I'll admit upfront that I am not Adam Sandlers biggest fan. His movies are generally quite funny, however, any actor who portrays the same character, in this case a relatively likeable character who is prone to throwing temper tantrums, loses a lot of credit. A good actor is one who proves to be both credible and versatile in their roles. Adam Sandler, until Punch-Drunk Love, had proven he had a certain charm as a leading man, however, had not proven to be a versatile actor. Things have changed, as he's had the opportunity to display his acting ability in a number of projects since, Spanglish being the most impressive. Click is some sort of hybrid combination of both typical classic Sandler, and the more recent, more impressive actor.
The idea of a remote control that controls your universe seems like a unique enough idea in the realm of comedy. There's a lot of potential there to create some humorous situations. And there certainly are a number of funny situations throughout the first half of the film. What I didn't expect, however, was the dramatic potential of said idea. I hadn't really thought about the fact that an Adam Sandler movie about a remote that can pause, fast-forward, rewind, etc. it's owners life, may have aspire to be more than a typical comedy. Click does exactly that, aspires to be something more. Surprisingly, it succeeds.
The second half of the film abandons the comedic route the first half of the film took, in order to establish a more serious concept regarding the consequences of this particular remote control. There are few laughs during the last half of the film, but this doesn't mean the film is any less successful at what it hopes to accomplish. The theme of the film (or moral, if you prefer), is dealt quite heavy-handedly, however it is never distracting as we feel a certain amount of sympathy for Sandlers character, allowing us to relax and involve ourselves in the events occurring onscreen. While I will generally consider a film which can't decide what it wants to be (in this case, Comedy or Drama), unsuccessful, I must hold my tongue this time around, as Click was handled as well as could be expected. The distinct change in emotional tone is very effective, as the second half of the film works as a natural progression of the first, and the emotional impact is heightened due to the credibility of the characters developed earlier in the film.
While effective as both a comedy and drama, Click is not without its weaknesses, in particular an ending, which is tacked on after the fact, and can only be viewed as a cop out on the part of the writers, discrediting the emotional impact of the film. It's a glaring weakness in the script, but no Adam Sandler film is perfect, after all. See it for Christopher Walken in another great performance. And did I mention David Hasselhoff is in it?