Punch-Drunk Love

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

  • 79% of critics liked it
    (183 reviews)

  • 72% of users liked it
    (125,093 ratings)

Adam Sandler and Emily Watson star in Punch-Drunk Love, an odd romantic comedy from gifted young director Paul Thomas Anderson. Sandler plays Barry Egan, a shy sad-sack with a great deal of repressed anger that occasionally bursts forth in sudden violent outrages, who falls in love with Lena Leonard… More

Play Trailer

R,
Directed By
Written By
Paul Thomas Anderson
Genres
Drama, Romance, Comedy
In Theaters
Oct 11, 2002 Wide
Columbia Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • David Ansen, Newsweek

    It's a romantic comedy on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

  • Derek Adams, Time Out

    The film looks good and has its funny moments, but too often one senses Anderson straining to impress...

  • Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

    It is quite a vision.

  • Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

    The journey toward redemption feels more like a cinematic experiment than a full-blown movie.

  • Mike Clark, USA Today

    Despite its title, Punch-Drunk Love is never heavy-handed. The jabs it employs are short, carefully placed and dead-center.

Read all 16 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Daniel P


    A visually interesting and unconventional love story about a very awkward character coming into his own. I've tried, but I just don't think P.T. Anderson is my kind of film-maker - I recognize why the work he's doing is good, but I don't enjoy it all that much. Of… More

  • Kevin C


    It takes place in The Big Lebowski universe of logic. And I adore it.

  • c0up  


    'Punch-Drunk Love'. This film vibrates at a very unique, weird frequency, and could easily be mistaken for a Charlie Kaufman job; everything from the set up to the absolutely kooky score, which really adds a level of chaos to it all! Not sure if it's meant to be… More

  • Lucas M


    A dark, unique, surreal and uncommon film with Adam Sandler, using a subtle comic personality and deadpan acting, explorer a simple and lonely life.

  • Tim S


    I'm late to the game in seeing this one from Paul Thomas Anderson. I love his work, and I'm always eager to seek out other films that he's done. He hasn't done too many, as of this writing, but I always look forward to more. Punch-Drunk Love is probably the most… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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