moves a bit too quickly to care, a step backwards for Sander

Rating: 1/10 (18 July 2006)

I have to confess at the start of this review that I'm not really an Adam Sandler fan. In fact, I might have been the only person in my 6th grade class who didn't see what was so great about Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore. It's not that I like appreciation for crude low-brow humor from SNL alumni. I happen to like Will Ferrell, Norm McDonald, and the David Spade/Chris Farley buddy comedies, but Adam Sandler is just a guy who I don't get. There might be times where I laugh during his movies but I see that as a result of so many random bizarre jokes being thrown out at me, that by sheer luck a couple of them actually work. What I think we like about Sandler, isn't necessarily the comedy but it's the warmth behind his movies. I think it's because he's such a lovable character that we love to cheer for Billy Madison to win his high school diploma or for Bobby Bouche to save the day for his coach in The Waterboy.
For me, Sandler movies have gotten better as he's seemed to refine his humor and grounded it more in those uplifting story elements with 50 First Dates, Mr. Deeds, and Big Daddy. Unfortunately, Click is a giant step backwards for Sandler. It's disjointed and feels like it's moving too quickly for us to care much, despite a touching scene near the end. By detaching us from any sense of caring what happens to the characters, the film hits rocky ground, because that leaves us with nothing but Sandler's sense of humor to entice us. What's even odder, the laughs are noticeably fewer and farther in between than most Adam Sandler movies. Then again, that might have been a good thing, considering how bizarre Sandler's jokes can be. And don't think "bizarre" is funny because anyone can access the most random corners of their mind and come up with bizarre stuff. The most random corner of Adam Sandler's mind is filled with things like a dog repeatedly humping a stuffed animal and parents who mock the size of their son's "schmiekel" (don't ask). The funny moments that actually worked well in the movie are things you can catch in the 30-second trailer anyway.