and heartbreaking story of one-time close friends brought back together by coincidence using the tragic 9/11 event as a backdrop.

Cheadle plays Alan Johnson, a successful dentist with a beautiful wife and family who settles into a monotonous life. Alan bumps into his former college roommate, Charlie Fineman (Sandler).

At first sight, Alan doesn't recognize Charlie at all. His appearance, speech and mental state are in extreme chaos after losing his entire family in the 9/11 massacre.

He's a broken soul who has programmed himself to forget he had a family just to get out of bed each day. He walks around disheveled with unkempt long hair and worn out clothing.

He has shut out the world and retreated inward. Alan comes to understand first-hand how the 9/11 tragedy turned the living into the walking, spiritually dead.

Over the course of the film, Alan chips away at Charlie's isolation by hanging out with him and encouraging sessions with his therapist Dr. Angela Oakhurst (Liv Tyler). Though the relationship appears one-sided, in truth, the two help each other equally. Soon, these two polar opposites realize they are just what the other needs in their life.

Binder himself plays Charlie's nerdy CPA, Bryan Sugarman. But it's in his role as director that he beautifully captures the aftermath of those left behind from 9/11. Binder has written a poignant and moving story carefully illustrating the fragility of the mind and how it can shatter in an instant.

Grade: B