An uber-busy guy with a wife and two kids is finding it hard to juggle everything in his life, and decides to buy himself a “universal remote control” to help with many of the electronics in his home. Instead, the man is given a flashy new fantasy remote control and suddenly finds himself pausing, rewinding and fast-forwarding moments from his actual day-to-day life. Ultimately though, the clicker begins to program his life automatically and things begin to fall apart. Adam Sandler and Jimmy Stewart ensue.
Despite its one-joke premise and rehash of the basics from every other SCROOGE/IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE-type flick (my recent favorite being Brett Ratner’s underrated THE FAMILY MAN), CLICK ultimately came through for me, but on the dramatic side more than the comedic, as the film turns into an emotional piece during its final half-hour. That’s not to say that this is an all-out drama, since it is after all, an “Adam Sandler movie”, so expect the fart, shit and sex jokes, but this time around, many of them just made me smile a little, but not much else, that is until the film got serious near the end, and really got to me. Why did it get to me? Simple enough. I could relate to the main man’s problems, and most any other adult living in the crappy super-age of today will likely catch at least one reference to their own life in there as well. Of course, recognition alone does not a good movie make, but I dug it, it got to me, and I enjoyed most of the remote control foolishness as well (slow-motioning big-titted joggers, fast-forwarding past fights with the wife, pausing your boss and slapping him out, etc…). I think the studio is doing the film a great disservice with its humor-inclined marketing campaign though, as most everyone will go in expecting a belly-laugh-filled Sandler extravaganza, while the film is ultimately much more of a “serious” picture than comedic (yes, there may even be tears, folks), which most might not expect or appreciate on their “fun night” out.
That said, I certainly appreciated it because I’ve got my “own shit” going on, and the film touched on many of the sore points from my own life (let me just say that Walken’s line about Sandler “already fast-forwarding through his life before he even met him” is the one that hit me the most), which is always “nice”. The film also co-stars the absolutely hot Kate Beckinsale, who doesn’t mind strutting about in the skimpiest of outfits here (nice!), the always entertaining David Hasselhoff and the always-kooky, Christopher Walken, who continues to act like a complete and total…weirdo (nice!). The movie’s also packed with plenty of inside and over-the-top references like Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee!) showing up in a hilarious red Speedo, the Fonz and Marge’s voice from “The Simpsons” punching in as Sandler’s parents, and even the film’s director showing up in a cameo as a male nurse, and Rob Schneider doing something different in a well-disguised cameo. Also, “O’Doyle rules!” If you get that, you get that, if not…never mind. Oh, the film’s also got a pretty cool soundtrack that reminded me of THE WEDDING SINGER somewhat. But in the end, the movie works better as a high-concept quirky dramatic piece, laced with a few jokes here and there, rather than the juvenile stuff (how many times can you see a dog hump a stuffed duck, before it’s not even remotely funny anymore?) or all the “remote control” jokes already shown in the trailer and online clips.