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There's just no getting around the fact that Punch Drunk Love is an Adam Sandler film. However, if your normal reaction to that fact is to make for the nearest exit you'll be missing out on what promises to be one of the year's most innovative and visually sumptuous films.
P.T. Anderson's first film in 3 years is a comparatively short and surprisingly restrained affair than what we've come to expect from the director of the epic like Magnolia (1999) and Boogie Nights (1997). Trying to summarise the plot is not going to sell the film terribly well. It essentially revolves around Barry Egan (Sandler) who leads a humdrum existence as a toiletries salesman with a personal life involving phone sex and being bullied by seven overbearing sisters (clever actual casting). After witnessing a car crash and finding a harmonium in the street, he meets Lena (Emily Watson) and a twisted romance of sorts begins, punctuating Barry's life routine of buying jars of chocolate mouse for air miles and dealing with bouts of uncontrollable, violent rage.
The opening scene set in a dimly lit warehouse is bathed in hues of grey with the focus deliberately set off centre leaving huge expanses of empty space on the screen at once perplexing and disorientating the audience, a technique which occurs throughout. In fact the first 45 minutes or so seem to play out like some Dadaist nightmare with seemingly endless scenes, repetitive minimalist dialogue and massive jolts of sound deliberately designed to make the viewer jump which collide with the bizarre imagery on display. All the relationships are equally as surreal as they are sinister. The dialogue between characters who are close even borders on the aggressive. Barry's sisters express nothing but contempt, further fuelling his internalised anger, while the conversation between Barry and Lena during sex consists of such disturbing sweet nothings as "I want to smash your face in with a sledgehammer".
A traditional plot of sorts emerges when a band of blonde brothers led by Phillip Seymour Hoffman pursue Barry for money. This narrative strand of the film is the most straightforward and the least satisfying. Feeling as if it's been written merely to provide an opportunity for an extended Hoffman cameo and to provide at least some plot and normality for the casual cinema goer, it comes off second best compared with the disconnected and ethereal sequence of events that have hitherto unfolded. (This said, the final showdown between Hoffman and Sandler is worth the admission price alone)
There can be no doubt that Anderson has aimed for an arthouse audience with Punch Drunk Love as it's significantly less commercial than Boogie Nights or even Magnolia but despite it being half the running time of either it succeeds through Sandler's sometimes moving interpretation of a character more complex and satisfying than found in any of Anderson's lengthier predecessors. Sandler's acting really is the pivot of the film. Such an emotionally complex character as Barry, who swings between bouts of crying and violent toilet smashing rage, is handled with a subtlety not normally associated with the star of Big Daddy (1999) and Little Nicky (2000).
In summary, there is no summary. Punch Drunk Love is likely to infuriate as many as it will delight. As many Sandler fans will leave the cult as there will be new converts, but it's good to know that there are still American directors willing to take a risk. Anybody who can put a new slant on the romantic comedy and successfully bring out the serious actor in Adam Sandler must be doing something right.
Reviewed by Stephen Phythian
Reader comments about Punch Drunk Love
peter upton (Email address withheld) writes:
This is a terrible film with the central character exhibiting a complete abscence of character and motivation, it could be a parody of a 40's comedy but because the hero is not grounded in any way we lose any interest in the outcome- why should the heroine, who seems to be in a different film, have any feelings for him? The violence is unpredictable and we see the hero behaving logically at times then going berserk - no attempt to show him as Autistic, just bizarre. Wasted opportunity, some effects clever.
Darrin (Email address withheld) writes:
This is a fantastic and unique film. Unlike most of the Hollywood garbage, this story is simple and clever and a must see.
However, be warned that if you walk into this film expecting a typical Adam Sandler/US love/comedy flick you will be dissappointed. This film is different, but in a good way.
8/10
Nina (Email address withheld) writes:
Romantic comedy. But fucked up. So to speak. Adam Sandler is a pudding head who likes to buy a lot of puddings to get free air miles. He's discovered a cock-up that enables to get him more than the pudding company bargained for. He is physically a really sexy guy who talks and walks like a nerd. He wears a blue suit. All the time, even in bed. Even in the swimming pool. Trucks crash in the road for no reason, and small pianos are delivered to him in the street. Again, for no reason. He phones sex lines, just to talk. Bob Hoskins would be proud. A woman appears. She fancies him. He's fancies her too, but he's a complete mentalist. Not a good start. Or is it?
With this film comes extra sensory powers (free of charge) you're reminded of more important things, like food. You sit munching on a KFC. What was that film you just spent two hours watching? You can't remember. Does chicken really taste like this? Why is there so much mayonnaise on the bloody thing? You slurp some cola through a bendy straw. Apparently, cola was invented to prevent engine-knock. Or so you'd heard. Shit! What was the name of that film? What was it about? Ah, who cares!Punch-Drunk Love is for people who hate fluffy romantic comedies. It's the anti-romantic comedy. I thought it was great. I know the director P.T. Anderson is something of a God amongst nerdy, intellectual types but before seeing Punch-Drunk Love I had no idea why, as I'd seen none of his films prior. Okay, I saw a bit of Magnolia, but that was only about twenny minutes worth. I was watching it with Bill the retarded spanner laboratory assistant who -- as you may or may not know -- mucks out the shit from the bottom of me cage. He was expecting a documentary about easy-on-the-eye paint colours but got confused when... well; actually, he just got confused and started crying.A bit like Adman Sandler. The man gets confused easily. He starts crying. He starts making strange noises. He can barely speak and when he does he says weird stuff that freaks people out. He's a fella with issues who could flip out at any minute. And then Emily Watson comes along and takes a shine to him. I never quite figured out why. Mr Anderson is too busy creating some strange landscape of surreal occurrences and bizarre sound. It's baffling at times, but at least it's different, weird, probably not quite like anything you've seen before. Although, it did remind me a little of a Coen Brothers film, as the film seems to be neither all-out comedy or all-out drama. I think it's called dramedy, or summat. Anyway make your own mind up on it I’m off to watch Richard the third for the second time, not that you want to know that but I’ve just told you anyway and my delete button is stuck whatever.
husker (sbamp49@msn.com) writes:
peter the reason he displayed the actions in the film was because that what the film was all about. he did not fit in the real world hence everything he did was illogical.nothing made sense to him. thus he behaved in a way totally apolitical to the rest of modern conventions.wich is probably why i loved the character.any1 who is quirky or off the wall is ok with me!!!
Sorya (moodycow@sogood.com) writes:
A strange combination of whimsy, adult material and humour.
Almost esoteric use of music and colour propels the film forward
Jon Brion's innovative score moves from lush orchestrations to
surreal cartoon music, and the stand-out sequence in which Lena
asks Barry out for their first date is scored like a Michael Mann
action setpiece, pounding percussion almost drowning out the dialogue.
Adam Sandler at his best, enraged and mortified - hilarious and yet deeply
moving.
Harry Weiner (yourmama@yahoo.com) writes:
Listen: most people nowadays are too stupid to read books. So when this Anderson guy or that Kaufman asshole make something just a little weird and surreal-feeling, idiots acclaim it as brilliant and intelligent. Actually they are just about as clever and intellectual as an unusually smart and predictably pretentious high school junior. The Adam Sandler fan retards who labeled the film boring were more on target than most critics. A real shit-ass film if you ask me.
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