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"It's your life. What you do with the remote is your decision, Michael."
Morty: Consider the leprechaun.
Michael Newman: What?
Morty: The one in the cereal commercials.
Michael: (Imitates Irish accent) 'They're magically delicious'? That guy?
Morty: He's always chasing the pot of gold, but when he gets there, at the end of the day, it's just corn flakes.

Click is a 2006 American comedy-drama film directed by Frank Coraci and starring Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Walken and David Hasselhoff. It was released in North America on June 23, 2006 by Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios.

The film follows Michael Newman (Sandler), a married architect with two children. Michael loves his family, but is easily pushed around by his overbearing boss Mr. Ammer (Hasselhoff) and has little time for them. One night, after Michael loses his temper at the amount of remote controls in the house, he goes in search of a universal remote control for his appliances. At a Bed Bath & Beyond, Michael collapses onto a bed and falls asleep, before waking up and proceeding to the section marked "Beyond."

There, he meets the mysterious Morty (Walken), who happens to be an eccentric inventor. Morty takes him to a room marked "Way Beyond" and gives him a universal remote control and warns that it can never be returned. To Michael's amazement, he finds out that the remote literally controls the universe, in particular allowing him to control time. The story follows Michael's experiments with the device, as well as the consequences and lessons resulting.

Not to be confused with the Tales to Give You Goosebumps short story of the same name (or the TV episode based on it). They both use the same concept of a Universal Remote Control, albeit executed in a different fashion.


Click contains examples of:

