Movies - Friday, September 25

The Age

Thursday September 24, 2009

CRAIG MATHIESON

Click (2006)Channel Nine, 8.30pmADAM Sandler has grown up. Somewhat. In the films he established his reputation with in the late '90s €” Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy €” he was the moronic man-child, literally the dumbest guy in the room. Now he's the smartest guy in the room, a wisecracking family man trying to juggle home and work and never quite getting ahead. The Sandler of 1999's Big Daddy revelled in irresponsibility but in Click, he's weighed down by commitment. The key prop is a universal remote that harried architect Michael Newman (Sandler) buys from an oddball sales clerk (Christopher Walken), who really shouldn't be allowed to interact with customers. The device lets Michael mute his wife (Kate Beckinsale), rewind his kids and pause his unctuous boss (David Hasselhoff) so he can punch him in the face. But the device begins to fast-forward through his life and he has no memory of events. As with James Stewart in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, Sandler gets a second chance. But while it's not subtly done, Click moves through curious terrain for a comic blockbuster. While it's couched in terms of putting family first, the great fear underpinning the picture is that of ageing and not doing the right work. These are two concerns that, not surprisingly, dog movie stars. Sandler is now in his 40s and you have to wonder if he looks back on his early output as minor efforts he simply fast-forwarded through.CRAIG MATHIESON

© 2009 The Age

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