Modern Day "It's a Wonderful Life"

Rating: 7/10 (25 June 2006)

I really enjoyed this movie. Sometimes Adam Sandler's comedy is a little too low-brow for me, but he hit a good "Happy (Madison) medium" in "Click." The premise of the movie is that Adam Sandler's character (Michael) has, somehow in the course of his adult life, lost the realization that he is striving for something he has always had. He has a beautiful wife and two cute, loyal, lovable children, but this isn't enough - he thinks he also has to have the high prestige and high salary that comes with a promotion at his architectural firm. Throw in the acquisition of a truly "universal" remote (that comes with some humorous special effects), a kick-ass soundtrack, and you have "Click." The ensemble of actors in this film is really impressive: Henry Winkler, Christopher Walken, Rachel Dratch, Sean Astin, David Hasselhoff (who has a great comedic touch in his role). I was especially impressed with Jake Hoffman, who plays the 20-something version of Michael's son Ben. Not only does Hoffman look like Sandler, he also has some of his facial expressions and voice quirks down to a "T." I would recommend this film. It had me almost crying at times, but the majority of the time I was laughing out loud. Some of the funniest scenes in the film feature Michael's relationship with the neighbor kid, and pretty much every scene with Hasselhoff. I am surprised this film didn't receive better reviews by movie critics.
P.S. Walken's character's name (Morty) seems to be chosen for a reason. Those who know French may figure it out.