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Michael Newman
Click here to see him in 2017
Click here to see him in 2023- 2029
Played by: Adam Sandler (adult), Emilio Cast (child)
- Anti-Role Model: He becomes this to his son, as his son starts emulating his bad eating habits and Workaholic tendencies. After learning his son is going to consider his business as opposed to his honeymoon with his new wife, he tries to convince his son not to repeat the mistakes he made in the past.
- Back from the Dead: He dies from heart failure in 2029, but Morty gives him another chance by sending back in time to the night he purchased the remote.
- Body Horror: In the Bad Future 2029, he finds himself with a weakened heart and in life support.
- Break the Haughty: His traumatic experience with the remote helped him reconsider his ways.
- Butt-Monkey: While he doesn't suffer much, it's mainly when he uses the universal remove, kickstarting the trouble he goes through from missing out on events and his kids
- Character Development: At the beginning of the film, he was constantly pushing away his loved ones in order to finish his work. However, after his experience with the remote showed his life and family members passing him by, he devotes himself to spend more time with his family. Best shown when he receives his remote at the end — he throws it away because he knows it's not worth skipping over spending time with his loved ones.
- Deadpan Snarker: He is prone to being snide towards others, especially when it involves his rivals.
- Formerly Fit: He was shown to be average weight at the start of the movie, though once the remote sends him to 2017, he becomes morbidly obese. This is due to his poor eating habits consisting of Twinkies and Yodels, and getting very little to no daily exercise.
- HULK MASH!-Up: When playing with the colour settings on the remote, Michael turns himself green and starts pretending to be the Hulk.
- I Hate Past Me: Seeing how his past self, on autopilot, treats his father during their last meeting disgusts him, due to how his autopilot self can't even be bothered to acknowledge his father - and when he does, it's to hurt his feelings and make his father cry.(to his past self) "You're pathetic."
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Like Adam Sandler's other characters, he tends to be something of a self-centered jerk, though he clearly means well for his family.
- Kick the Dog: Ironically, this is formed by his alternate self, when he tells his father to scram after wanting to show him the quarter trick. He himself is appalled by this.
- Large Ham: He can be over-the-top during his fits of anger.
- My God, What Have I Done?: He sees how badly he screwed up after seeing his kids' unfinished treehouse and especially after seeing himself blow off his father before he died.
- Papa Wolf: When he sees his son getting harassed by his rude neighbor over failing to catch a baseball, he pauses time in order for the baseball to fly right into the little asshole's face.
- Parents as People: He clearly loves his kids and tries his best to support him, but his job gets him in the way and it makes him unintentionally distant towards them. Thankfully, he gets better after his experience with the remote.
- Pet the Dog: While he isn't fond of Janine, he sincerely wishes her good luck on being with Ammer.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Happens whenever Michael is on "auto-pilot". Michael is normally a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, but "auto-pilot" only focuses on the most prominent parts of Michael's character, which takes away his redeeming qualities. When Michael sees himself on "auto-pilot" during his last interaction with his father, he is horrified.
- Took a Level in Kindness: After Michael's experience with the remote, he learns about how bad being a workaholic is, and changes for the better.
- Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: He does some questionable things in the movie that are Played for Laughs, such as when he farts on his boss.
- Workaholic: Deconstructed. He mostly devotes his time solely on his job as an architect, and that ends up causing tension between him and his family. He then realizes that, thanks to the remote, this ends up becoming a horrible influence on his family.
Morty
Portrayed by: Christopher Walken
- Creepy Good: He's the Angel of Death...and he uses manipulation to put Michael on the right track.
- Dark Is Not Evil: On the one hand, he is revealed to be the "Angel of Death"; on the other hand, he is often shown to be openly warm towards Michael and gives the latter a second chance with the remote.
- Dirty Old Man: In some scenes, he admires Michael's wife Donna.
- The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday: Works in a mysterious "Beyond" section of Bed, Bath and Beyond that Michael apparently hadn't noticed before.
- Meaningful Name: Morty is the Angel of Death.
- Morality Pet: He's the one giving Michael advice and warnings when it comes to the universal remote.
- Psychopomp: Claims he took Michael's father when admitting he's the angel of death.
- The Stoic: As expected from Christopher Walken.
- Trickster Mentor: Portrayed by Christopher Walken in a later role similar to his character in Nine Lives (2016).
Donna Newman
Click here to see her in 2017
Click here to see her in 2023- 2029
Portrayed by: Kate Beckinsale
- Fanservice: Kate Beckinsale wearing tiny shorts or wearing a Pocahontas costume.
- Intergenerational Friendship: With Janine, with their actresses being 12 years apart.
- Morality Pet: She shows sympathy and concern towards Michael when it comes to his job and time with his children.
- Silver Fox: The Bad Future shows that she's anything but bad looking despite pushing 60.
- What the Hell, Hero?: She continuously calls out Michael for choosing to focus on work instead of spending some quality time with his family.
