- Actors: Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Andrews, Don McManus
- Directors: Paul Thomas Anderson
- Writers: Paul Thomas Anderson
- Producers: Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Lupi, Daniel P. Collins, JoAnne Sellar
- Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Colour, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language English, French
- Subtitles: English, French
- Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 2.35:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Classification: R (Restricted) (US MPAA rating. See details.)
- Studio: Sony Pictures
- DVD Release Date: 24 Jun 2003
- Run Time: 95 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00000G02H
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 96,588 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
A 97-minute Paul Thomas Anderson picture, Punch-Drunk Love concentrates on a tight little story that might have made a subplot for earlier PTA epics such as Boogie Nights or Magnolia. Adam Sandler has a break-out art film lead not by abandoning his usual persona, but by playing his familiar man-child-out-of-control with far more depth than he has shown in Big Daddy.
Though prone to fits of terrifying rage, oddball entrepreneur Barry Egan (Sandler) is essentially sweet and timid, alternately nagged and cajoled by his seven sisters, and intent on exploiting a loophole in a supermarket promotion to convert piles of cheap puddings into unlimited free flights, though he has never actually been anywhere. Over the course of a day Barry enters into two unusual relationships: with a phone-sex girl (Ashley Clark) who runs a scam with "mattress man" (Philip Seymour Hoffman)--by getting Barry's credit card information and declaring a war of extortion--and with hesitant nice girl Lena (Emily Watson), whom he impulsively follows to Hawaii while trying desperately to seem more like a dedicated romantic than a psycho stalker. Anderson's trademark use of loud background music (including a Shelley Duvall track from Popeye) and obsessively repeated bits of dialogue and business make for a controlled film that still seems on the edge of madness. The result is magical, romantic, comic and creepy. --Kim Newman
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 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.
Punch-Drunk Love split the critics when released and falls into the 'love it or hate it' category pretty squarely. But if you can accept the uneven tone and want something wholly different from the usual pap that Hollywood serves up in the romantic comedy genre you may well be surprised and delighted. And watch out for the way Barry's ties change colour as the film progresses to match the colour of Lena's dress last time he saw her. Aint that sweet?
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.
Punch-Drunk Love split the critics when released and falls into the 'love it or hate it' category pretty squarely. But if you can accept the uneven tone and want something wholly different from the usual pap that Hollywood serves up in the romantic comedy genre you may well be surprised and delighted. And watch out for the way Barry's ties change colour as the film progresses to match the colour of Lena's dress last time he saw her. Aint that sweet?
3 of 3 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. It's only when his Brother comes to stay does can he get rid of his problematic son. And it's only when his brother betrays him (I don't want to spoil it) does he need to get his son back to him. He needs a family member to depend on, run his business and share his life with. This is why Plainview is so twisted at the end of the film when his son, In his eyes, betrays him. Both characters have a deep need for companionship. In my eyes this is obviously a theme, unconscious or not, from P. T. Anderson.
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. It's only when his Brother comes to stay does can he get rid of his problematic son. And it's only when his brother betrays him (I don't want to spoil it) does he need to get his son back to him. He needs a family member to depend on, run his business and share his life with. This is why Plainview is so twisted at the end of the film when his son, In his eyes, betrays him. Both characters have a deep need for companionship. In my eyes this is obviously a theme, unconscious or not, from P. T. Anderson.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
After the hugely successful Boogie Nights and the inspirational Magnolia, it seems P.T. Anderson has written and directed yet another astonishingly genius movie that goes way off the richter scale of the normal, and all the better for it.Punch-Drunk Love is the Adam Sandler/"romantic comedy" in essence, but hugley distorted and a lot more subtle in humour, making it a truly surreal experience.Adam Sandler stars as Barry Egan, the "Angry but innocent" archetype, but made a lot more realistic and human.So rather than just shouting and stomping like in so many other Sandler films, Barry is quiet,depressed,obsessed with repeating patterns and is prone to outbursts of violence because of a serious implosive rage issue.Barry is the boss of a small company that sells toiletries, is emotionally scarred by his nagging seven sisters, is used to being put down all the time and is very, very lonely. So lonely infact that he calls a phone sex line, just so he can talk to somebody. This leads to a sleazy extortion scam lead by the big talking Mattress Man(played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) and threats Barry's well being. Then enters the unusually beautiful Lena(Emily Watson) who strikes up an unassuming relationship with Barry, just because she saw him in a photograph one of his sisters took and decided to take a chance. Their love blossoms and sends Barry into a state of emotional complexity, fluctuating between lust, uncontrollable rage(at everyone else except Lena anyway) and self doubt,ultimately leading him to change his hellish life and confront the extortionists out to get him.
I, like everybody, was a bit sceptical of Adam Sandler being in P.T. Andersons movie, but after seeing the film I realise that he is one of the best actors of our time. He manages to be funny and very sympathetic as the emotional mess that is our hero, while Hoffman,Watson and Luis Guzman excell as the rest of the cast. What also is outstanding is the directing, beautifully shot images full of extreme colours.The use of sound is amazing too, as the tense drum music builds up when Barry is getting verbally abused,underpressure or growing more wildly angry, but when he is around Lena, its only triumphant violin music and a strange version of Shelly Duvall singing "He Needs Me"(as seen from the live version of Popeye).
Punch-Drunk Love won the best direcitng award at the Cannes and deserves to be a success.Definitely not a movie to miss if you want to see a unique, emotionally powerful love story with a twist.
I, like everybody, was a bit sceptical of Adam Sandler being in P.T. Andersons movie, but after seeing the film I realise that he is one of the best actors of our time. He manages to be funny and very sympathetic as the emotional mess that is our hero, while Hoffman,Watson and Luis Guzman excell as the rest of the cast. What also is outstanding is the directing, beautifully shot images full of extreme colours.The use of sound is amazing too, as the tense drum music builds up when Barry is getting verbally abused,underpressure or growing more wildly angry, but when he is around Lena, its only triumphant violin music and a strange version of Shelly Duvall singing "He Needs Me"(as seen from the live version of Popeye).
Punch-Drunk Love won the best direcitng award at the Cannes and deserves to be a success.Definitely not a movie to miss if you want to see a unique, emotionally powerful love story with a twist.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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 2 months ago by L. Miller
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 5 months ago by B J M
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 14 months ago by nosey joe
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 19 months ago by K. Gordon
A great film
If you dislike Adam Sandler and like quirky films, this is for you. Nuff said!
Published 24 months ago by Mr. P. D. Kelly
Must if your an Adam fan
The DVD can quick and packaged well. The price was okay too. The movie is not one of Adam Sandlers best but i love all his films and it's a must have to your collection.
Published on 18 Mar 2010 by jen
PTA does it again
Adam Sandler will become one of our most versatile actors I just hope he doesn't forget his comedy!!
Published on 9 Feb 2010 by J. M. Bricknell
beautiful, important film.
Proves Adam Sandler does possess a heart and it is not made of rubber or any other artificial materials! Emily Watson is so beautiful too.
Published on 18 Dec 2009 by Smith
Anderson at his quirkest
Punch drunk is just one of those films that left me reeling from the shear intricacies of the whole thing - I needed to watch it a second time through the next day. Read more
Published on 25 May 2009 by Christopher M. Rowberry
Atmospheric
I felt this film an excellent example of what can be acomplished by people that see films art and not just bussiness, it has gotten bad reviews i have noticed, probably because its... Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2009 by B. Heavey
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