Adam Sandler‘s high-concept sci-fi dramedy is currently sitting at #3 on Prime Video’s streaming chart, proving that audiences are once again pressing play on one of Sandler’s most unexpected swings. And honestly? It makes sense. For all its Happy Madison silliness, this particular film has always hit way harder emotionally than people give it credit for.
Directed by Frank Coraci, a longtime Sandler collaborator, Click follows workaholic architect Michael Newman, played by Sandler, who can’t seem to balance his demanding boss, his marriage, and fatherhood. After wandering into the “Beyond” section of Bed Bath & Beyond, Michael meets Morty — played with maximum weird energy by Christopher Walken — who hands him a universal remote that can fast-forward through life.
At first, it’s a dream. Skip arguments. Skip traffic. Skip awkward moments. But when the remote starts making choices for him, Michael’s life begins slipping away in ways he can’t control. The cast also includes Kate Beckinsale as his wife Donna, David Hasselhoff as his overbearing boss, Henry Winkler as his father Ted, Sean Astin, and Rachel Dratch.
The film earned a Best Makeup nomination at the Academy Awards for artists Kazuhiro Tsuji and Bill Corso — largely thanks to the third-act flashforward sequences, where Michael rapidly ages and sees the long-term consequences of his life choices. Those scenes — particularly the ones involving his estranged family and his late father — are where Click transforms from a goofy body-function comedy into something genuinely affecting.
Is ‘Click’ Worth Watching?
The film sits with a 34% Rotten Tomatoes score, although retrospectively it’s been seen as a bold swing and an emotional home run for Sandler. A review by Empire Magazine stated that Click starts as a fairly standard Sandler high-concept comedy before unexpectedly shifting into something far more heartfelt — and surprisingly effective. The supporting cast was also highlighted as a strength. Beckinsale was singled out for elevating what could have been a generic spouse role.
“The Wedding Singer and Waterboy director Frank Coraci makes a good fit of the demanding, overfilled script: too many plot threads (a glimpse of Michael’s future in which he and his son are overweight feels, inevitably, flabby) begin to stall the story at a point where it should be moving swiftly to its conclusion. But happily, when that finale arrives, it’s an impressive enough moment to justify the wait.”
Click is streaming on Prime Video.
