Click (Click)

Movie Review: Click
A poignant, funny and unexpectedly clever flick

I’m sure someone has pitched this idea – a universal remote control that controls everything and everyone – to movie studio execs before. The good news is the concept actually works, and the writers have pulled out every stop to make this a rich, imaginative and charming yarn.

Adam Sandler plays an overworked architect and father, opposite the gorgeous Kate Beckinsdale and two adorable brats. David Hasselhof is perfectly cast as the cheesy, dumb and detestable boss, but Christopher Walken is once again the scene stealer. He plays ‘Morty’, a backroom worker who not only gives Sandler his remote, but is called on to assist throughout Sandler’s adventures. Like so much in this film, Morty is a lot more than he seems.

Morty: Think about it, you've skipped a year. That's a lot of sex. That's like, thirty minutes worth for you.

My girlfriend and I were both exhausted by 10pm on Friday night, when the movie started. When the opening credits began to flash, she whispered: “Would you mind if I sleep?” I silently hoped the movie would be good enough to keep her awake (so she could keep me company), but neither of us were disappointed. We both loved it.

Although the basic formula behind Click is simple, the writers have impregnated this film with everything – from toilet humor to classic human themes. It may seem like an unlikely combination, but somehow the silliness entertains just long enough for the more serious message to emerge, and it resonates with quiet potency.

One of the funniest scenes in the flick happens just after Sandler smacks his boss in the face, giving him a massive headache. I won’t give it away but we laughed so much, the tears started to flow.

Another one of a million pleasant surprises in this flick is James Earl Jones, who demonstrates just one of the inner workings of the universal remote. The writers have developed a complex psychology – a system – that the universal remote is based on. It’s also interesting to see what the future looks like – hospitals, cars and how the characters change.

The only thing I didn’t like about the film was when Sandler, fiddling with his remote, makes his boss appear bulbous and then dwarfsized. And: am I the only one who wonders: would a goddess like Kate Beckinsdale (Underworld) really fall for an ‘ordinary guy’ like Adam Sandler?

It’s remarkable that the movie – so filled with special effects – actually works so well. The writers have obviously spent a lot of time making sure that a lot of sense was built into the plot beside all the amusing nonsense.

It occurs to me now that the title of the flick, Click, also refers to the slang term for ‘having a paradigm shift’. Watch this flick and remember to ‘click’ – to know what you’re really doing - whenever you reach for that remote, and especially, the fast forward button.