Yes, a remote control would be rather useful while watching Click since there are a number of scenes that are innately annoying. For example, anyone familiar with Adam Sandler flicks wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Click is chock-full of potty humor. For a family film, Click really pushes the limits in featuring several pooches that become aroused by plush animals and other sexually charged moments. These things are not only inappropriate but they are also about as funny as a number ten envelope. There are only so many times that you can watch the same old dirty jokes before they just become dull.
Fortunately, the beginning of Click is actually funny and the ending of it is genuinely heartfelt. The middle of it all just gets in the way. This includes all of the would-be-humorous things that Sandler’s character does with the remote control. If you’ve seen the trailers for Click, you have seen most of the gimmick-produced gags and already have an accurate idea of just how lame they are. For starters, I could think of a few better things to do with a universal remote control than pause my boss to slug him in the face or shuttle a jogger into slow motion to get a better look at her chest. Many of the gags act as filler, adding absolutely nothing to advance the story.
On the other hand, Click is much more touching than your average Sandler comedy. In fact, the end is likely to have you balling. In a way, the heart saves Click from becoming a very unremarkable comedy. Instead, it is worth seeing and worth getting wrapped up in. It has an important message that may not be fresh at face value (think everything from It’s A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol to The Family Man and, in theatres now, The Devil Wears Prada) but it is still just as poignant. It also goes to show that Sandler is a better dramatic actor than he is a comedic one.
In Click, Sandler plays Michael Newman, a father of two children and husband to Donna, played by Kate Beckinsale. Michael, who puts his job ahead of his family, becomes frustrated with not being able to figure out which remote controls which device and takes a late-night trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond in search of a universal remote. When he enters a backroom of sorts, Michael meets a strange man named Morty, played by Christopher Walken. Morty gives Michael a universal remote control free of charge and warns him that the item is nonrefundable. Michael takes the remote home and suddenly discovers that it controls much more than he ever imagined.
At first, Michael uses the remote for simple things to enhance his everyday life. Then he learns how to use the fast forward function and, in turn, in able to skip everything from a fight with his wife, a traffic jam and even foreplay. Some periods of time that usually require a dose of patience, such as waiting for a promotion, take a bit longer than Michael would hope, though. When the remote control starts to fast forward on its own, Michael misses some very important moments in his life and those of his family members and could end up at the end of his rope sooner than he expected.
There are some terrific performances in Click, including one by Henry Winkler who plays Michael’s father (not to mention a variety of entertaining cameos by David Hasselhoff, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin and Jennifer Coolidge). A word of warning, though: don’t pay very close attention to the first part of Click. If you do, it will be blatantly obvious what the future will bring. I caught on rather quickly and the majority of the movie became a waiting game. The emotion is sure to run much higher if you don’t figure out the catch.
Still, whatever the circumstances may be when you see Click, you will definitely laugh, definitely cry and definitely wish the movie theatre came with a remote control to help you fast forward through the bad parts because, unlike Michael’s life, you wouldn’t miss anything important.
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