Sony Pictures Home Entertainment presents

Click: Special Edition (2006)

"He's always chasing the pot of gold, but when he gets there, at the end of the day, it's just corn flakes."- Morty (Christopher Walken)

Stars: Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Walken
Other Stars: Henry Winkler, David Hasselhoff, Julie Kavner, Sean Astin
Director: Frank Coraci

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for (language, crude and sex-related humor, and some drug references)
Run Time: 01h:47m:54s
Release Date: 2006-10-10
Genre: comedy

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B-	C-	B	A	C+

 

DVD Review

These days, a year won't go by without at least one Adam Sandler opus gracing our multiplexes. This year's Sandler show was the summer film, Click, which, despite an incredibly annoying, unfunny trailer, went on to perform well at a crowded box office. This light-hearted family comedy is another recent example of the former SNLer trying to get in touch with his sensitive side, but, like everything other than Punch Drunk Love, Sandler just can't help himself when it comes to unnecessary sight gags and gross-out humor.

Sandler plays Michael Newman, a successful architect with a beautiful wife, Donna (Kate Beckinsale), and two kids. Unfortunately, work keeps getting in the way of his family time, especially with his parents (Julie Kavner and Henry Winkler) wanting to visit more often. At his breaking point, Michael heads off to the store to blow off some steam. After crashing on a bed, he meets the mysterious Morty (Christopher Walken) in a back room. Morty gives Michael a "Universal Remote" that he is soon using to pause, fast-forward, and rewind his life. While this new device has some major perks, Michael realizes that literally watching his life pass him by might not be such a good thing.

There isn't much to laugh about in Click, despite it being marketed as a typical "Adam Sandler comedy." Instead, the subject matter is very serious at times, causing us to reflect on our own lives and how we can avoid having them turn out the way they have for Michael. Therein lies the film's major problem, as the filmmakers (and, more than likely, Sandler himself) just couldn't resist throwing in a slew of sight gags and scatological humor. Sure, David Hasselhoff's presence guarantees some sort of schlock factor, but do we need to see Sandler farting in his face, or "The Hoff" mistaking lettuce for poop? The answer is a resounding "No!" as Click is an example of a missed opportunity to produce something that had the potential to be a nice surprise.

The various degrees of ageing makeup are another problem. While such effects are rarely done to perfection, they usually involve making an actor look older than they currently are. In Click's case, we also see Henry Winkler and Julie Kavner made up to look about 20-years-younger. The result is a pair of the poorest, cheapest, and creepiest make-up jobs of all time. Kavner, in particular, looks like she's either wearing a Michael Myers (Halloween) mask, or has had more plastic surgery than Joan Rivers. This is truly scary stuff! The "old person" makeup isn't much better, with Beckinsale barely looking like she's aged, and Sandler not faring much better. At one point, Sandler is meant to look obese as well, but this sequence serves as a pathetic excuse to show off the make up, as his Michael character lays in bed and pinches his fat rolls for what seems like 10 minutes. These effects, as a whole, almost single-handedly bring the entire movie to a halt.

Plus, are we seriously supposed to believe that Adam Sandler is married to the insanely gorgeous Kate Beckinsale?! There have been odd husband and wife pairings in films before, but this one is as far-fetched as they get. Yeah, Click is a fantasy; I get that. Such a moniker can't hide the feeling that we're being asked to suspend our disbelief a bit too much in this case, and the result is an overly distracted audience that never really gets the chance to buy into what Sandler and co. is selling.

Rating for Style: B-
Rating for Substance: C-

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.85:1 - Widescreen
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	yes

Image Transfer Review: The anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen presentation is mostly what we expect from new, big-budgeted films, but things just seemed a bit too dark at times. I didn't see Click at the theater, but I have a hard time believing that this over-darkness was intentional. Still, the images are nice and crisp, the colors are vivid, and the overall transfer is free from dirt or grain.

Image Transfer Grade: B
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
Dolby Digital 5.1	English, French	yes

Audio Transfer Review: The audio is Dolby Digital 5.1, and is a very impressive, active mix that features great channel separation. A great deal of bass is in play, adding to the more fanciful sequences. The dialogue is always crystal clear, blending in nicely with the rest of the audio elements.

Audio Transfer Grade: A 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Scene Access with 27 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English, French with remote access
17 Other Trailer(s) featuring Stranger Than Fiction, The DaVinci Code, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, The Benchwarmers, 50 First Dates, The Pursuit of Happyness, Casino Royale, Ghost Rider, Spider-Man 3, The Holiday, Open Season, Little Man, RV, The Pink Panther (2006), Fun with Dick and Jane, Seinfeld: Season 7, Coming to Blu-Ray
4 Deleted Scenes
7 Featurette(s)
1 Feature/Episode commentary by Adam Sandler, director Frank Coraci, writer Steve Koren, and executive producer Tim Herlihy
Packaging: Keep Case
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extras Review: The entertaining extras collection begins with an audio commentary by Sandler, director Frank Coraci, writer Steve Koren, and executive producer Tim Herlihy. This track is generally amusing, as this bunch is clearly real-life friends, but the end result is that we don't get a ton of valuable information about the making of Click.

There are four deleted scenes that last just over three minutes, but offer only one laugh from Rob Schneider.

Also here are seven featurettes that chronicle the film's production, beginning with Make Me Old and Fat, a six-minute piece that takes a look at the rather terrible make-up effects in the film. FX of Click expands on the make-up work to offer us five minutes of footage showing a bunch of green screen work and the resulting effects shots.

Design My Universe lasts just under five minutes, and explores the set design, the three-minute Cars of the Future looks at the futuristic vehicles, and Humping Dogs is a single minute of talk about the "frisky" canines in the film.

Director's Take runs for four minutes and features the cast praising director Frank Coraci, while the final segment, Fine Cookin', is nearly three minutes of Sandler on-set in his fat-guy make-up.

Extras Grade: C+
 

Final Comments

Yet another poor effort from the universally loved Adam Sandler, Click represents his most aggressive attempt at a meaningful story to date. Despite the tinges of melodrama, this flick is still Sandler-esque through and through, making it easy to recommend to his rabid fan base. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's DVD is no slouch, with superb audio and video, and some nice extras being the order of the day.

Chuck Aliaga 2006-10-09