You remember the trailer. It looked like a standard, mid-2000s Sandler flick. There’s a magic remote, some fart jokes, and David Hasselhoff getting humiliated. We all walked into theaters in June 2006 expecting The Waterboy with a gadget.
Instead, we got a mid-life crisis on speed.
Click 2006 is a weird beast. It starts as a goofy comedy about Michael Newman (Adam Sandler), an overworked architect who just wants to find the "power" button for his life. But then things get dark. Really dark. Honestly, it’s probably the most traumatizing "family comedy" ever made. People still talk about the rain scene. You know the one—where Michael, aged and failing, collapses in the street trying to reach his son.
It’s been twenty years, and we’re still not over it.
The Remote That Ruined Everything
The premise is simple enough. Michael is drowning in work, trying to impress his boss (Hasselhoff) to get a promotion. He’s neglecting his wife, Donna (Kate Beckinsale), and his two kids. He goes to Bed Bath & Beyond looking for a universal remote and ends up in the "Way Beyond" section.
That’s where he meets Morty.
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Christopher Walken plays Morty with this eerie, whimsical energy that feels like a precursor to an afterlife guide. He gives Michael the remote for free. The catch? You can’t return it. At first, it’s a dream. Michael mutes his barking dog. He fast-forwards through a bout of the flu. He even skips a "boring" dinner with his parents (played by the legends Henry Winkler and Julie Kavner).
But the remote is "smart." It learns his preferences.
Pretty soon, it starts skipping automatically. Michael "clicks" past every argument, every illness, and every moment of professional drudgery. He wakes up and realizes he’s missed ten years of his life. He’s the CEO now, but he’s obese, divorced, and his father is dead.
The movie effectively turns into a Twilight Zone episode with a $82 million budget.
Why Click 2006 Actually Matters Now
We live in the "skip" era. Think about it. We double-tap to skip ten seconds of a video. We 2x speed our podcasts. We scroll past anything that doesn't immediately grab us. In 2006, the idea of "fast-forwarding the boring stuff" was a fantasy. Today, it’s a lifestyle.
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The Career Pivot Nobody Expected
Before this, Sandler was the king of the "angry man-child" trope. Click was different. It showed he could actually act, which paved the way for more serious turns in films like Reign Over Me (2007) and eventually Uncut Gems.
The movie is genuinely depressing. Critics at the time didn't really know what to do with it. Rotten Tomatoes has it sitting at a 33% from critics, but the audience score is much higher. Why? Because it hits a nerve. Most people have felt that "work-life balance" struggle. Seeing Michael realize he ignored his father’s final request for a "boys' night out" is a gut punch that most comedies wouldn't dare deliver.
The Only Oscar-Nominated Sandler Movie?
Here is a bit of trivia that usually wins pub quizzes: Click was nominated for an Academy Award.
Seriously.
It wasn't for Best Actor or Best Screenplay, obviously. It was nominated for Best Achievement in Makeup. Kazuhiro Tsuji and Bill Corso did incredible work aging the cast. Watching Henry Winkler’s character go from a vibrant dad to a frail old man is haunting. They lost the Oscar to Pan’s Labyrinth, which, fair enough. But for a Happy Madison production to even be in the room with the Academy is a testament to the technical craft involved.
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Breaking Down the Cast
The ensemble is surprisingly stacked.
- Kate Beckinsale: She has the thankless job of being the "concerned wife," but she brings a warmth that makes the eventual divorce hurt more.
- Henry Winkler: The heart of the film. His performance as Ted Newman is what makes the second half of the movie work.
- Sean Astin: He plays the new husband in the future, and yes, he’s wearing a speedo at one point. It’s a jarring bit of comedy in a very sad segment.
- Jonah Hill: Most people forget he’s in this! He plays the teen version of Michael’s son, Ben. It was one of his earliest roles.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
The "it was all a dream" trope is usually a cheap cop-out. In Click, it’s debated. Some fans think Michael actually died and was given a "reset" by Morty (who turns out to be the Angel of Death).
When Michael wakes up on the display bed in Bed Bath & Beyond, he’s ecstatic. He runs home, hugs his family, and treats his parents with the respect they deserve. He finds the remote on his counter one last time with a note from Morty. He throws it in the trash.
The lesson isn't just "family first." It’s that the "boring stuff" is actually the life part. The arguments, the commutes, the waiting—that's the texture of existence. If you skip the bad, the good doesn't mean anything.
Practical Takeaways from Michael Newman's Mistakes
- The "Later" Trap: Michael kept saying he'd spend time with the kids "once he made partner." The movie proves that "later" is a moving target.
- The Power of Presence: If you’re at dinner but you’re on your phone, you’re basically using the remote. You’re physically there, but you’ve checked out of the moment.
- Parental Regret: The scene where Michael watches the "video" of himself being mean to his dad is a reminder to take the phone call. Go to the dinner. Even if it’s boring.
If you haven't seen it in a while, it's worth a rewatch. Just keep the tissues nearby. It’s much heavier than the DVD cover suggests.
To really appreciate the film's impact, try watching it back-to-back with Punch-Drunk Love. You’ll see a version of Sandler that the 90s never would have predicted. You can find Click streaming on most major platforms like Hulu or for rent on Amazon.
Take a night this weekend to put your own phone (remote) away and actually watch it. Pay attention to Henry Winkler's performance—it's the soul of the whole thing.