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Synopsis
Paul Thomas Anderson follows 1999's Magnolia with the intensely compelling character study Punch-Drunk Love. Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is a quiet, shy, socially awkward man with an office in an out-of-the-way warehouse. He is dedicated to his job as a wholesale toilet plunger salesman, he keeps a nice apartment, and he is obsessed with special offers on grocery store products. Barry's latest fixation is on frequent flier miles included with the purchase of Healthy Choice foods. Barry wears a bright blue suit, though he doesn't know why. With seven outspoken sisters, he is constantly being nagged, questioned, and berated. He is challenged to explain the reasons for his actions, and it eventually becomes clear that Barry cannot control his often-violent impulses, a trait which is increasingly problematic. When a beautiful woman, Lena Leonard (Emily Watson), walks into his life with an instinctive attraction to him, a nonjudgmental attitude, and unconditional love, Barry undergoes a powerful transformation.
Anderson's film is a tour-de-force for which he garnered the Best Director award at Cannes 2002. Set primarily in Los Angeles and Utah, he shoots either bleak deserted spaces (apartment building hallways) or lush, exotic paradises (Hawaii). Aiming for a Technicolor look, the blue of Barry's suit in contrast with Lena's solid pinks, reds, and whites, pops off of the screen. Colorful interludes designed by visual artist Jeremy Blake offer hallucinogenic lapses from the action of the film, while the rapid percussive score by Jon Brion keeps the suspense and the emotional exasperation of the film on a constantly high level.
Anderson's film is a tour-de-force for which he garnered the Best Director award at Cannes 2002. Set primarily in Los Angeles and Utah, he shoots either bleak deserted spaces (apartment building hallways) or lush, exotic paradises (Hawaii). Aiming for a Technicolor look, the blue of Barry's suit in contrast with Lena's solid pinks, reds, and whites, pops off of the screen. Colorful interludes designed by visual artist Jeremy Blake offer hallucinogenic lapses from the action of the film, while the rapid percussive score by Jon Brion keeps the suspense and the emotional exasperation of the film on a constantly high level.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
After making his 180 minute epic Magnolia, director PT Anderson was asked by the press what his next project would be. He announced he was making a 90 minute comedy starring Adam Sandler, to hearty laughter from the assembled hacks.
And then he made Punch-Drunk Love, a 90 minute comedy, starring Adam Sandler. Well, sort of...
Sandler plays Barry Egan, a man who is seemingly terrified by the world and also suffering from some kind of obsessive compulsive disorder. The film tracks his persecution at the hands of a chatline operator and his 'chance' meeting with a girl which leads to the Love of the title. But why Punch-Drunk too? Possibly because in the first half of the film Barry is subjected to glaring lights, clanging noises, the hen-pecking of his seven sisters and a physical beating...and then he follows Emily Watson's Lena on a business trip and his whole life changes.
Punch-Drunk Love veers between hectic, intense scenes to blissful dreaminess. The cinematography is superb, but likewise swings from steadicam loveliness to handheld paranoia. All the while, the soundtrack reflects this too with jittering, jerky themes melting into sweet hawaiian folk songs.
I loved this film at the cinema and repeat viewings on dvd have backed this up; its mixture of comedy and pathos, romance, phonesex and smashed up patio doors is genuinely appealing. The cast are perfect, and Sandler is a revelation playing something approaching his typical 'manchild', but cast adrift in a world that frustrates and frightens him. Emily Watson brings a tender soulfulness to the character of Lena, and Philip Seymour-Hoffman is as great as ever playing Barry's nemesis the Mattress Man.... Read more ›
And then he made Punch-Drunk Love, a 90 minute comedy, starring Adam Sandler. Well, sort of...
Sandler plays Barry Egan, a man who is seemingly terrified by the world and also suffering from some kind of obsessive compulsive disorder. The film tracks his persecution at the hands of a chatline operator and his 'chance' meeting with a girl which leads to the Love of the title. But why Punch-Drunk too? Possibly because in the first half of the film Barry is subjected to glaring lights, clanging noises, the hen-pecking of his seven sisters and a physical beating...and then he follows Emily Watson's Lena on a business trip and his whole life changes.
