Click

Christopher Walken (left) and Adam Sandler in 'Click'.

Herald rating: * *

Adam Sandler stars as Michael Newman in this comedy about an architect who is faced with the dilemma of going on holiday with his wife and two kids, or spending the holiday working in order to please his boss and inch towards a promotion.

Feeling over-worked and over-stretched, Michael finally cracks when he can't work out which remote turns the television on and storms out of the house in search of a universal remote. Finding himself at Bed, Bath & Beyond, his meets a mad scientist type called Morty (Walken), who gives him a remote that enables him to fast-forward, rewind, and pause life, literally.

Suddenly Michael finds himself fast forwarding through life in order to have time for everyone, avoiding the miserable times. What he doesn't realise is that the remote is remembering his actions as habits and it begins to act on its own. Michael finds himself speeding through his life, and starts to dislike what he sees.

Not surprising really, as Michael isn't a likeable guy to start with. Childish, irritable, and existing on a diet of junk food, it's hard to believe his beautiful wife Donna (Beckinsale) and his kids actually want to spend time with him. It's hard to develop any emotional interest in Michael and without it, Click is a semi-interesting idea, albeit not a new one, executed badly.

Towards the end of the film, the tone becomes more serious, as the film attempts to drive home the meaningful importance of family first, but this is no Punch Drunk Love, and Sandler's style of juvenile humour falls flat throughout. When the time comes for Michael to have his epiphany about how important his family is, we really don't care, they are probably better off without him.

If ever there really was a universal remote and you could fast forward, rewind or just plan pause life, then watching this film would have been a great opportunity to use it, preferably for its fast-forward function.

Cast: Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Walken, David Hasselhoff, Sean Astin
Director: Frank Coraci
Running Time: 98 minutes
Rating: M (offensive language & sexual references)
Screening: Village, Hoyts & Berkeley cinemas

Verdict: Disappointingly predictable comedy from Sandler