Click (Adam Sandler)

REVIEW
Click combines successful elements of Bruce Almighty and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and comes up with an uneven yet well-intentioned mess of an inspirational comedy. Star Adam Sandler’s evolution from goofy frat guy to identifiable everyman continues in his role as Michael Newman, a workaholic architect and father of two young children. Common stress factors, including a ruthless boss (David Hasselhoff) and a nagging wife (Kate Beckinsale), begin to take their toll on Michael as evidenced through humorous yet expected fits of Sandler rage. The blatant product placement/incorporation found in all of the comedian’s films is in full effect one night when Michael goes to Bed, Bath & Beyond in search of a universal remote control that will simplify at least a small corner of his universe (the poor guy can’t even tell the difference between his television remote and his garage door opener). In the mysterious “Beyond” section of the store Michael finds mad scientist Morty, played by Christopher Walken, whose over-the-top performance finally proves that he’s in on the joke. Morty gives him a remote that allows Michael to rewind to his past and fast-forward to his future. Fast forwarding requires the simple push of a button while traveling backwards in time calls for an entrance into a DVD menu-inspired virtual reality that resembles a telephone company commercial complete with James Earl Jones voice over. The concept of the remote is simple enough, although its capabilities are sometimes exploited for the sake of laughs such as a sequence in which Michael mutes his angry wife and instead watches a sporting event in a picture-in-picture frame. It’s a feel-good fantasy, though, so this new addition to the laws of physics and time travel is easily excused. The film’s theme quickly becomes apparent as Michael fast forwards through the mundane portions of his reality, not realizing that those are the moments that he will someday cherish. He comes to this realization once the remote goes haywire, fast forwarding his life far into the future when his son is getting married and his daughter has “boobs”. The scenes in the future feel a bit out of place, although they have an appealing sci-fi slant to them, capturing the rapidly changing technology of modern times. Michael’s cathartic awakening may induce a few tears, due in large part to Henry Winkler’s performance as his caring father, but a family film of this sort always has some sort of a cop-out ending. Under the direction of longtime Sandler collaborator Frank Coraci (The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy), Click’s futuristic scenes are a pleasure to take in, but a great deal of the material in the present is bland and poorly lit, as if it was shot on the fly. Although the film’s recurring gags include a dog humping a stuffed animal and a sexually unsatisfied wife, the patented Sandler-brand of humor is definitely toned down and the majority of the film’s attempts at humor fall flat.