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A workaholic architect finds a universal remote that allows him to fast-forward and rewind to different parts of his life. Complications arise when the remote starts to overrule his choices.

Michael Newman (Sandler) is a hard-working family man who must please his boss (Hasselhoff) in order to get promoted. This gives him less time with his family, and he wishes for a remote with which to control his life. This soon comes true when he meets Morty (Walken), a crazy sales clerk who has the ultimate remote: a remote in which he can do anything, including muting, skipping, and dubbing his life. Michael finds this to be the opportunity in which he can not only skip every argument, but also skip to his promotion. He sees this as a good idea--until the remote goes horribly wrong.—Film_Fan

Spending less and less quality time with his loving wife Donna, and their two children, Ben and Samantha, overworked architect Michael Newman, finds himself with his back to the wall. Unable to satisfy his ungrateful, hard-to-please boss, Michael dreams of taking control of his hectic life, and how better to do that than to get his hands on a magical, one-of-a-kind universal remote? After a chance encounter with eccentric technician Morty, the fatigued father can finally have complete control not only over his television and Hi-Fi system but also his entire life. But although this remarkable device allows Michael to fast-forward through unwanted experiences, rewind, or freeze-frame the fascinating chapters of his life, somehow, cutting corners comes at a price. Can Newman learn how to cherish the simple moments in life before it's too late?—Nick Riganas

A middle-aged male who has difficulty at work comes in possession of a remote that can control everything that is in his life. As he uses it more, he realizes that he is missing out on a lot of his life including the big important moments. He does everything that he can to fix it.—RECB3

Michael Newman is a loving father and husband, but he sees his officemates more often than he sees his own family and his boss takes everything for granted, including Michael--taking advantage of him by dangling a promotion in front of his face. But when one late-night trip to a Bed, Bath and Beyond store for a new remote control, Michael finds himself in the possession of a new kind of remote control developed by an eccentric inventor. A remote control so significant that it allows Michael to be able to fast forward, rewind, pause, and practically control all the events in his life, to such an extent that it becomes a luxury for the overworked man, who finally gets some quality time with his family. But not everything lasts forever as Michael is about to find out when the remote control begins to malfunction, causing Michael to deal with the consequences.—mystic80

Michael Newman (Adam Sandler), an architect, is married to his longtime sweetheart Donna (Kate Beckinsale) with two children, Ben and Samantha. Michael is easily pushed around by his overbearing boss Mr. Ammer (David Hasselhoff). On numerous occasions, Michael willingly sacrifices time with his family to work so he can give them the kinds of possessions he never had. While going in search of a universal remote control at a Bed Bath & Beyond, Michael falls onto a bed and then proceeds to the section marked "Beyond." There, he meets a mysterious clerk named Morty (Christopher Walken), who gives him a "universal" remote control and warns that it can never be returned.

To Michael's amazement, he finds that the remote can control the actual universe, particularly time. Michael uses it to skip fights with Donna, go forward until he rids himself of a cold, and skip a family dinner to work. Later, Morty reveals that when Michael fast-forwards through time, his body is on "auto-pilot" - his mind skips ahead, while his body does everyday life.

After Mr. Ammer promises Michael a partnership position within a few months, he decides to skip ahead to it, but ends up skipping a year of his life since it took him that long to actually get the promotion. Michael also finds out that he is in marriage counseling and missed the death of his dog. When the remote begins fast-forwarding without Michael controlling it, Morty warns the remote programs itself according to Michael's previous commands. Michael's various attempts to dispose of or destroy the remote fail, so he resolves to change his life so that the remote can't control him.

The next day, Mr. Ammer tells Michael he is leaving the country, and in the course of the conversation Mr Ammer suggests one day Michael may end up CEO. Without thinking, Michael responds to say he would like to end up CEO, the remote reacts accordingly and fast-forwards ten years to 2017. Michael is now the CEO, but he is obese, lives alone, his children are teenagers, he is divorced from Donna, and they all hate him. Michael also discovers that Donna is now dating Ben's childhood swim coach, Bill. Michael visits his old house and, after fighting with Donna, the new family dog pounces on him, and he falls and hits his head.

The remote having "learned" from Michael having skipped his cold, it transports him six years into the future, as he had not been healthy a single day over those six years: Donna recounts how a precautionary CAT scan after the fall revealed cancer, and how Michael ate so prolifically during chemotherapy as to subsequently suffer from a heart attack. In those six years, Michael is no longer obese thanks to liposuction, Donna has married Bill, and Ben has gone into his father's line of work. Ben tells Michael his father Ted died, and Michael uses the remote to view the last time they spoke. While on autopilot, Michael angrily rejected Ted's offer for a night out with him and Ben. During Michael's grief, Morty reveals he is in fact the Angel of Death. Fearing him, Michael begs to go to a "good place", and fast forwards several years to Ben's wedding in 2031.

There, he witnesses Samantha call Bill "Dad", and the shock triggers a second heart attack. When Michael awakens, Morty appears to tell him that he chose his path and there is nothing he can do about it. Michael's family arrives and Ben reveals that he has canceled his honeymoon in order to work on an important deal that will keep his business going. Shocked and not wanting Ben to make the same mistakes he did, Michael rushes after him. A nurse attempts to stop him but Michael manages to jab the man with a sedative. He ignores Morty's repeated warnings that the machines are all that are keeping him alive. Michael reaches his family and collapses but manages to convince Ben that family comes first; he reassures the rest that he still loves them, and then Morty comes up to take him.

There is a white flash, and Michael wakes up in the present day on the bed he collapsed onto at the Bed Bath & Beyond, believing that the events have all been "a dream." He makes amends with his father, and reassures Donna, Ben, and Samantha of his affection for them and that he will never sacrifice them for work again. As he celebrates being home, Michael finds the remote and a note sitting on his kitchen counter. After reading the note, which states that Morty knew Michael would do the right thing this time, and realizing he actually experienced the events, he throws the remote in the trash and goes to restart his life with his family. During the credits, a holographic Michael fiddles with the remote, and it lands with a THUD! on the screen as five ice crystals start to surround it.