  • 20 Minutes into the Future: Thanks to the constant time skips caused by the remote "learning" to skip to promotions and other work-related successes, we see glimpses of a future where Everything Is An iPod. Of course, it's a bit confusing as to when they take place; the first time skip of any substantial amount is shown to have transported Michael to the year 2017, but the other time skips are to 2023 and 2029.
  • Actor Allusion: Christopher Walken plays an undercover (arch)angel. Walken has said that when he read the script, he decided that Morty and Gabriel were actually the same person, and played Morty accordingly. If you watch the two movies back-to-back, it's impossible to miss: "It's time to come home.".
  • An Aesop:
    • Family comes first.
    • Don’t “fast-forward” the only life you have. There will be grinds, ruts, and hardship, but they’re almost always temporary, and never forget the things that really matter. Make the best of every moment you're given especially with the ones you love, because they'll never come back.
  • All Just a Dream: Or was it?! It wasn't. Everything happened, but Morty gave Michael a second chance.
  • Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Michael's parents constantly joke about his supposedly small penis.
  • Artifact of Doom: The remote.
  • Ass Shove: After Michael realizes that fast-forwarding through his life isn't so great after all, he tries several times to throw the remote away only for it to keep reappearing in different places on his body, on his other hand or on top of his head, for example. When Michael decides to get naked in order for it to stop, Morty warns him there'll be only one place left for him to pull the remote out of, which convinces Michael to stop.
  • Bad Future: Unsurprisingly, the cause of the main character's Heel Realization.
  • Big Eater:
    • Ben, both at the age of 7 and 18.
    • Michael, both before and during the time skip. It has a terrible effect for both of them; Michael suffers a heart attack and Ben becomes morbidly obese.
  • Bilingual Bonus: Played straight and parodied with Michael playing with the language feature. The first time is during the sensitivity training when Michael switches to the Spanish setting to amuse himself. The second time is during a meeting with a Japanese corporation where Michael uses the setting to find out what they're really saying about his model design.
  • Bratty Half-Pint: The neighbor's kid constantly goes out of his way to make Michael feel like a failure.
  • Brick Joke: Early on in the movie, Michael's daughter Samantha asks him how long he's going to live and Michael says a throwaway line "I'll live for 200 years, is that long enough for you?". Near the end of the film, as he lies dying in the rain, he says to Samantha, "I didn't quite make it to 200 but I still love you."
  • Body Horror:
    • Due to lack of exercise (and his junk food binge-eating while working, which is pretty much all the time), one "fast-forward" of ten years takes Michael from Adam Sandler-sized to Morbidly Obese. Even worse when he goes into a coma for 6 years and loses ONLY the fat.
    • Michael gets one of these, of a sort, when he sees how fat Ben has become by 2017.
  • Buxom Beauty Standard: Michael uses the slow motion controller powers in order to ogle a buxom jogger as she runs past him.
  • Call-Back: To Billy Madison — this film also features a Jerkass Ginger kid by the name of O'Doyle.
  • Cerebus Call-Back: Michael reacts the same way both times when he learned that Sundance, the family dog, and, later on, his father had passed away sometime during his fast forwarding. Unlike the former, where his grief is largely Played for Laughs, the latter is depicted entirely seriously with Michael teetering on the edge of a complete emotional breakdown at the revelation.
  • Cerebus Syndrome: The second half gets real emotional fast, in contrast to the positive first half, where Michael enjoys using the remote to his advantage.
  • Clingy MacGuffin: Eventually the remote keeps popping up despite Michael's attempts to get rid of it.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: Christopher Walken's portrayal of Morty, the Angel of Death, certainly comes off as dark and a bit twisted at times, but ultimately he's rather kindly towards Michael, particularly following the climax when, instead of taking Michael to the afterlife, Morty gives him a second chance to turn his life around, rewinding time back to when he was in Bed, Bath and Beyond. He calmly explains that nothing bad happens to Michael because of him, but because Michael misused the remote.
  • Diabolus ex Machina: The remote learns Michael's habits and begins skipping time-based on what he's previously skipped even when he doesn't tell it to, in order to make sure he fully understands what he's missing and make sure the lesson is driven home fully.
  • Digital Head Swap: During the segment in which Michael was enormously fat.
  • Dirty Old Man: A tiny little bit with Morty noticing just how hot Donna is. (Though as he's an angel, he might be The Ageless or something.)
  • Disappeared Dad: Michael, the "emotionally and mentally absent" variation.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: After neighborhood kid O'Doyle constantly makes fun of him, Michael decides to get back at him by not only telling O'Doyle's mother that O'Doyle had given him the cigar he was smoking, but that he thinks there's marijuana inside of it. O'Doyle may have been a jerk, but he didn't really deserve a punishment for something he didn't do involving drugs.
  • Earn Your Happy Ending: Inverted; Michael chooses to be unhappy from the start, as his over-dedication to his work ends up ruining this life, and Morty points out that it would happen with or without the remote. By learning his lesson, he is finally able to enjoy the little things of life and be happy with his family.
  • Fanservice: Kate Beckinsale wearing tiny shorts or wearing a Pocahontas costume.
  • Fanservice Extra: Michael fast forwards his trip to the office, but on the way he sees a random hot jogger (played by Ireesha) and sets time to slow motion to stare at her big breasts bouncing up and down.
  • Fat Bastard:
    • At the age of 7 it's implied that Ben is going to become one of these; he's a glutton who eats ice-creams and tries to steal Twinkies. He later eats just as unhealthily as his father before the time skipping happens. It's only regular exercise with his step-father that gets him back into shape by his twenties.
