Punch-Drunk Love Details

A singular, breathtaking, moving movie

Sandler's performance, the restlessly innovative direction, the beautifully playful score, the deadpan writing all amount to a master class in how to make movies original, funny and curiously fascinating. Creates a feeling in the viewer that simply cannot be described but seems to warm the whole soul. One of the best movies I have seen in years

[Highly rated reviewer]

Punch Drunk Love

To my mind, even before this film Paul Thomas Anderson had a record among the very best of any director. I gave his debut Hard Eight 4 stars and his other two films Boogie Nights and Magnolia each 5 stars and places on my top 20. Given that Magnolia is joint number one in my top 20 I never expected PTA to top it with his next film, and he hasn't. That said Punch Drunk Love is still a brilliant film, one of the very best of 2003.

One of Anderson's great strengths is his ability to draw unexpected performances from people (Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights, Tom Cruise and Melora Walters in Magnolia) ad he does it again here. I'm no fan of Adam Sandler and, frankly, I was very worried that his central role here would hurt the whole film for me.

I needn't have worried, Anderson takes Sandler's trademark persona and twits it into at once a more beliveable character and a funnier performance than Sandler has ever delivered before. This is a man whose humour, along with all his other qualities we can relate to . Sandler actually handles the dramatic work and his romantic scenes with Emily Watson (a fine actress who could easily have shown him up) with great aplomb and its a great shame that no awards shows recognised him. Overall this has to go down as one of the most surprising performances since, well, Tom Cruise's in Magnolia.

As said above I think very highly of Emily Watson, her work in Lars Von Trier's Breaking The Waves stands as one of the great acting debuts of the last decade and she's always good value, even if the films are weaker than her contribution to them (Red Dragon). We may wonder why she falls so hard for Sandler but we never wonder for a second why he falls for her. Watson is quite charming in the role, believeable as ever, and also does another impeccable American accent.

Outside of the romantic narrative is some of the best material in Punch Drunk Love: Phillip Seymour Hoffman's turn as a phone sex operator/mattress salesman (providing one of the films best lines when Sandler finally manages to talk to him), a bizzare, fact based, sub-plot about pudding and Sandler's relationship with his seven sisters are all massively entertaining.

There's a feeling about Punch Drunk Love that Anderson is trying to prove he is no one trick pony and after two back to back epics with huge casts, multiple stories and long running times he has tackled something entirely different in a very simple story with just a few featured players and a 90 minute running time, It's a brave choice but Anderson pulls it off, seemingly effoortlessly.

There are a few minor issues with the film, the coloured patterns that break up the film took me out of it for a moment and the soundtrack can be overpowering (He Needs Me). These are nitpicks and do nothing to take away from the overall experience of Punch Drunk Love.

I HIGHLY recommend this film to anyone who would like to see a slightly different take on the traditional romantic comedy.

Punch Drunk Love is a great film and establishes Paul Thomas Anderson as the finest writer/director of his generation.