Ben Newman
Click here to see him in 2017
Click here to see him in 2023- 2029
Portrayed by: Joseph Castanon (child), Jonah Hill (teen), Jake Hoffman (adult)
- Big Eater: Is this at age 7, which has a terrible effect on him when he becomes morbidly obese at age 18.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Once Michael comments how fat Ben has gotten by 2017, he calls out his father for his poor influence on him.Michael: Look how big you’ve grown! You’re enormous!Ben: Look who’s talking, Captain Twinkie in the S.S. Fatass! It’s good for my self-esteem. Maybe if you took me to Bilante's like you said you would, people wouldn’t think I’m Rosie O'Donnell.
- Kid-Appeal Character: He is easily a character for the kids to love.
- Nice Guy: Zigzagged. He's shown to be an outgoing kid, but in 2017, he becomes moody and emotional (though this is justified due to his father's influence on him). In 2023, however, he is shown to be back as a decent guy.
- Precision F-Strike: His grandmother becomes appalled after finding out that he just said "are you shittin' me?", just like his father.
Samantha Newman
Click here to see her in 2017
Click here to see her in 2029
Portrayed by: Tatum McCann (child), Lorraine Nicholson (teen), Katie Cassidy (adult)
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: In 2017, she blows up at her father for making her dress more properly and makes fun of his "boobs".
- The Cutie: She's definitely quite adorable as a kid. As a teenager, not so much; as an adult, she is back to her "Cutie" persona.
- Daddy's Girl: Downplayed. It's clear that Ben is Michael's favorite child, but he definitely loves his daughter. This is what gets her worried when she thinks he is dying soon.
- Kid-Appeal Character: As with Ben, she's enough for the children to love.
- She's All Grown Up: After the Time Skip, she grows into an attractive young woman, which greatly disturbs her father.
- The Unfavorite: Unintentional. While Michael clearly loves her, it certainly comes across this way since Michael has several heart-to-heart moments with his son Ben during the time skips, but has no similar scenes with her, except for a Running Gag about her having breasts.
Theodore K. Newman
Portrayed by: Henry Winkler
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parent: He and his wife constantly joke about Michael's supposedly small penis.
- Parting-Words Regret: Michael learns that he has become estranged to him in an Alternate Timeline, with their final meeting had him snubbing his father. Cue Manly Tears from Michael.
Trudy Newman
Portrayed by: Julie Kavner
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parent: She and her husband constantly joke about Michael's supposedly small penis.
John Ammer
Portrayed by: David Hasselhoff
- Affably Evil: He's shown to be a rather jovial person and is almost never overtly unpleasantly to his workers but he's also shown having no problem taking their work for granted, and is unsympathetic to any problems in their personal lives that are caused by his constant demands.
- And I Must Scream: He gets farted on by Michael with his mouth open. He eventually believed that he unknowingly ate shit because Michael paused time before doing so.
- Beauty Is Bad: Not exactly evil, but he's definitely a rather unpleasant individual in spite of being played by the Hoff.
- Mean Boss: Wants Michael to work on his planned vacations even though he rightfully protests.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Breaking his promise of making Michael his associate is what leads to Michael using the remote to fast forward until he could finally get the promotion.
Janine
Portrayed by: Jennifer Coolidge
- I Was Quite a Fashion Victim: As seen when Michael sees her during his first date with Donna.
- Intergenerational Friendship: With Donna, with their actresses being 12 years apart.
- Jerkass: Constantly belittles Michael and has a habit of cheating on her husbands.
- Never My Fault: Claims her previous marriages didn't work out because her husband wouldn't pay enough attention to her, even though they were just at work, and she would go off and have sex with her husband's brother.
- Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Michael vehemently detests her.
- Took a Level in Kindness: In the future it's shown that her steady relationship with John Ammer, alongside some marriage counselling, seems to have softened her. When Michael appears upset, actually confused, when she offhandedly mentions his problems with Donna, she becomes remorseful, and changes the subject back to his celebration party for becoming Ammer's partner.
Bill
Portrayed by: Sean Astin
- Arch-Enemy: Due to marrying Donna in the Bad Future, Michael begins to resent him.
- Butt-Monkey: Becomes of the butt of Michael's jokes, mostly because he becomes married to Donna.
- Nice Guy: Is a genuinely decent guy and infinitely nicer than Michael, but who becomes the butt of his jokes.
- Second Love: He is Donna's second husband in the Alternate Timeline.
Kevin O'Doyle
Portrayed by: Cameron Monaghan
- Bratty Half-Pint: Constantly goes out of his way to make Michael feel like a failure.
- Karmic Butt-Monkey: Has his family car insulted, toy robot-dog run over, hit in the eye by a baseball, and accused of smoking weed. He mostly deserves it though for constantly trying to bully Michael and his kids.
- Smug Snake: Likes to rub his successes in Michael's face before it eventually backfired.
- Spoiled Brat: Through all his gloating, it's heavily implied that most of his possessions are thanks to his parents being rich.
