In a world where everyone is always focused on the past or the future, often times the present is forgotten. The movie “Click”, released on June 23, 2006 and directed by Frank Coraci, provides the audience with one certain notion – that is, that modern families simply do not spend enough time together due to the restraints caused by parental working hours.

The main purpose of “Click” is to inform its audience of the potential negative outcomes which a family experience when one member of the family unit always puts work before the other members. It is in this way that it becomes clear that the intended audience for this film is the average modern family. It crosses genres, and has elements of the comedic, fantasy, and drama, all rolled into one.

The main cultural context in which “Click” is placed is that of current American corporate culture, a culture which is entrenched in notions of the importance of career and material success, with little regard for relationships. In terms of the actual culture of the time in which the film is set, the element of time travel is used (via the use of a time-travelling remote control, hence the film’s title), to illustrate the changes in clothing, music, technology, to identify the decade in which the main character, Michael (played by Adam Sandler), finds himself. This ability to manipulate time gives the main character the idea that it is acceptable for him to indulge in his workaholic tendencies, as he deludes himself into thinking that the magical remote control can give him all the time he requires to be a good employee likely to be promoted, a doting husband, and an attentive father to his young daughter and son.

The persuasive effects used in the film to illustrate the point that family is more important than work and the financial and professional success that come with it, is by juxtaposing Michael’s chosen lifestyle with that of his loving parents, whom gave him a pleasant boyhood in which he shared plenty of quality time with both his mother and his father, which was the norm at that time. Another persuasive effect used throughout the film is the lesson that, whilst an individual should work enough to provide for the family, too much work can compromise the enjoyment of time shared as a family, and as a result of this imbalance the main characters ends up losing his family, due to his workaholic tendencies and thirst for success, to the children’s swimming coach, who had all the time in the world for Michael’s wife and children.

The film “Click” made me realize that when I was growing up, I always had my parents around. I really appreciate this time they spent with us, and as a result its certainly something I intend to do for my future family as well. It is so important that we focus on our future generations and establish better examples of what life should really be about, and it is my hope that by the time I am a parent, I hope that there has been a great deal of change in how much time society spends on work, and that this imbalance between life and work has been redressed.

In today’s society, back-breaking work has become the norm. After viewing the film “Click”, and considering my own childhood, I truly believe that work should only be a means of providing, rather than it being the most important thing in our lives. Family is so much more important than work. As the saying goes, “work to live, not live to work.”