Click

Like "50 First Dates," Adam Sandler's latest comedy, "Click," has an irresistible premise: a workaholic family man (is there any other kind in American movies?) organizes his life via a magical remote control. If you've ever wanted to skip a familiar argument by hitting "fast forward," or extend an ecstatic moment by clicking "pause," you'll recognize the possibilities.

Also like "50 First Dates," the movie is less interested in exploring the premise than it is in using it as a gimmick: a way to dust off and freshen the usual Sandler obsessions. In other words, there are fart jokes, genital-size jokes, kicks to the crotch, nervous gay jokes, and a running gag about a secretary who has to get her boss' permission to go to the toilet.

If you've seen one Sandler comedy, you already know the routine. Indeed, you're probably familiar with all his routines: the flashes of temper that ultimately don't amount to much, the infantile attempts to relate to women, the goofy attempts at male bonding.

What makes "Click" more obnoxious than most Sandler comedies is its attempt to take itself seriously. This happens at about the midway point, and once you realize where he's headed, you may feel like bailing. The final third, which feels longer than "Gone With the Wind," is especially excruciating.

In the early scenes, there are only a few indications that the movie is headed in this direction, as Christopher Walken turns up to play a mystery man who provides Sandler with a "universal remote control." It allows him to rearrange his life and investigate the past and the future.

At first it's fun to watch Sandler play with various buttons to avoid confrontations and toy with his delightful wife (the blissfully sane Kate Beckinsale), boorish boss (David Hasselhoff) and precocious children (Joseph Castanon, Tatum McCann). There's even a poignant moment when he realizes that he's skipped a year and regrets not experiencing several crucial events in his family's life.

But when the movie transforms itself into a mixture of "A Christmas Carol" and "It's a Wonderful Life," with Walken playing the angel as well as all the ghosts, it reaches for something it simply hasn't earned. Sandler's character must make amends with his wife and kids and the parents he's neglected (Julie Kavner, Henry Winkler), but nothing rings true.

"Click" was directed by Frank Coraci, who guided Sandler through "The Waterboy" and "The Wedding Singer," and clearly doesn't know how to say "no" to his star. Unlike Paul Thomas Anderson ("Punch-Drunk Love") or James L. Brooks ("Spanglish"), Coraci doesn't ask Sandler to stretch his familiar persona. James Earl Jones has more fun with his audio-only "voice of God" role, while Beckinsale, making the most of her sketchily written part, comes off as the most appealing character.

The biggest problem is the script, by Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe, the writing team that created Jim Carrey's "Bruce Almighty." The premise is promising, timely and original. So why didn't they stick with it instead of turning it into warmed-over goo?

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