Punch-Drunk Love

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Punch-Drunk Love

73% Liked It
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Punch-Drunk Love

Adam Sandler, Don McManus, Emily Watson, Luis Guzman, Mary Lynn Rajskub

A beleaguered small-business owner gets a harmonium and embarks on a romantic journey with a mysterious woman.

Id: 10896003

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Punch-Drunk Love Recent Reviews

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Punch-Drunk Love Recent Reviews
  • garyX
    November 12, 2009
    garyX
    An emotionally repressed salesman woos his sister's colleague but blackmailers from a phone sex line complicate matters. I hate Adam Sandler, I think he is the least funny man on the planet. I have been conned into watching his films in the past because of the talent associated (...( read more)namely Anger Management featuring Jack Nicholson) and my opinion did not change. Here we have a film directed and written by the excellent Paul Thomas Anderson who was responsible for some brilliant films, not least of which the very funny Boogie Nights. Punch Drunk Love is not one of them; the only reason I knew that this was supposed to be a comedy is because it was written on the back of the DVD cover. When will film makers realise that weird does not automatically equal funny...? All of the characters in this were unbelievably annoying and unsymapthetic not least Sandler himself, there are no laughs WHATSOEVER, and it's a tediously boring, charmless chore to sit through. He has managed to go from one end of the bad comedy spectrum (puerile and adolescently unfunny) to the other (irritating and pretentiously unfunny) in one step. Never again Sandler. NEVER AGAIN.
  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    The only Paul Thomas Anderson/Adam Sandler film I like, and I really like this one!
  • mistershinobi
    September 18, 2009
    mistershinobi
    A perfectly built film experience. Everything fits in its right place: the lead character (astonishingly portrayed with dexterity and depth by an uncanny Adam Sandler) and the road to true love.

    What's the difference between this and other lame love stories? This one takes you d...( read more)eep (and raw) into the mind of Barry Egan, a man obsessed with his own loneliness and insecurities, afraid of living, in constant panic of being in the same room with somebody else. The music becomes a greek chorus, constantly reminding you of Barry's emotions, rather than just beautifying a scene (Jon Brion's most beautiful work to date) and the whole universe surrounding the character morphs and stumbles into the ground when Barry's insecurities arise. Crashes and accidents are a direct result of Barry's crisis and fear.

    Pay attention to the color palette, specially the use of blue and red.

    PT Anderson's most experimental, yet enduring and emotionally relatable film. He simply took one cliché love story and turned it into a study on human nature and love as a disease, that invades every single one of your organs and evaporates your sense of self-protection along with the barriers in your mind.

    There's a lot more in this movie than people usually thinks. You just have to look close enough.
  • purplemegan
    September 2, 2009
    purplemegan
    I really wanted to like this movie because I've seen almost all of his other movies and I've enjoyed him in serious roles like Reign Over Me. But this was just too much, too weird, too crazy. I've been told I need to wait a year, watch it again, and then see what I think.
  • stopitgoaway
    July 12, 2009
    stopitgoaway
    I have just seen Punch Drunk Love and I am still reeling from it. Watching this film is totally intoxicating as the sights, sounds and atmosphere literally swamp your mind and leave you feeling bemused and on edge - but yet satisfied. We often hear the phrase "jaw-dropping", well...( read more) at several points in the film I was deeply amazed and found myself so engrossed and stunned by the film that I think I was gazing on with my mouth widening in suspense and delight.

    Visually this is one of the best pieces of art I have ever seen, of course it is a film but the cinematography, the direction, and the musical score make this a sensory masterpiece. I was engulfed at times and there was so much going on in the film that I couldn't often pinpoint where it was coming from. I was very prepared to watch it again straight afterwards but I have decided to give it more time to sink in.

    P T Anderson is a complete master of film-making, we can add this to Magnolia, Boogie Nights and the recently released There Will Be Blood to name his most famous films which are all incredible in their own right. This is much more in the style of There Will Be Blood, and although it is different in subtle ways the psychological impact Punch Drunk love has is very similar. We also find the musical score being used throughout the film to add emotion, tension and edginess - this is perfected in a way that I can't recall from many other films. The soundtrack feels almost out of place at times, maybe overbearing but it is adding an extra layer of emotion that begins to burrow down in to your subconscious (that is to say that as a viewer it is not immediately apparent the effect it is having on you). I don't mean this to sound as it the score is intrusive - I think it is an amazingly effective technique to make you almost "feel" the film rather than observe it.

    Adam Sandler is not departing too widely from previous roles because he is playing a socially inept outcast with anger problems, but he is wonderful here and fits the role perfectly. Emily Watson brings an equally nuanced performance which further enhances the richly odd but beautiful flow to this unique film experience.

