I’ve been thinking about Click a lot recently, and how it’s a tragedy disguised as a comedy so effectively that it was critically hated, and I fear people not seeing what it truly is because it’s falsely labeled as a braindead comedy. Turns out, I’m not the only one recently thinking about this.
do the creators of click realize they made a tragedy annnd click Search
Of course the AI says, “Yes, they were aware they added tragic elements.” Every comedy has tragic elements. You can’t just make jokes and be funny and not have some contrast. But anyone who sees Click as a comedy is deluded or hasn’t watched it. To me, the most interesting detail around the film is how I’d only ever seen people dismiss is as Adam Sandler-shlock, an average dumb comedy. But that’s kind of the secret of it? You trick people who want braindead entertainment into watching something poignant.
[…] I think it’s maybe the saddest film ever made. The idea of life hurtling past you at unstoppable speed, directly towards death, all because of a broken TV remote, is absolutely horrifying to me.
The writers try to wrap it all up in a happy ending in a couple of minutes, so you’re forgiven if only the bleakness stuck with you. 1
The marketing and public perception of the movie seemed so disconnected to me it made me wonder if the team behind this movie even knew they created a tragedy. In retrospect, it was silly to doubt their competence when it was so well crafted. I learned Adam Sandler’s father died shortly before production, and the director got him to cry by reminding him that his mother misses her husband every night… yeah, they knew exactly what they were doing.
If you want to know more about the background of making Click, read An oral history of Adam Sandler’s Click: Alternate ending, Paul Thomas Anderson’s note and more (exclusive) by Josh Weiss on MSN, it goes very in-depth. (And holy crap, I did not realize that was only published two days ago! I just had the thought to look into this movie a little more, and what timing.) The only real failure of that article is saying that the character Michael is a good person. He is awful, beginning to end, only recognizing it at the very end.
I had no idea it started as a drama, and how it’s supposed to pay tribute to It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s also absurd to learn that Sony wanted their logo on the remote – imagine forever associating their brand with existential dread! The original ending had Michael dying, then in his house, he thinks he has a second chance, and it’s a gut-punch that he’s in Heaven.
Maybe my perception of how the movie was viewed is mostly due to poisoning the well from critics hating low brow humor and the way they were misled, as well as thinking a comedy actor can’t deliver drama.2 Audiences liked it okay, and it made a bunch of money, so it was successful.. even if it’s not really remembered.
Ultimately, I think I’m correct that the point of its presentation is to trick you into engaging and having an emotional reaction. People saying it’s the only movie that made them cry is my evidence for this, as how could it be the only movie unless you avoid emotional movies? The trick worked.3
Click: The Worst Movie ⏐ Big Joel by Big Joel
I like the movie’s message, and it did make me cry, because I was too naive to realize how hateful so much of it is. I still value the message, but it was delivered poorly for a mature person. I felt like it was important to include this video because it highlights a good chunk of what’s wrong with it.
The most obvious failure of Michael immediately upon getting the remote is fast-forwarding instead of pausing for more time. Skipping will always cause problems, but pausing to consider can make things work so much better. (It’s kind of a minor failure though, as it would ruin the whole point of the movie.)
(This was originally written 2026-06-25.)