From Deseret News archives:
Click
Film review
Nearly all of Adam Sandler's films have been one-joke affairs. Which might not be so bad, except that there's only so long one joke can be stretched until it becomes overly repetitive and tiresome.
What makes "Click" particularly disappointing is that it didn't have to be so limited in scope. Not that you really expect an Adam Sandler movie to be thoughtful, but this fantasy-flavored comedy is just as full of lowbrow humor as any of the rest, including gags about the sexual habits of family pets, flatulence and male anatomy.
After he teased us with some recent, supposedly more "mature" performances in "Punch Drunk Love" and "Spanglish," Sandler has simply reverted to his expected juvenile form here.
He stars as Michael Newman, a workaholic architect. Michael's wife, Donna (Kate Beckinsale), is getting tired of his work-first, family-second routine, especially since he seems to miss most of his kids' biggest moments.
Michael, on the other hand, wants more control over his life — or at least some control over his household. So he's thrilled when a mysterious store clerk named Morty (Christopher Walken) offers him a new universal remote — free of charge.
And this remote-control device really is universal, giving Michael the power to skip over periods of his life. One of the film's few really clever bits is having Michael's life with an "audio commentary" narrated by James Earl Jones.
As expected, Michael does learn a hard lesson about missing out on the smaller moments, including the various disagreements and trying times. But this would-be knock-off of "It's a Wonderful Life" feels too mechanical. (Actually, it looks more like the justifiably forgotten Robin Williams film "Bicentennial Man" — though this one is, mercifully, nearly 30 minutes shorter.)
Sandler got his longtime cohort Frank Coraci ("The Waterboy") to direct, and he's clearly out of his comfort zone with this type of material. He's unable to get Sandler to dial down some of his more obnoxious performance tendencies, and he really wastes a wacky supporting turn by Walken, as well as Henry Winkler and Julie Kavner, who play Michael's parents.
"Click" is rated PG-13 for crude sexual humor and jokes about bodily functions (references and sight gags), occasional use of strong profanity (including one usage of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), simulated sex and other sexual contact, comic violence and some drug content (mostly references). Running time: 108 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com
