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All Movie Info
Starring:
Adam Sandler, Christopher Walken, Kate Beckinsale, Blake Heron, Allen Covert, Peter Dante, David Hasselhoff, Sean Astin, Rachel Dratch, Henry Winkler, Katie Cassidy, Jonah Hill, Sophie Monk
Directed By:
Frank Coraci
Written By:
Tim Herlihy, Mark O'Keefe, Steve Wayne Koren
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Click (2006)
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Movie Review by Jarrod 
July 4th, 2006
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Adam Sandler movies are not known for their subtlety, maturity, wit, or moderation. Nor are they particularly inventive or clever. Sandler caters to that sophomoric crowd that still finds farts and excrement to be humorous, and as such, they will not yield to anyone who bashes their favorite star, much like the die-hard Jim Carrey and Mike Myers fans, who flocked to see Ace Ventura and Austin Powers. Sandler is not devoid of acting talent, at least, and gave remarkably solid performances in Spanglish and Punch-Drunk Love. Now, after The Longest Yard, he teams up once again with Frank Coraci, director of both The Waterboy and The Wedding Singer, to make 'Click', which has a premise that would work just fine, if everything else would fall into place, and the screenplay created situations or dialogue that were actually funny.
Sandler is Michael Newman, a workaholic architect who stumbles into Bed Bath & Beyond one night looking for a universal remote, and finds a hidden door leading to that very last part, where he finds Morty (Walken) a mad scientist type who gives him what he is searching for, on the condition that he cannot return it. The remote controls more than just television, however. It also controls every aspect of Michael's life. He can fast forward through fights with his wife Donna (Beckinsale), who wishes he were home more, skip a boring dinner and even foreplay, pause to embarrass the kid next door during a game of catch with his son, plus fiddling with pause, mute, and the hue and contrast features, which end up making everyone look like they stepped out of Willy Wonka's factory. He also uses his new toy to mess with his obnoxious boss Mr. Ammer (Hasselhof). While all of this stuff is rather lighthearted, Michael eventually reaches the point where he realizes that his abuse of the remote has led to some unpleasant consequences. His dog has died. His children have become adults; his wife has remarried, and he has gained hundreds of pounds. He passes on any time he might have left with his parents (Winkler and Kavner). In essence, these things lead Michael into a period of redemption and reflection, and the movie actually sobers up and gets a little serious, perhaps too serious for its primary audience.
In no instance is it even remotely amusing. All we have is repetitive exploitation of the basic concept of a remote control that can alter and distort reality, much like the one in Pleasantville, which was pedaled to Tobey Maguire by Don Knotts. But that movie was about many other things. 'Click' is not. Also, Michael never makes use of some of the remote's more advanced functions, such as the one that brings up a DVD-like menu of his life, where he pick different chapters, including one where he gets a promotion. I suppose he can go back to previous chapters in his life, or to future chapters, and you could make a movie about this alone, but that might start to drift into Charlie Kaufman territory.
Walken's performance is the most interesting and enjoyable thing about the movie, not surprisingly, though Morty is certainly not one of his weirdest creations. Beckinsale is good as the wife, and it is a bit odd not to see her decked out in tight leather outfits blasting werewolves. Hasselhof has a fun time parodying himself, which is something that isn't hard to do. 'Click' might merit a sequel, especially if it makes a lot of money, but I honestly cannot imagine what could be possibly be done in a second movie about this topic. Sandler seems to be moving ever so slowly away from manic, adolescent comedy, and into the realm of drama, like Robin Williams and Jim Carrey before him. I certainly wouldn't be sad if he never went back to being Billy Madison or Big Daddy or even Happy Gilmore. But perhaps sequels to those are being contemplated.
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