    I will readily admit that many people are going to find this jarring, lacking in storyline or just plain odd - I think that with this kind of art you either love it or hate it. I was totally blown away by this film and I am annoyed that I didn't see it until almost 6 years after its release.

    I cannot recommend this film highly enough, I haven't been so impressed by the technique, craft and ingenuity of film making for quite some time. Punch Drunk Love is a film that can easily overwhelm your senses and as the credits roll you may feel totally drained and bewildered - but wanting more. A real masterpiece.
  • oldmanemu1
    December 29, 2009
    oldmanemu1
    When you see an actor appear in the same kind of films over and over again, playing characters that have no real depth to them, you're left with that expectation of any other film you see this actor perform in. This was most likely the expectation many had of this film before the...( read more)y actually watched it, but, it should be noted that this is not your typical Adam Sandler film.

    Punch Drunk Love was written, directed and produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. If you're unfamiliar with Paul Thomas Anderson, then perhaps you might recognise the films Magnolia and Boogie Nights that he also directed. The film focuses on Barry Egan (Adam Sandler), a small time business man who is constantly bullied by his seven sisters which may very well be the reason he shows characteristics of someone who is somewhat mentally ill. Early on in the film we are shown that Barry is rather lonely individual. We see him working alone, hours before anyone else arrives. When Lena Leonard (Emily Watson) arrives at his work and asks a favour from Barry, he appears extremely anxious and the moment she leaves he hides behind a wall, short of breath. These things, amongst others, such as small outbursts of rage are things Barry tries to hide from those around him, but sometimes this proves unsuccessful, like at the dinner party where Barry smashes a glass sliding door after being ridiculed by his sisters. One night when Barry is in his apartment, he calls a phone sex hotline, not because he wants to talk dirty to a girl but because he simply wants someone to talk to. This phone call leads to the operator sending her four brothers after him to extort money. Meanwhile, Barry discovers a loophole in a promotion that would lead him to having quite a large amount of frequent flyer miles. This all happens while Barry begins to fall in love with Lena Leonard.

    Barry's character is very complex, one minute he is calm and at dinner with a girl, the next he is smashing up a bathroom then immediately returning back to dinner as if nothing happened. Characters like this can make a plot unpredictable, you don't know if he's gonna play it safe or if he's gonna do something unexpected. Dean Trumbell (Philip Seymour Hoffman) plays a mattress store owner and the antagonist of the film, who acts aggressive towards Barry and treats those around him with no respect, but during a confrontation between him and the protagonist, we realize this is nothing more than an act to intimidate people.

    This film shows what I believe other many recent films lack and that is character development that is not forced or fake. At the beginning of film , Barry doesn't do anything out of the ordinary. He rarely socializes with others and appears anxious with women. Throughout the film we see Barry trying to overcome this and the major catalyst for this to finally happen is Barry's love interest, Lena Leonard. To some, this is very cliché, but in this film it didn't feel as if we'd seen it a million times before. It's not about what we see in a film, it's about how we see it and this film is a fine example of this. We see Barry repeatedly taking verbal abuse from his sisters and not once do we see him stand up for himself, not even when he is forced to hand over money to complete strangers, however when his love interest is the victim, we see him putting those violent outbursts to good use.

    It's highly likely that after watching this film. you will be sure to watch other films by Paul Thomas Anderson. Although some would hope for Adam Sandler to continue playing characters like the one seen in this film, by the look of things it would appear highly unlikely. This is a terrible shame as for the first time in his career, we see him play a character with such depth that it makes you wonder if such a talent was intentionally hidden from our eyes until now.

    For a film that uses what some regard as clichés, it does a good job at making them feel fresh.
  • vinnynasso
    December 26, 2009
    vinnynasso
    Pensively upset
    Alone, perturbed sensitive
    Deeply power(ful)/(less)
  • kanokaan
    December 25, 2009
    kanokaan
    really fast soundtracks,tiring movie.absolutly strange story and not too funny.but i kinda like it.one of the best Adam sandler acting.And P.T. Anderson deserves care for his idealism.One of the greatest directors of future.
  • leandrooutsider
    December 14, 2009
    leandrooutsider
    Definitely P.T. Anderson is for me, the best of the new crop of directors. This movie is the best romantic comedy of the decade. The car accident at the beginning of the film is a clear symbolism of the lawless life of Barry. In a given in 'movie connections' from imdb, I confirm...( read more)ed the influences that had already thinking: Taxi Driver, The Graduate, Godard, Kubrick, Truffaut and others.
  • ZlatkoGR
    December 7, 2009
    ZlatkoGR
    I liked both Magnolia and There Will Be Blood but I consider this to be the best of P.T. Anderson. An amazing Adam Sandler, a very good Emily Watson, excellent direction, a deep plunge into the mind of Barry Egan and, ultimately, in loneliness itself. One of the best dramedies in...( read more) the decade.
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