Punch-Drunk Love veers between hectic, intense scenes to blissful dreaminess. The cinematography is superb, but likewise swings from steadicam loveliness to handheld paranoia. All the while, the soundtrack reflects this too with jittering, jerky themes melting into sweet hawaiian folk songs.
I loved this film at the cinema and repeat viewings on dvd have backed this up; its mixture of comedy and pathos, romance, phonesex and smashed up patio doors is genuinely appealing. The cast are perfect, and Sandler is a revelation playing something approaching his typical 'manchild', but cast adrift in a world that frustrates and frightens him. Emily Watson brings a tender soulfulness to the character of Lena, and Philip Seymour-Hoffman is as great as ever playing Barry's nemesis the Mattress Man.... Read more ›
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
It's taken me a really long time (and multiple viewings) to realise that I really like this film a lot. Adam Sandler brings a lot to this role (and is perfect for it) but he also brings a lot of unwanted stuff regarding the expectations you might have going into an Adam Sandler film. The first time I saw this I had some very different expectations to what I ended up seeing here. I'll be honest I was slightly dissapointed.
I watched it again after seeing P. T. Anderson's next film `There Will Be Blood' (which has been my favorite film since I saw it in the cinema) and I realized how much I love the it. It's taken me a while to get there but now I'm totally there. And compared to TWBB it really is a really P. T. Anderson film. The protagonist is a flawed but likeable character. How you feel about him changes throughout the film. I like my protagonists flawed I've realized. And I don't like them to come through a whole heap of trouble and emerge a normal person at the other end.
I'd say the biggest similarity between the two films has to do with the concept of love and companionship. This is the central theme underlying both of these films. There is a line in PDL; "I have a love in my life and that makes me stronger than you can possibly imagine". Barry's life is made worth living by having someone to love and share himself with. It's only when he begins a relationship that he starts to take care of himself physically, by standing up to the people who would harm his new love, or his ability to be with her. This is a newly found central relationship in his life, which carries incredible significance for him. Similarly Daniel Plainview in TWBB has a central relationship upon which he builds his entire life around.... Read more ›
I watched it again after seeing P. T. Anderson's next film `There Will Be Blood' (which has been my favorite film since I saw it in the cinema) and I realized how much I love the it. It's taken me a while to get there but now I'm totally there. And compared to TWBB it really is a really P. T. Anderson film. The protagonist is a flawed but likeable character. How you feel about him changes throughout the film. I like my protagonists flawed I've realized. And I don't like them to come through a whole heap of trouble and emerge a normal person at the other end.
I'd say the biggest similarity between the two films has to do with the concept of love and companionship. This is the central theme underlying both of these films. There is a line in PDL; "I have a love in my life and that makes me stronger than you can possibly imagine". Barry's life is made worth living by having someone to love and share himself with. It's only when he begins a relationship that he starts to take care of himself physically, by standing up to the people who would harm his new love, or his ability to be with her. This is a newly found central relationship in his life, which carries incredible significance for him. Similarly Daniel Plainview in TWBB has a central relationship upon which he builds his entire life around.... Read more ›
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By K. Chase-Rahman
VINE™ VOICE
Format:DVD
Clearly not everyone agrees that this is a masterpiece, but I think you have to take it for what is actually shown to you on the screen and judge that. Don't try to worry too much about what is not shown.
