Click Parent Guide

Here comes Adam Sandler and his Happy Madison Productions company again with another great movie concept featuring an important message for families, yet—like so many of this actor’s past films—it’s riddled with needless sexual gags and profanities.

Click is all about the classic mid-life dilemma of trying to balance demands at work with responsibilities at home. After another argument with his wife (Kate Beckinsale), Michael Newman (Sandler), an exhausted father of two, desperately wants just one little item he’s sure will make his life more efficient: A universal remote control. Hitting the streets late at night, he heads into the only store still open, a Bed, Bath & Beyond (one of the more than a dozen product placements in this film). Wandering through isles of towels and linens he happens to spot a door marked “Way Beyond,” behind which he encounters Morty (Christopher Walken).

Looking akin to Dr. Emmett Brown from Back to the Future, Morty presents Michael with a one-of-a-kind clicker… a true universal remote that will control his universe. There’s just one catch to the free gift: No returns allowed.

Back at home, the little device works so well, the harried father wonders who would ever want to take it back. Then he discovers it will do much more than change channels. Point it at the dog, and he can turn down the barking. Aim it at his wife, and arguments can be skipped faster than pet food commercials. At work, there are even more applications, such as pausing your boss so you can slap him a few times and pass gas for a very, very long time in his face. What fun!

However, with the ability to speed through all of life’s undesirable moments—which often stretch into weeks, months, and even years—there is the risk your existence will simply pass you by. Such is the fate of Michael, who whips through confrontations, sex, family dinners, boring workdays, and even cancer treatment. Suddenly, he is an old man who recognizes what he has sacrificed—although his crass attitude still hasn’t changed.

And that’s the crux of the problem with this Frank Capra-esque comedy drama. We’ve seen Sandler in movies like Spanglish, so we know he has some dramatic talent. Yet his serious roles haven’t netted the cash that his “moron” (using his own word to describe his typical character) movies do. Unfortunately, once again it seems cash wins over creativity, and Sandler chooses to revel in doggie sex, flatulence, and attempting to be as offensive as possible within a PG-13 rating.

Further eroding the heartwarming message that punctuates the end of most Sandler films, is the feeling his character has only learned half of what he needed to. He may value time with his family more, but he still appears to be the same rude and crude guy he was before he Clicked his way through life.

About author

Rod Gustafson

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.