    • Both Michael — who's had an unhealthy lifestyle for ten years along with no exercise — and Ben — who got fat due to copying his father's eating habits as a kid (stated above) and not exercising with his increasingly lazy and later absent father — become this after the time skip. Ben later calls his father on it.
      • It's later subverted when, after being given a second chance, Michael promises to exercise everyday with Ben and "not wear a speedo".
  • First Law of Tragicomedies: The film fits this trope to a T. It starts out with Michael using a magical remote to see a jogger's boobs jiggle in slow-mo, and begins a little more dramatic when he accidentally jumps one year ahead, but still had plenty of comedy. When he jumps ahead, he's there corporeally, but not mentally, he's basically zoned out, on "auto-pilot", so his social life falls apart, but for some reason, he's a great architect. Then he jumps ten years into the future, where his wife left him, and he's severely overweight. It just goes straight into drama, leaving comedy in the dust when he jumps past his father's death, and then comes into his own. But then say hello to comedy after the climax. It was All Just a Dream, or it was time rewinded, take your pick.
  • Flanderization: Deliberately invoked. Michael does have a problem with throwing himself into his work and isn't the nicest guy, but does clearly love his family and his Fatal Flaw is a lot of the misguided decisions he makes are out of his love for them. As Morty explains, Michael whenever he's on "auto-pilot" only exhibits the first set of traits, which are the more common ones he displays. It plays a major part in Michael coming to terms with his flaws.
  • Future Me Scares Me: Michael is infuriated to see what a jerkass he's become in the future. He's initially loudly pissed off at his apathy towards his son, but the final straw seems to be when Autopilot!Michael yells at his dad (an event that took place shortly before his death). After seeing that, Michael quickly descends into Tranquil Fury and calls himself "pathetic."
  • Genre Shift: The movie takes a pretty dramatic turn midway through from a typical Adam Sandler comedy to an emotional family drama. This shift is part of the reason Click is still so well known among Sandler's filmography.
  • Groin Attack: In 2017, Michael pauses time to kick Donna's new husband Bill in the balls—several times. When he plays time again, Bill doubles over in pain but wouldn't know why.
  • "Groundhog Day" Loop: The remote allows for this to be possible.
  • Heel Realization: Michael is somewhat of a dick at the start. He sees how much worse it gets through the remote, discovering that while on "auto-pilot" without making any changes to himself, he becomes a world-class asshole who yells at his dad for "barging in," much to his horror and regret.
  • I Was Quite a Fashion Victim: Seeing himself during his first date, Michael calls himself "Wolverine's goofy cousin."
  • The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday: Though the remote was bought in Bed, Bath and Beyond. It was found in a mysterious "Beyond" section that Michael is implied not to have seen before.
  • Lost the TV Remote: This is what compels Michael to find a universal remote control; he goes through several remote controls and finds that none of them work the TV.
  • Lousy Lovers Are Losers: Michael is already implied not to be very good in bed (Donna frequently requests massages before sex and he seems very annoyed at the idea of doing something extra to please his wife) but once he messes with the Universal Remote Control and accidentally "fast forward" their sex, it ends up being a very quick, mechanical and unsatisfying experience for Donna. This is the first clue about how Michael is Not Himself when he skips time.
  • Married to the Job: The path Michael has set for himself. It has dire consequences for Michael's life and even to his family. He becomes a jerkass that fails to make even the smallest change to his attitude over the years and his behavior influences his son to take the same path, horrifying him.
  • May It Never Happen Again: After Michael experiences what the future might be if he focuses more on his job using the universal remote, he goes home and decides to spend time with his family instead. He receives a card from Morty along with the universal remote shortly after, whereupon Michael throws the remote in the trash so he can never use it again.
  • Meaningful Echo: "Will you still love me in the morning? Forever and ever, babe." Donna and Michael had this exchange before their first kiss and later he pulled out the very same napkin the words were written on and they said them as Michael lay dying.
  • Meaningful Name:
    • Morty is the Angel of Death.
    • You know who else is named for an angel? Michael.
    • Michael's last name is New-Man.
  • Mood Whiplash: The first half of the film is basically your typically raunchy Adam Sandler comedy. The second half, however, is an absolutely heartbreaking drama rife with sad moments and existential fears.
  • Mythology Gag: This isn't the first time a Sandler character has made reference to Barney & Friends.
  • Never Trust a Trailer: Previews focused almost entirely on the more lighthearted first half while only giving subtle passing mentions at best of the significantly more depressing second half.
  • Nice Guy: Bill who is a genuinely decent guy, infinitely nicer than Michael, but who becomes the butt of his jokes.
  • Paranormal Mundane Item: Michael Newman, a workaholic family man, acquires a magical universal remote that enables him to control reality.
  • Parting-Words Regret: Michael goes back to the last time he saw his father. He gave him a disproportionately angry brush off.
  • Post–Wake-Up Realization: Michael Newman wakes up after a 10 year time skip caused by the remote. He gets out of bed oblivious to the fact that he's put on a lot of weight during those 10 years.
  • Power Perversion Potential: Michael uses the remote's slow-motion function to stare at a female jogger's big breasts.
  • Product Placement: Michael gets the remote at a Bed Bath & Beyond. Twinkies and Yodels also feature a disproportionate amount. In addition, his childrens' favorite TV show is Dragon Tales which they watch on a Trinitron television.
