Punch Drunk Love

Films/DVD Asylum

Movies from comedy to drama to your favorite Hollyweird Star.

What a cooool movie. Understand that I truly dislike Adam Sandler's moronic antics right off the bat. But I'm a big fan of the director, Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie nights, Magnolia). Thankfully, as I suspected, it was not a Adam Sandler movie, but a PTA movie all the way. I liked this much more than Magnolia because of it's lightness mixed with the darkness always so prevalent in PTA movies.
It opens very strangely, a street scene filled with non sequiturs setting the tone for the rest of the movie perfectly.
The story is about Barry, the maximum geek-boy who owns a novelty toilet plunger business. He is horribly repressed and bullied by his 7 sisters, but he finally opens up to oddball Emily Watson in a funny and tense coutrship. The budding love story takes place amid a backdrop of him being stalked and extorted by a gang (led by the always great Phillip Seymour Hoffman) with all his vital statistics culled from a phone sex interlude.
The movie's tone is ironic and sweet at the same time, a deft juggling act. Barry's emotions are always on his sleeve and he explodes into rages several times throughout the story. And you never know when Barry's gonna pop again. His intense showdown with Hoffman is solid, with both of them playing inarticulate idiots. I was shocked to see Sandler actually show emotional range and humanity along with a much subtler comedic sense. He held his own with some very good actors.
The cinematography is lush, and bright, yet oddly sinister. The scenes shot on Waikiki Beach at dusk have a magical quality of light that you will instantly recognize if you've ever been there. The soundtrack is indescribably strange, built up of layers of melodic found object sounds.
A strangely unpredictable movie. Resolutely arty and pointedly odd. I loved it. Possibly my favorite movie from 2002.
This is NOT a movie for anyone expecting the usual Adam Sandler movie. I imagine those people must really HATE this movie.

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Topic - Punch Drunk Love - Troy 14:54:49 07/16/03 (2)

Found it weird and weirdly moving. - clarkjohnsen 13:34:43 07/21/03 (0)

Re: Punch Drunk Love - Nels Ferré 14:29:07 07/20/03 (0)

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