Click (2006) March 11, 2008
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Frank Coraci
Actors often speak of the need to do sell-out Hollywood roles in order to gain the credibility or the profile (or sometimes just the pay check) so that they can go and do some ‘real’ acting work; maybe in an independent or low-budget project. Adam Sandler could be considered the opposite of this archetypal behaviour, since while he has pitched in to a few more substantial works like Punch-Drunk Love, Spanglish or, more recently, Reign Over Me, it is the comic brashness for which he is best known where he appears most comfortable. Plus, if the financial success of this film is anything to go by, the typical Sandler-brand comedy isn’t going away any time soon.
In Click, Sandler plays Michael Newman, a hard-working architect who struggles to divide his time between work and his two young children. On an innocent trip out to replace the television remote he stumbles across an eccentric store worker named Morty, who gives him the ultimate universal remote. Michael discovers that the remote doesn’t control appliances, but instead controls his life - allowing him to pause, mute and fast-forward his life. It gives him the ability to progress at work, but when the remote starts doing things on its own - remembering his ‘preferences’ - it makes Michael realise that there are things he should savour in life.
Sandler is clearly the centre of the film, not just because he stars in it but because it is his production company (Happy Madison) behind the whole thing, plus he brings The Waterboy and The Wedding Singer director Frank Coraci on board to helm the picture. He knows his surroundings here and plays the good guy with an angry streak, similar to his characters in Anger Management and 50 First Dates, with little trouble. Backing him up are a host of recognisable faces including a typically whacked-out role for Christopher Walken, a slave-driving boss in David Hasselhoff and Kate Beckinsale looking more gorgeous than ever - and thus ruining the illusion that she would be married to Sandler. We also get little snippets of Henry Winkler, Sean Astin and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance for Jonah Hill. The cast try their best, but there’s not a lot they can do to turn the film into more than it is.
Which, essentially, is a light and fluffy family comedy that has then been Sandler-ised by the addition of crude jokes, some sexual humour, and a relaxed attitude to swearing. Not that any of that is necessarily bad - you’ll know what you’re in for if you’ve seen any previous Happy Madison productions - it just doesn’t help lift the overall quality above that of any other Hollywood comedies. Frank Coraci handles the visuals effectively and even makes room for some special effects extravagance in the scenes where Michael uses the remote and accesses the main menu for his life. It might be one of the more imaginary elements in the movie, but it certainly looks cool.
Which brings us to the most difficult aspect of this film: its story. The script, by Bruce Almighty writers Steve Koren and Mark O’Keefe, dishes out plenty of sarcasm and throwaway gags like any American comedy, but concurrently weaves a story that is questionably fantastical at best. You’re going to have to buy into the tale in order to have any fun with it, since a remote device that controls time brings up all kinds of plot questions. The fact that Michael opts to fast forward through a family meal so that he can work (why not speed through the work too?) or that the mysterious Morty negates to tell him how the remote really works until it is too late, will have you wondering where you separate the reality of Michael’s life problems and the fantasy of his magical device.
Even more bizarrely, the second half of the film slowly makes a play for the dramatic with a clear It’s a Wonderful Life reference creeping into what starts as such a screwball comedy. Whether this element of the film entirely plays is questionable but personally I found it a bit of a stretch to get fully involved in such a comic creation so as to feel emotionally affected by Michael’s redemption. You’ll get the idea though, and it’s certainly put together in a solid way - just don’t expect to be moved, even if you’re pleased that the film’s aspirations are so good. The most interesting aspect of this odd direction is that the film eventually gets within a hair’s breadth of becoming the most darkened cautionary tale that Sandler has ever attempted. Of course, it cops out at the last minute and you get an ending that is nothing more than conventional. I guess that as much as the movie aspires to a higher meaning - it will always be an off-the-shelf Hollywood comedy at heart.
But there’s a catch. Here’s why movies like Click are not over by a long shot: $140 million domestic gross from a $70 million budget. That’s the pull of Adam Sandler in a summer release, even one which deals in ridiculous concepts and fairly stereotypical characters. I’ll admit that it is not completely without merit as it attempts to get its moral across through a relatable narrative; the problem being that it becomes quite hard to relate to this man’s life - he has a perfect family, an obsession with success, and a magic remote control! The hit and miss comedy style slowly takes its toll, although your preference for Adam Sandler is going to have a big effect here. As many interesting dramatic indulgences that might come his way, you can bet that he’ll be coming back to this kind of comedy for a long time yet.
Comments»
no comments yet - be the first?