Click (2006)

A universal remote from the back of a Bed Bath & Beyond is the most powerful object in any Adam Sandler movie, and Click has no idea what tone to use it for. The first half is broad comedy where Michael silences barking, freezes his boss mid-sentence and skips through traffic, with jokes aimed at the cheap seats. Then a weepy drama about missing your own life shows up out of nowhere, and the goofy stuff never earned it. Sandler plays Michael as a little mean even before the remote, so it’s hard to care when it backfires. Christopher Walken is the best thing in it as Morty, a mysterious clerk who talks like every sentence is a riddle. Henry Winkler, as Michael’s dad, is so warm he walks off with the emotional half. Critics gave it a 34%, while audiences pushed it to $240.7 million worldwide. A 4.8 because the idea is great and the movie keeps fast-forwarding past it. $198.88 says you skip an ad tonight and feel a tiny pang of guilt about it.

What works: Christopher Walken is delightfully strange as Morty, and Henry Winkler gives the sad half more heart than it deserves.

What doesn’t: The crude early gags and the heavy final act never fit together, and Michael is too unpleasant to root for.

Who it’s for: Adam Sandler fans who want a comedy that sneaks up on them with a lesson about family.