An average addition to the Happy Madison list

Rating: 6/10 (20 July 2006)

Adam Sandler and his crew have been known over the years as the masters of the toilet humour genre. Whilst most of the films have been quite original (except for Mr. Deeds, which is based on Frank Capra's 1936 film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town), they have always been filled with "fart jokes" and visual gags. Whilst most films who go down this path end up looking stupid, there is a hidden intelligence in some of the jokes that allow these films to become successful. Recently, however, Happy Madison films like 50 First Dates and The Benchwarmers have not been able to recreate the successful formula of their past films. This newest film by Happy Madison Productions continues with the disappointing trend. Click is about Michael Newman (Sandler), an architect who spends more time on his career than his family. An important partnership is in the air and if he can do well on the project, he'll be in for the promotion he's been waiting for. This means that he spends even less time with his perfect wife Donna (Kate Beckinsale), his children and his parents (Henry Winkler and Julie Kavner). When a frustrating bout with the television remote leads Michael to a Bed, Bath & Beyond in search of a universal remote, his curiosity takes him into the Beyond section of the store. This is where he meets a crazy and eccentric inventor named Morty (Christopher Walken). It seems that Morty has created a device that will not only allow Michael complete control over his television and stereo, but his entire life as well. Michael discovers that the remote has the power to fast forward past a quarrel with his wife, and even allow him to travel back and forth through time to different points in his life. This ability to skip straight to the good parts in life soon leaves him feeling as if he's missing out on the total experience. Michael begins to realise that he has lost control of his life, especially when the remote is now programming him. Now Michael must find a way to stop the remote before it skips his entire life. It's amusing to see that Click's themes and its structure echo the ever-wonderful film It's a Wonderful Life (anyone who has seen the 1947 film will realise that there's an exact point in Click which mirrors a scene from the James Stewart classic). The themes of family values and friendship are always apparent in Click. The problem is that the film never truly kicks off and spends too much time focusing on the remote so that it is easy to stop being entertained. Too many fart jokes also don't help. One stand-out part of this film is the acting. Adam Sandler is still incredibly funny and he does a credible job in the dramatic moments of the film. Every character in this film was believable, with Christopher Walken just being in stand-out form. He was incredibly funny. Henry Winkler also isn't just a cameo and there is a heart-felt scene between him and Adam Sandler which is a real tear-jerker. Whilst this film is funny at times, it really never engages the audience to the level it should. The formulaic plot and structure also detracts from the film. Despite the over-abundance of fart gags, this film is funny, with serious tones; and the acting is very credible. Click is not one of the better Happy Madison films, yet not the worst.