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A Sony release. Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson; starring Adam Sandler and Emily Watson. Released to DVD on June 24, 2003. 
Though the plot of writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love is rather difficult to explain without a plethora of footnotes and ‘howevers’, the on-screen action is fast paced. This is one of the true beauties of Punch-Drunk Love; Thomas has managed to create a film (a romantic comedy, maybe?) without a discernible plot line that instantly draws the viewer in and moves along quickly and crisply. Roughly an hour into Punch-Drunk Love, the pace slowed momentarily and gave me an opportunity to realize that I had absolutely no idea where the film was going. I didn’t have any expectations as to what the ending would hold, nor did I have a guess. The material could have gone anywhere. I was simply along for the ride and enjoying the experience immensely. What plot there is centers around Barry Egan (Adam Sandler), the very uncertain, mumbling, awkward owner of a small novelty business. Barry has seven very domineering sisters who torment him for everything he does; one sister gives him a hard time for wearing a suit to work. The effect that this browbeating has on Barry is obvious: he is a man with an almost dehabilitating social phobia that is, not surprisingly, directed mainly at women. When he meets the delightful and forgiving Lena Leonard (Emily Watson) sparks begin to fly. Throw in four blonde thugs from Utah, a phone sex operator who is attempting to blackmail Barry, $3,000 worth of pudding, a severe crying problem and an abandoned harmonium and the plot description becomes that much more complex. Much has been made of the fact that Punch-Drunk Love is Sandler’s first truly dramatic role. For some reason, the consensus on the matter is that after years of entertaining America through a variety of silly voices and punching things in anger, Sandler is attempting new and radical things here. The bizarre reality is that nothing could be further from the truth as Sandler’s penchant for physical violence and nearly incoherent rambling are both present in spades here. The scope of the project however is significantly different from Sandler’s other works like The Waterboy or Billy Madison; the intent here isn’t to create an overt comedy, but a strikingly original film. And in this respect, Anderson and Sandler succeed in droves. Punch-Drunk Love is an unusual film in that it is an extremely well made movie that engages all your senses. I’m not quite sure how Anderson managed to put this film together to create such an unusual and artistic delight, but for once, I don’t care. The result is one of the best films of the year.
chris neumer yes, it's true: Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson spent all of two days in film school, at New York University, before dropping out. |
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