Adam Sandler Plugged

Film: Click
Cast: Adam Sandler, Christopher Walken, Kate Beckinsale, David Hasselhoff
Director: Frank Coraci

There is a popular misconception that when someone talks about having seen a satiating movie, he is talking about a porn flick. Not true. (At least, not all the time!) Any movie that has made you identify with its character has satiated you. What if the character is a loser? (As most of us are, when compared to on-screen heroes.) Then he gets a push that takes him to the next level. That ‘push’ is the crux of Click.

Architect Michael Newman (Sandler) has no time for his wife Donna (Beckinsale) and his kids because he has to be at the beck and call of his boss Jack (Hasselhoff). Once while searching for a universal remote to operate all the appliances at home, Michael comes across Morty (Walken), an eccentric inventor, who gives him one for free. Just one condition: He cannot return it back.

Michael finds out the remote is far more universal than he expected. It was a remote to life. It had several advantages. He could do a slow motion retake on the voluptuous jogger, reduce the volume of his dog’s barking, pause his boss and then slap him, fast forward foreplay and other boring stuff. There were also disadvantages, which he found to his dismay.

Like other Adam Sandler movies, Click, too, is packaged as a comedy. There are still attempts to poke fun at bodily functions, dirty humour and other Sandlerisms. Unfortunately, they are not funny. This is a sanitised Sandler. One who tries to appeal to a larger family audience, while keeping his fan base intact. He ends up alienating both. Kate Beckinsale has little to do but look nice. The part of Morty was so obviously written with Christopher Walken in mind, but even he can’t bring a spark to these proceedings.

Much has been written about Click having a surreal, philosophical side to it, with oodles of black humour. Balderdash! To make people believe in such an outrageous concept you need outrageous explanations. Click is nothing but run of the mill. As for the remote, it would be a handy toy to have around, without the disadvantages, of course.