Everyone agrees that Adam Sandler gives a magnificent performance, but I was so blown away by it that I think it is worth mentioning again. Sandler plays a loserish small time business man with a suppressed violent streak who gets seduced by Emily Watson (and falls in love with her) while (i) being hounded by seven over-bearing sisters (ii) extorted by Philip Seymour Hoffman's phone sex line operation (iii) trying to collect a million air miles from chocolate pudding and (iv) learning to play a harmonium that someone randomly left on the sidewalk (pavement)
And everyone agrees that the direction, soundtrack and script by Paul Thomas Anderson is quirky. So its a quirky film, and you have to watch it with your quirky pants on, otherwise you'll get an uncomfortable sensation in your nethers. Look again at the points I listed in the last paragraph... Emily Watson does not seduce small time losers - its about as likely as a prince falling in love with a poor girl who's usually covered in cinders (i) no one has seven equally over-bearing sisters - its about as likely as finding seven dwarfs living together in a cottage in the woods (ii) okay, phone sex line operators might extort people, but how this plot line ends is predictably quirky and surreal (iii) chocolate pudding air-miles promotions - need I spell it out? and (iv) no one randomly drops a harmonium on the pavement and drives away - its about as likely as finding gold at the top of a giant beanstalk.... Read more ›
Everyone agrees that Adam Sandler gives a magnificent performance, but I was so blown away by it that I think it is worth mentioning again. Sandler plays a loserish small time business man with a suppressed violent streak who gets seduced by Emily Watson (and falls in love with her) while (i) being hounded by seven over-bearing sisters (ii) extorted by Philip Seymour Hoffman's phone sex line operation (iii) trying to collect a million air miles from chocolate pudding and (iv) learning to play a harmonium that someone randomly left on the sidewalk (pavement)
And everyone agrees that the direction, soundtrack and script by Paul Thomas Anderson is quirky. So its a quirky film, and you have to watch it with your quirky pants on, otherwise you'll get an uncomfortable sensation in your nethers. Look again at the points I listed in the last paragraph... Emily Watson does not seduce small time losers - its about as likely as a prince falling in love with a poor girl who's usually covered in cinders (i) no one has seven equally over-bearing sisters - its about as likely as finding seven dwarfs living together in a cottage in the woods (ii) okay, phone sex line operators might extort people, but how this plot line ends is predictably quirky and surreal (iii) chocolate pudding air-miles promotions - need I spell it out? and (iv) no one randomly drops a harmonium on the pavement and drives away - its about as likely as finding gold at the top of a giant beanstalk.... Read more ›
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3.4 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wasn't expecting that
Great quirky film, nicely shot. Not all the old cliches, I like not to see it all coming, very refreshing.
Published 4 months ago by Mandalou
5.0 out of 5 stars
Punch drunk
I've not had he chance to view this as yet as is a present for someone, but I'm sure it will be fine
Published 7 months ago by P. Pulsford
3.0 out of 5 stars
What Was That?
I have just re-watched Paul Thomas Anderson's 2002 film Punch-Drunk Love for the first since seeing it at the 2002 London Film Festival, in the hope that the last 10 years may have... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Keith M
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful-Wonderful Love
Adam Sandler films were and still are huge disapointments to me. The right director, story, characters & cast are of course a big help. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr. A. J. Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not for Adam Sandler fans
I watched this last night and for the first fifteen minutes or so was quite taken aback.This is nothing like what I expected. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Eric P. Coyle
5.0 out of 5 stars
A superb film that grows on you honest!
If anyone other than a commercial middle of the road star like Adam Sandler had played this role then this film would have grabbed a lot more plaudits. Read more
Published 15 months ago by L. Miller
2.0 out of 5 stars
Over rated
I watched this due to the reviews which, over all, were good. The film is amusing in places, morally questionable, more low key than I expected and failed to hit 4/5 stars. Read more
Published 17 months ago by B J M
3.0 out of 5 stars
Confused arthouse attempt misfires
This effort puts me in mind a little of David Lynch's The Straight Story, not because it's anything like it per se but because both are examples of directors (and stars in this... Read more
Published on 15 Mar 2011 by nosey joe
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oddly wonderful, wonderfully odd
A short, weird confection of a film, full of wonderful moments, beautiful shots, terrific performances and odd ironies. Read more
Published on 9 Nov 2010 by K. Gordon
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great film
If you dislike Adam Sandler and like quirky films, this is for you. Nuff said!
Published on 6 Jun 2010 by Mr. P. D. Kelly
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