A married workaholic, Michael Newman doesn't have time for his wife and children, not if he's to impress his ungrateful boss and earn a well-deserved promotion. So when he meets Morty, a loopy sales clerk, he gets the answer to his prayers: a magical remote that allows him to bypass life's little distractions with increasingly hysterical results.
Acting
Walken's unhinged Morty energy carries the whole supernatural premise.
Direction
Coraci somehow balances fart jokes with genuine existential dread.
Practical Effects
The aging makeup that still haunts my nightmares in a good way.
Director
Frank Coraci
Adam Sandler
Michael Newman
Kate Beckinsale
Donna Newman
Christopher Walken
Morty
David Hasselhoff
Ammer
Henry Winkler
Ted
Julie Kavner
Trudy
Sean Astin
Bill
Joseph Castanon
Ben at 7 years old
Jonah Hill
Ben at 17 years old
Jake Hoffman
Ben at 22-30 years old
Tatum McCann
Samantha at 5 years old
Lorraine Nicholson
Samantha at 14 years old
Katie Cassidy
Samantha at 27 years old
Cameron Monaghan
Kevin O'Doyle
Jennifer Coolidge
Janine
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The remote's 'menu' interface was designed to look like actual TV menus of the era—Sony almost sued until they realized it was free product placement.
This film accidentally predicted the 'always-on' work culture of smartphones—Michael's remote is basically early 2000s doom-scrolling made literal.
US
