Frank Capra meets Adam Sandler

Rating: 9/10 (13 February 2007)

Adam Sandler reunites with his friend, director Frank Coraci, in the movie CLICK. They both went to NYU together, and have collaborated on such comedies as 'The Waterboy' and 'Wedding Singer'. Joining Sandler in 'Click' are comic heavyweights Christopher Walken and Henry Winkler, with Kate Beckinsale (Underworld), David Hasselhoff, Sean Astin (50 First Dates, Lord of the Rings), and Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live). Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) is an overworked architect, with a lovely wife (Kate Beckinsale), and two young children Â– Ben and Samantha. Michael's boss, Mr. Ammer (David Hasselhoff), is a womanizing, inconsiderate jerk who works Michael way too hard. With the opportunity for promotion always dangled in front of him, Michael feels he has no choice, but to sacrifice the occasional camping trip with his two kids or game of catch, rather than sacrifice his career by letting his boss down. He simply has no time. When he gets home and kicks back on the couch, he grabs the nearest remote and turns on the ceiling fan, the stereo, or something else besides the TV. So one night, completely frustrated, he goes to Bed Bath & Beyond for a universal remote to operate everything simply. In his pursuit of the remote, he stumbles upon an out-of-the-way door in the store with a sign positioned above it that reads "Way Beyond". He proceeds through the door, and down a long dark corridor, until he sees a crazy looking techie, mad scientist of sorts, named Morty (Christopher Walken). With a crazy glint in his eye, Morty hands Michael a special remote that will allow him to control everything in his life, and that means everything. So what does he do with these new found powers? With the Menu on this remote he has options like "The Making Of" (his conception), "Language Options" (ever seen David Hasselhoff speak Spanish?), "Rewind", "Forward", and "Skip Chapter". He uses the latter options liberally to skip the unpleasant moments that arise in his daily life, such as sickness, exhausting work projects and arguments with his wife. Sounds good on paper, but as the remote memorizes his skipping habits, life speeds by around him, completely out of his control. He realizes that those small moments he is missing is what life is all about, and he does not want to lose any of them, but as the years go by increasingly faster, is it too late? Imagine Adam Sandler doing a film in the classic tradition of 'It's a Wonderful Life', except in this telling you have a sandwich of meaty morals, placed between two thick slices of Sandler-esquire bread. There are some sincerely tender moments where Sandler turns in serious "Oscar" acting, followed by silly moments that cause you to laugh out loud. All in all 'Click' is a good comedy, with great lessons to take away with you after viewing. You should treasure the mundane things in life; cherish them, because you only get to experience them once. There is no rewind button.