Click
I got to see this at a private screening last night and it was a really good movie. Sandler has been off the mark with his last few movies, but this one definitely has the feel of some of his classics. The plot is very simple. Time is always running out in his (Sandlers) life and he wants a better way to control it. He's given a remote which can do just that. Conflict arises when the remote starts learning about what he skips and automatically does this. They were very creative with the remotes features, including a funny commentary track and even a "Making of" (though, it's not very pleasant for him nor us).
The movie has a lot of funny moments that are reminiscent of Sandler's past, but overall I'd say most of the comedy is at a more "mature" level. Sandler's grown up and you can tell that throughout. His ragey side does come out here and there, and it gets pretty hilarious at times. The film also has some drama in it, which leads to some real sentimental and despairing scenes (I almost cried twice)
The casting was great. Kate Beckinsale plays his wife perfectly, and she looks beautiful throughout the movie. His kids are also really cute as well, and not "Dakota Fanning annoying". Henry Winkler (aka The Fonze) plays one of the best father roles I've seen in a while. One thng I really appreciated was the aging process with these actors. They did an incredible job with makeup to make them look older. In line with this is the futuristic world that is portrayed. A lot of which, seems straight from a Spielberg film (A.I., Minority Report). That's something I did not expect from a Sandler movie.
Overall, this is a good movie. It has more depth than previous Sandler movies and if you're like me you'll be walking out the theatre with greater appreciation of your own life. In some ways this film feels like a remake of "It's a Wonderful Life". It's not the same story, but some elements are the same, and that's not a bad thing at all. When I first saw the trailer I thought it looked a lot like Bruce Almighty, which isn't surprising since it's written by the same people. Between the two I liked this one a lot more. This is also a really great date movie, so go see it.
*** posted by psychobabbler @ 5:38 PM