  • Relative Error: In the future, Michael notices a picture of his, now grown up, son with a pretty blonde girl and asks if she's his girlfriend. After an awkward Beat, an uncomfortable Ben breaks it to him that she's actually Samantha, aka, his own daughter.
  • Rewind, Replay, Repeat: Michael realizes that abusing the "skip" function too many times has caused him to miss several key events in his life, including the death of his father. When he attempts to rewind back to that moment, Morty tells him it can't be done, because Michael wasn't there at the time. Grief-stricken, Michael can only rewind back to the last time he saw his father alive. Michael has become a great success at his job, but is now a heartless businessman. When his father shows up for a friendly visit, he attempts to bond with Michael one more time. Michael gives him a careless and brusque brush off. Michael-watching-the-rewind sees what In-the-Moment-Michael missed.
  • Rock Bottom: When the remote skips ahead ten years, Michael wonders how much worse things can get... and discovers he's put on a lot of weight.
  • Running Gag: All the dogs Michael's family get shown having their way with a plush duck.
  • Screw Yourself: A radio announcement in the future mentions that Michael Jackson, the first man to clone himself is suing himself for molesting himself.
  • Secret Test of Character: Implied at the end: after being given a second chance, Michael discovers that Morty gave him back the remote as well. He promptly decides to throw it into a trash can; once Michael notes it didn't return to him, he walks out of the room.
  • Sensitivity Training: Michael has to sit through one and uses the remote to entertain himself while he sits through it.
  • Setting Update: Click is "The Magic Thread", an old French tale, moved to the present-day United States. The source material was also dramatized on Adventures from the Book of Virtues.
  • She's All Grown Up: After the time skip, he's very disturbed by the fact that his little girl has grown into an attractive young woman.
  • Slow-Motion Pass-By: Invoked by Michael. He fast forwards time to go to work, but on the way he sees a buxom jogger he wants to stare at, so he slows down time when she's passing near him.
  • Soulless Shell: Michael becomes this whenever he uses fast-forward; his body operates on "auto-pilot" and fulfills basic functions autonomously, but he does not consciously remember what happened during these periods.
  • Space Whale Aesop: The aesop of "don't take your life for granted" is delivered via a magic remote that can skip your life for you and tailor itself to your choices.
  • Sweet Tooth: Michael loves to snack on Hostess Twinkies and Ho-Hos and yodels whenever he's dealing with his stressful underpaid job. His son Benjamin also takes after his father, trying to sneak into his Twinkie stash and eating ice cream at the swimming pool party. This would come back to negatively affect both father and son as alternate futures from the remote reveal that their eating habits have contributed to their obesity down the line.
  • Take That!: To Barney & Friends.
    I love you! You love me! That jogger had giant boobies!
  • Tempting Fate: When Michael wakes up after fast-forwarding himself to 10 years, he says, "How much worse can things get?". To his surprise, he realizes that he has become horribly obese:
    Michael: OH MY GOD! I'M A FAT GUY!
  • Time-Freeze Trolling Spree: Michael stops time when in his boss's office and farts in his face. When he unpauses time, the boss chews the odor. He also kicks Bill in the balls several times (so Bill has no idea why they hurt when time starts playing again), and later pulls down his pants (and exposes his Speedos) at Ben's wedding.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Michael loves his Hostess snack Twinkies and Yodels.
  • Trailers Always Lie: There was little indication in the ads that this film would make the switch to drama. The main trailer did slightly hint that things would get darker by showing the remote fast-forwarding to Samantha as a teenager and a horrified Michael saying "what else did I miss?", but even then it didn't completely let on how serious the second half would get. It also notably edits footage to make it appear that Michael has not yet become horribly obese by this point.
  • Title Drop: How Morty tells Michael how to use the remote.
    Morty: Just point and click.
  • Trickster Mentor: Morty, portrayed by Christopher Walken in a role similar to his character in Nine Lives (2016).
  • Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Michael and Donna. Even Morty makes a mention on this:
    Morty: By the way, your wife? Absolutely gorgeous.
    Michael: She is, isn't she?
    Morty: Perfect face. Tight, rocking body. [looks lustfully at Donna]
    Michael: You okay?
    Morty: Amazing.
    Michael: What is?
    Morty: She fell for a schlub like you.
  • The Unfavorite: Unintentional, but it certainly comes across that way with Michael's daughter Samantha. While he has several heart-to-heart moments with his son Ben during the time skips, he has no similar scenes with her, except for a Running Gag about her having breasts.
    • Then again, Samantha calling Bill "dad" is what sets off the massive heart attack that lands Michael in hospital and near death. While Ben gets more focus, he clearly loves her so much that the thought of his little girl trading him off for someone else, of all the horrible things he has seen happen as a result of his choices, is the absolute worst.
  • Universal Remote Control: Adam Sandler's character finds a universal remote at Bed, Bath, and Beyond that allows him to pause and fast-forward time, among other settings. The problem emerges when it turns out that it saves his preferences and starts acting on its own, causing him to miss out on a lot. It also cannot be returned, thrown away, or destroyed, as it will always reappear in the owner's possession in perfect condition regardless of what was done to it.
  • "Well Done, Son" Guy: During the periods where the Remote "fast-forwards" through his life, Michael becomes one of these.
  • Wham Line:
    • This exchange between Michael and Morty in the cemetery after visiting Ted's grave.
      Morty: [standing at Ted's grave] I'm sorry about your father. Taking him wasn't something I wanted to do.
      Michael: What do you mean "taking him"?
      Morty: I'm an angel, Michael.
      Michael: An angel? I thought an angel was supposed to protect people.
      Morty: I'm the Angel of Death.

