Adam Sandler is living every boy's dream life
By Todd Leopold
CNN
Adam Sandler (with Christopher Walken) tests out his latest contraption in "Click."
Watch "Showbiz Tonight" on CNN Headline News, 11 p.m. ET weekdays.(CNN) -- Let's see: Adam Sandler has been an immature, lazy student ("Billy Madison"); an immature, lazy golfer ("Happy Gilmore"); an immature, lazy wedding singer ("The Wedding Singer"); an immature, lazy father ("Big Daddy"); and an immature, lazy son of the devil ("Little Nicky").
In the cases -- more recent -- in which he's not so immature and lazy ("The Longest Yard," "Anger Management," "50 First Dates") there's someone else who has what used to be the Adam Sandler role, someone Sandler can play against like an older brother enjoying a younger brother's, um, immaturity.
He's reveled in tantrums and gadgets, slapstick and gross-out. He hires his friends to direct and co-star; he also produces movies for those friends, which gives Rob Schneider and David Spade something to do.
In other words, Sandler is living every boy's dream. He acts out when he wants, dresses as if he's off to the sandlot baseball game, and generally hangs out with the guys. The women -- uh, girls -- are often afterthoughts.
But maybe Sandler is growing up. He's done "Punch-Drunk Love" and "Spanglish," playing adult characters for two capable directors (Paul Thomas Anderson and James L. Brooks, respectively), and while the movies weren't hits, Sandler received good notices.
But if he's going to grow up, he's doing it on his terms. His new movie, "Click," features every adolescent male's fantasy: a magic box (in this case, a remote control) that can control time. Sure, "Click's" Sandler has a family, but he also makes time slow down to ogle a woman jogger. (It's interesting that Sandler didn't option Nicholson Baker's "The Fermata," in which a guy who can stop time uses his power to have sex -- a thought that's crossed at least one other person's mind.)
Is Adam Sandler the real-life Josh Baskin, the Tom Hanks character in "Big"? Time will tell.
In the meantime, time stops long enough to get going on Eye on Entertainment.
Eye-opener
In "Click," Sandler's character, Michael Newman, is an overworked architect whose life is out of control. Upon getting frustrated with the abundance of remote controls at his house, he decides to buy a universal remote -- which he gets from a wild-haired man played by Christopher Walken.
The remote turns out to be even more universal than advertised, since it essentially controls everything.
Life's great at first for Newman. He ogles women. He gets his work done and smacks the boss. He impresses his wife with his thoughtfulness. But then the remote goes haywire in classic "Twilight Zone" fashion, and his life starts to speed up.
"Click's" plot has possibilities, and writers Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe have been down a similar path before: They wrote Jim Carrey's 2003 comedy "Bruce Almighty," in which Carrey's character takes over for God.
The movie's reviews have been poor, according to the review aggregator Rottentomatoes.com, and there wasn't much buzz ahead of time, as the studio didn't offer many early screenings.
Perhaps it's only a sign that critics generally come to Sandler films with an ax to grind, and the studio, Columbia, figures it may as well dodge the brickbats in hopes of a big opening. As it is, they'll have to hope word-of-mouth from adolescent boys carries the day if the film is to have a future beyond opening weekend.
"Click" opens Friday.
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