Mark O'Keefe

A workaholic architect, frustrated in his job but determined to make a better life for his family, is bestowed with a powerful universal remote that allows him more control over his life than he ever knew possible in director Frank Coraci's high-concept fantasy comedy. On the surface, Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) seems to have it all, yet with all the demands forced upon him by his ungrateful boss (David Hasselhoff), Michael finds that setting aside time to spend with his loving wife, Donna (Kate Beckinsale), and two picture-perfect children, Ben (Joseph Castanon) and Samantha (Tatum McCann), has grown increasingly difficult. When a frustrating bout with the television remote leads the overworked husband and father to a nearby Bed, Bath & Beyond in search of a universal remote with the power to control all of his electronic devices, a curious peek into the back room leads Michael into the company of eccentric employee and talented inventor Morty (Christopher Walken). It seems that Morty has created a device that will not only allow Michael complete control over his television and stereo, but his entire life as well. As Michael discovers that the remarkable device has the power to muffle the barks of the family dog, zoom himself past an irritating quarrel with his wife, and even allow him to travel back and forth through time to different points in his life, the rush of being able to skip straight to the good parts in life soon leaves him feeling as if he's missing out on the total experience. Only when Michael begins to realize that the he has lost control of his life and the remote is now programming him does he finally learn that life is as much about the moments he'd rather forget as it is the moments he will always remember. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Originally titled Brave New World, the weekly, half-hour seriocomedy The O'Keefes was based in part on the real-life experiences of Mark O'Keefe, who also co-produced the series. Judge Reinhold and Kirsten Nelson starred as Harry and Ellen O'Keefe, a brilliant and eccentric couple who elected to home-school their three children, sheltering the kids from such insignificant distractions as TV, contemporary music, and other forms of popular culture. Though the O'Keefes were affectionate and well-intentioned, the kids -- Lauren (Tania Raymonde), Danny (Joseph Cross), and Mark (Matt Weinberg) -- eventually yearned to lead normal lives. Under protest, Harry enrolled his youngsters in public school, whereupon the erudite but unworldly O'Keefe progeny found that they may have been conversant in several languages, but "teentalk" wasn't one of them. The O'Keefes debuted May 22, 2003, on the WB network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide