Click

'Click' really confused me from the start. Not from a plot point of view - that seemed moronically simple - a technology-based rehash of a somewhat exhausted Hollywood concept; a neglectful jerk of a father finds a universal remote control that allows him to skip through parts of his life, until it all goes wrong and he gets his all important epiphany too late. Perhaps more perplexing was who on Earth this film was aimed at. With so many overt references to drugs and sex, it seems unlikely to have been made with suitability for kids in mind, and yet with the humour being so decidedly childish, I found it hard to think of an adult group who may be interested in laying claim. Perhaps most frightening of all however, were the worryingly big-name cast members who should really have known better (David Hasselhoff's inclusion being the sole exception).

David Hasselhoff relaxes on set by doing his own search for America's big new 'talent'

Normally, Adam Sandler's appointment at the helm of any movie would be indicative enough of at least some mild amusement. Sadly however, in the case of 'Click', the only comedic options available are so juvenile - instances of puerile toilet humour and desperate slapstick - that the whole thing just grates from the outset. What's more, the fact that Adam Sandler is able to play such a contemptible jackass so effortlessly doesn't make the premise any less awkward or onerous to watch. Fortunately, the backup of Kate Beckinsale and Christopher Walken does manage to keep things slightly more grounded and watchable, but at times it's a close run thing.

Regardless of the above, if you do manage to make it through the first three quarters of the film (and credit to you), a few of the closing scenes do actually provide some quite emotional and poignant moments that cement the (albeit rather predictable) moral. Sadly though, as touching as some of them are, those moments are so few and fleeting that they simply don't stand a chance of compensating for the previous 90 minutes.

Truth be told, if I wasn't watching the film safe in the knowledge that I had to write this review at the end, 'Click' would most likely have suffered a rather premature deletion from my hard drive, with all traces of it removed in a particularly forensic fashion. In a funny way then, I'm glad that I was forced to watch until the end, as it's the last 10 minutes that have actually managed to salvage any kind of star for this film at all. Sadly, not everyone is going to be governed by the same motivation, so it's really anyone's guess as to how many people have actually stuck with it long enough to be able to predict the ending on their own.