Film Review of
Click
Director: Frank Coraci (2006)
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Certificate: 12A
Reviewed by Andrew Wooding
Spoiler notice: If you read on will become aware
of some of the content of the film.
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Main Characters:
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This is the first Adam Sandler film I have ever seen, and while it moved me very much (particularly towards the end), I doubt I will ever see another Adam Sandler film. How is it that out of all the talented comedy actors in the world - with larger than life onscreen personalities, and acting chops to go with it - Adam Sandler ends up being the leading man in so many films? He just seems like an ordinary guy going through the motions and occasionally doing funny voices. But maybe that's the point – the audience likes him because they can identify with him. As for me, I think I would have enjoyed the film a lot more had a slightly more charismatic actor played the "hero", Michael Newman.
I could imagine Jim Carrey in the role, but then he's already done this, since much of Click contains echoes of Bruce Almighty, not coincidentally written by the same scriptwriters - Steve Coren and Mark O'Keefe - who also have a sequel in the works, called Evan Almighty. That makes three films in a row by them about ordinary human beings given God-like powers and learning something about themselves in the process.
In Click, the God-like powers come from a universal remote control, sold to Michael Newman by Morty, played brilliantly by Christopher Walken, in a wacky, mad scientist role that harks back to Dr Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) in the Back to the Future trilogy. Michael Newman has too many remotes in his house - one for the TV, one for the garage door, one for various battery-operated toys, and more. He is tired of trying to find the correct remote and so drives to his nearest electric appliance store to find one handy "universal" remote that will take the place of all of them. Morty, however, is a little more literal in his understanding of a universal remote and Michael Newman gradually discovers that his new purchase controls his universe. He can pause people, turn down their volume, fast forward through bits of his life he doesn't like, and so on.
The first hour of the film is OK, if a little reliant on toilet-type humour and unsubtle gags. In the hands of a genius like Mel Brooks, or even the Monty Python team, this brand of humour can work very well indeed, especially with a certain intelligence behind it. I didn't pick up any such intelligence from the makers of this film. The gags smacked of the authors thinking, "Hmm. We need a laugh here. Let's have someone belching." If this was all the film contained, I probably wouldn't even be writing this review.
The second half is much better and even has scenes with genuinely moving tragedy. Michael Newman fast forwards through so much of his life, putting top priority on his work and promotion prospects, that he misses his children growing up, his father dying and his own battle with cancer. Will he learn from his mistakes, like Bruce in Bruce Almighty or Scrooge in A Christmas Carol?
Henry Winkler (most famous as the Fonze in '70s sitcom, Happy Days), plays Michael Newman's loving father, and I don't mind admitting that I shed a tear or two at his final major scene. David Hasselhoff is also to be commended for sending himself up in the role of Michael Newman's ignorant boss – think of Ricky Gervais's David Brent with an American accent.
I felt insulted by much of the first half of the film - did the writers really think I would be splitting my sides laughing at the frequently recurring joke of a dog having intimate relations with a family toy? I also question the frequent use of strong language, especially in what should be a family film.
But the second half definitely redeemed the film in my eyes and gave me much food for thought. It even made me want to spend more time with my family, and that is definitely worth the price of a £5 cinema ticket.
Through the lens of Christian Faith
Some key themes: What is really important in life: money, status and possessions, or friends and family? Does God give us a second chance?
"Then Jesus said to his followers, 'If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me. Those who want to save their lives will give up true life, and those who give up their lives for me will have true life. It is worth nothing for them to have the whole world if they lose their souls. They could never pay enough to buy back their souls'" (Matthew 16 v 24-26).
WARNING: IF YOU READ ON YOU WILL DISCOVER HOW THE FILM ENDS
Michael Newman is a driven man. He genuinely loves his wife and kids, but work always comes first. If there is an important project to work on, he has to cancel a family camping trip, and he also misses his son's important sports day. He justifies his neglect by saying that if he is promoted and earns more money it can only benefit the family, but promotion leads to more responsibilities at work and less time at home.
The situation is made worse when Michael acquires a universal remote that truly controls his "universe". He can fast forward through the awkward bits of life and speed up his promotions and pay rises, but at what cost? He misses so much - such as his kids growing up - and the final straw is when his father dies and Michael doesn't even get a chance to say how much he loves him. By the time the fast-forwarding stops, his dad has gone and it is too late. He will never get the chance to be with him again.
A more well-known translation of Jesus' words in Matthew 16 v 26 goes like this: " What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?"
Michael Newman got everything he wanted out of his work - a high-up position at his company and the status and wages to go with it. But every day his children were growing up even more, his wife abandoned him for a fitness trainer, and he lost out on the presence of his parents who were desperate to show him how much they loved him ... but Michael shut himself off from all of them by immersing himself in his work.
It is only at the end of his life that Michael realises what he has done. Desperate for his son not to make the same mistakes, he pleads with him to spend more time with his wife. He also apologises to the surviving members of his family, and - without going into too much detail - this one act of repentance gives him an unexpected second chance. For the scientist (Morty) that gave him the universal remote was actually a heavenly being (Morty could be short for mortality), and Michael was being tested. Even a confession at the very end of a life full of mistakes is enough to save him.
If all this sounds like a modern-day parable, I think this is deliberate. I believe that everyone who sees this film will be challenged about their values in life. Look at Michael's last name: Newman. He definitely became a "new man" by the end of the film, and so can those who seek forgiveness from Jesus, the king of second chances. Don't "lose your soul" by devoting your life to things that don't really matter. Get your priorities in order ... before it's too late.
Discussion questions . . .
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What is your favourite Adam Sandler movie? Do you think he did well in the more serious scenes in Click or do you think he should stick to comedy?
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If you had a universal remote that controlled your universe, what would you use it for? Would you fast forward through a dreaded exam, or rewind to a favourite holiday?
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If you could go back and change a dreadful mistake you have made, would you do it? Do you think that Jesus can forgive you that mistake?
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