    • At Ben's wedding, Michael (who had rather come to terms with Bill being his ex-wife's new husband) is having a friendly dance with her, while he sees his daughter Samantha and Bill dancing together, talking.
      Bill: Let's go get some cake!
      Samantha: Race you there, dad!
      Michael: ...Dad? (Cue heart attack).
    • Not long after Michael fast-forwards to the day of his promotion, he gets these bombshells dropped on him.
      Michael: Are you kidding me? [John and Janine] have been dating a couple months now? That's pretty huge for this one.
      Janine: No, the first few months were easy. It was the one-year hump that was the tough part.
      […]
      Michael: It took that bastard a year to promote me?
    • After Michael skips years ahead:
      Ben: Grandpa... died, Dad. He died a while back now.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Possibly one of the few times in media a character gets to directly give one to himself. When Michael uses the remote to revisit the last time he saw his father, as his past self brushes him off the present-day Michael berates him for his behavior, calling him pathetic.
  • When You Coming Home, Dad?: Michael working too hard already causes him to miss some of his children’s important events. The remote’s fast forwarding makes it even worse as he ends up skipping days and even years of events while the rest of him is on “autopilot”.
  • Workaholic: Michael's Fatal Flaw is him focusing too much on building up his career or spending time with his family.
  • Yet Another Christmas Carol: It doesn't take place at Christmas, but it otherwise follows the same structure: Michael is a workaholic who's slowly alienating those around him, then he meets a supernatural being who shows him scenes of his past, present, and a Bad Future, and then returns him to the present with An Aesop.

"Family... comes... first."

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