A workaholic architect, who has been overlooking his family in favor of his career, comes across a universal remote that allows him to perform TiVo-like functions on his life, such as pausing events or fast-forwarding over them. When the remote begins creating its own memory and choosing what to fast-forward over, the man sees how much of his personal life has passed him by and realizes the importance of spending more time with his family.
I went and saw this with a friend today, and we both liked it, though it was typical Sandler fare. Going into one of these movies you know there's going to be a lot of juvenile, adolescent boy humor, but I can live with that because sometimes I find that to be very funny.
Basically the movie is about Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) who is so busy trying to get ahead in his career that he ends up neglecting the family he is trying so hard to provide for. Instead of spending time with his wife Donna (Kate Beckinsale) and two young kids, Michael is at the beck and call of his arrogant and unfeeling boss (David Hasselhoff), which means he misses out on important events such as his son's swim meet and spending time with his own parents. This leads to him not sleeping and being cranky with the people he cares about most because at least with them, he doesn't have to worry he'll be "fired".
Michael is torn with the stress of trying to please everyone until one day he comes across a magical remote control that begins to make his life a whole lot easier. At first, Michael is very happy with what this remote can do, and doesn't realize the impact of skipping past some of the bad stuff just so he can enjoy the good parts. But eventually his actions catch up with him and the end result is not what he expected at all...
Like I mentioned earlier, I did like this movie. Sandler has a way of endearing himself to men and women alike with his humor but also his more sensitive side, though I will admit it took me awhile to notice that in his films. It wasn't until I saw "The Wedding Singer" that I began to really take notice of Sandler's work and actually enjoy it. Okay, fine, I'll admit it: I had a huge crush on his character Robbie Hart. I wanted to be Drew Barrymore's character Julia so bad - but I think that's a post for another time.
What I enjoyed about the film was the message. It seems like everyone is pulled in 20 different directions, no one is getting enough sleep, and people are unhappy in their careers and in their relationships because of it. "Click" reminds us, in a funny way, the importance of knowing what our priorities are and what could potentially happen if they are ignored. Another thing I liked was that it was mostly aimed at men, because a lot of times there are films that are centered on the same idea but revolving around a female, and it's good to see that Sandler stressed the male angle, especially in relation to the other men in his life, such as his son and his father. There's quite a bit of emotion involved in these scenes, and I think to sprinkle that along with the more humorous scenes makes them easier for male viewers to (hopefully) take to heart.
I liked the message, I liked how Sandler's character interacts with the other members of the movie because a lot of the scenes are played out much like they would in real life, yet even the imperfections can be endearing.
Did I love this film? No, but that's okay; not every movie is going to rock my world. Would I recommend going to the theatre to see it? Well, I went to the matinee, which was about $4.50, as much as you'd pay to rent the DVD, so sure, catch it on the big screen. It couldn't hurt. Just don't expect award-winning material, and you'll do just fine.
posted by Stacy~ at 6/24/2006 08:59:00 PM
I do want to see this but I think it is a renter for me. I have to really want to see a movie to pay the outrageous price. Unless I do a mantinee like you did!
byI love your two movie reviews.
Definitely a renter but I'm looking forward to it!
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