February 15, 2007 -- “Click,” a modern updating of the old film “It's A Wonderful Life,” is one of the most overrated films of the year. It won a people's choice award as the best comedy of the year. It is a great idea for a movie. Why didn't somebody make the movie this should have been? It fails to capitalize on its potential at every turn of the reel. This is why it landed on a lot of film critics' bottom 10 lists, where it belongs.

Adam Sandler stars as Michael Newman, an architect leading a very hectic life. One night he meets a strange scientist, Morty, played by Christopher Walken who gives him a magical remote control that can do just about anything. Pretty soon, Newman is fast-forwarding through arguments, traffic jams, even sex, so he can do more work. His plan is to get promoted at work, then he'll spend more time with his family. The trouble is, the remote control has a learning circuit. Soon, Newman is fast-forwarding through all of his family life. The kids grow up and he and his wife grow old without sharing very much of their lives. The best moments of his life are passing him by in a blur. The moral of the story, just as it was in “It's a Wonderful Life” is that family and friends are important.

The trouble is that fart jokes, humping dog jokes, fat jokes and serious sentimentality should not be mixed. This movie tries to mix vulgar humor with a spiritual message about the futility of materialism. When Newman is lying in a puddle of water, dying, saying “family is important,” it is unintentionally funny. The movie tries to have it both ways, but it isn't nearly clever enough to pull that off. The movie's basic premise is filled with potential. The shame is, that potential is wasted. With a much better screenplay this could have been a great film, but it looks like it was made by a bunch of schmucks.

There is some good acting talent in this film, but all the characters are paper thin, including Newman himself. They all seem lobotomized by the script. The lovely Kate Beckinsale (“The Aviator”) has the thankless job of playing Newman's wife, Donna. David Hasselhoff (“Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story”) plays Newman's jerk of a boss. Henry Winkler (“Holes”) plays Newman's hapless father. Sean Astin (“Lord of the Rings” movies) plays Donna's second husband. I saw this film on DVD. The “Special Edition” DVD has a very flashy interface and a good package of extras, English and French soundtracks (5.1), commentary soundtrack with Adam Sandler, director Frank Coraci, executive producer Tim Herilhy and writer Steve Koren, deleted scenes, effects, fat suit, production design, dog training, “cars of the future,” and director's take documentaries. This movie rates a C. The DVD rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics, theater tickets and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2007 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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