| PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE Rating:   Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Producer: Paul Thomas Anderson Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson Director of Photography: Robert Elswit Cast: Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Luis Guzman, Philip Seymour Hoffman Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew |
 Click the photo to buy merchandise Punch-Drunk Love |
Review by: Curtis
Raines
10/13/02
I've spent probably twenty to thirty lonely nights of my life staying up late watching scenes from Boogie Nights -- laughing hysterically even though I know what's coming before it comes. You see, I'm that annoying, "knows-every-word-of-dialogue-guy." You know what "guy" I'm talking about. He spouts off the dialogue seconds before the actor says it, just so the people watching the movie with him know that he knows the movie inside out. Well, that's me. I'm so ridiculous that I've even memorized the deleted scenes on the DVD. I'm not ashamed to admit that it's probably my favorite film of all time. And like Paul Thomas Anderson's other two movies (Hard Eight, Magnolia), it's so rich in content that I discover something new with each viewing.
So, as you can imagine, I've been pretty anxious for this film to finally come out. After all, it's only about once every three years that we get a movie from this guy. Now the question is, was it worth the wait? I remember going to a Q & A with Paul Thomas Anderson after a sneak preview of Magnolia and when asked what he would do next, he nonchalantly responded with, "I'm doing a ninety minute popcorn comedy." Of course the crowd laughed, thinking that it was just a joke. So when I found out that Adam Sandler would be starring in his next movie based on a character in one of his skits (Barry Egan), I thought to myself... If Anderson can pull this off, he really is a genius.
I was very hesitant about Sandler's ability as a serious actor. I mean, he was great on Saturday Night Live as Canteen Boy, but this is different. But I grossly underestimated Anderson's ability of bringing out the best in his cast. He did it with Heather Graham, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds and now Adam Sandler. I was literally amazed knowing that this is the same Adam Sandler that starred in Mr. Deeds and all those other awful comedies that I've had nightmares about. But Anderson knows what he's doing, because Sandler is the perfect fit for the neurotic loner, Barry Egan. I remember Anderson saying that he sometimes envisions the actor first and then writes the role for them. That statement has never applied more than it does to Punch-Drunk Love. Every cast member was made for their role.
Punch-Drunk Love is a bizarre love story that shows how "being in love" can change everything. Barry Egan finds himself trapped in a life he hates. He's a strange man that is completely void of social interaction. And much like me, he finds himself sinking to the depths of having to call a sex phone service to fill this void. Soon he meets Lena (Emily Watson), the answer to every question he's ever had about himself. He quickly discovers the strength that love can bring and battles the obstacles in his life that are holding him back.
With out a doubt, Punch-Drunk Love is Anderson's funniest movie. It could very well be his strangest too. Frogs falling from the sky (Magnolia) pale in comparison to the random events that occur in this movie. What Anderson did in this film, unlike his others, was bring the audience on the same level as Barry Egan. You literally feel isolated and alone. Watching this film makes you feel like you have just woken up after taking a long nap poolside on a bright summer day. You have to take a couple swipes at your eyes just to get adjusted to what you are seeing. There are many different glares and color reflections that give it a hazy feel. It puts you right there with Egan's plight of fitting in socially. It really is a peculiar and original technique.
Of course, the characters are brilliantly written and the music adds a rhythmic flow to it. Nothing new here. And Anderson's ability to write dialogue remains the best today. For only being a ninety-minute comedy, you couldn't expect more. Sure, it doesn't have the depth that his other films have had, but it does accomplish its goal. It's a great, unfamiliar love story that will make you laugh on many levels. My only problem is that Punch-Drunk Love was too simplistic. I wanted to know more about the other characters involved. It only briefly touches on Egan's relationship with his sisters. This had the makings of a great story line, but the movie drifts away from it and never really resolves the issues that were presented in the first act. Also, Philip Seymour Hoffman's character has the potential to add greatly to the story and supply many more humorous elements, but is again, undeveloped.
All in all, I was very pleased after seeing Punch-Drunk Love. Was it worth the wait? It really is a movie you have to see a couple of times before finding the answer to that question. But I most certainly think it's better than most movies and definitely is a pleasurable experience. Now, it's understandable if you hate Adam Sandler movies. But trust me, this is much more of a Paul Thomas Anderson movie than it is an Adam Sandler one.
And that crack about me calling the phone sex numbers, I was kidding... seriously I was. I stopped calling them weeks ago.
(A Sony Pictures release. Opened in
New York and Los Angeles on October 11. Expands to more cities
on October 18.)
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