The Touching Way Director Frank Coraci Got Adam Sandler to Cry for Click's Most Heartbreaking Scene

There are two types of people in this world: those who love the 2006 movie Click (now streaming on Peacock) and those who are woefully wrong. The fantasy-comedy centered around an overworked and ambitious architect (Adam Sandler) who receives a universal remote control that allows him to fast forward through life brings the poignant introspection of Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life into the technological age.

With so many of us constantly glued to our screens — be it phone, computer, tablet, VR goggles, or Apple Vision Pro — the contemporary fable written by Bruce Almighty scribes Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe hits harder than ever before. So many of us are concerned with how we want our lives to look, we sometimes forget to appreciate the invaluable gift that is the present (no pun intended). One day, you'll look back and take stock of your life, not remembering some trivial promotion at the office, but the precious time spent with loved ones.

No scene in Click drives this fact home more forcefully than the moment when Sandler's character, Michael Newman, suddenly breaks down in tears after learning his irresponsible use of the remote control (found in the "Beyond" section of Bed, Bath & Beyond, of course) caused him to miss the death of his loving father (played by Henry Winkler).

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How Click Director Frank Coraci Got Adam Sandler to Cry Like a Baby

The devastation is compounded just moments later as the character watches himself choose an insignificant email over an aging parent longing for connection with his only son. According to director Frank Coraci, who had previously directed Sandler in more light-hearted projects like The Wedding Singer and The Waterboy, eliciting an emotional response out of the lead star required a drastic measure.

"It was one of those days where he couldn't cry," the filmmaker recalled while appearing as a guest on the Spitballing podcast in 2020. "We're trying everything and I know him so well. He has a really dear, close relationship with his mom. He's like, 'F***, I don't know what to do.' And I said, 'Take a minute, take a breath.' And then it just dawned on me. I walked up to him and said — this is horrible — but I was like, 'Your mother goes to bed every night missing your dad.' He just started crying [and] I'm like, 'Roll again!' Because his dad had passed away recently and I just knew that was [the key]. He was happy that I did that, because [it got him] f***ing crying. That's the beauty of having the trust and I knew I wasn't gonna get punched in the face for saying that."

Click is now streaming on Peacock.