Rating: 
Summary: Punch-Drunk Love
Review: Millions of Americans are being brainwashed every year by the media into thinking "Mr. Deeds" was a thought-provoking movie. I mean, of course those corny Adam Sandler movies never change or present some sort of new joke, but none-the-less they are glorified as the epitome of the modern comedy. I'm sorry, Adam Sandler films have become so trite that when I see a commerical for yet another Adam Sandler movie *yawn* they go in one ear and out the other. However, this was an exception. "Punch-Drunk Love" was the film that made the audience turn the other cheek. Hmm, now I'm getting interested. I saw this film on a rack at a local video rental place, and for the first time in a long time I *gasp* became interested in an Adam Sandler movie. So I rented it, popped it in and was pleasantly surprised. Gone are the days of those redundant jokes that put me to sleep, instead this was a real film that portrays love as what Paul Thomas Anderson sees it, not that it wasn't funny. It is at times slow and lacking dialogue, but in the end I was a little thirsty for a conclusion, but overall satisfied. How much longer could Adam Sandler pump out those generic moronic comedies?
Rating: 
Summary: An Interesting but Worthles Parody of Art/Independent Films
Review: A movie which explores the absurdity of many art/independent films runs the risk of making the film itself absurd. The idea of casting A.S. as the lead may have been part of the joke but doesn't work for a second. The lack of dialogue and the uninspired performances again push the limits of parody, making this seem like a foreign film that may be played over and over again as torture in your most dreaded afterlife, make their point quickly but again - the lack of humor makes this an exercize only in self torture. The lack of a screenplay (which may or may not be all improvised - it isn't known) also strangely creates a sense of the most pretentious art film but there's no substance in the excercize - just a one-note joke. "Plot points" if you can call them that in this films show complete disregard for storytelling, a loss for story is also filled up with several minutes of color effects - apparently to get the movie to 90 minutes (the first time it did get some laughs, after that it gets old). All in all it shows the humor in pretention but at the same time I think it could have been a 5 minute Saturday Night Live skit with a much stronger affect. Was P.T.A. making fun of bad art films or finding the humor in the classic ones? A good joke shouldn't take an hour and a half. Skip it - or watch it while you're doing chores or something. Paul Thomas Anderson is simply the most overrated and misplaced person in the film industry (Kevin Smith is a close 2nd but at least less money gets dumped into his projects). A shame and a waste of film, time and energy when there are so many other artists out there struggling to have their voice be heard. Definitely one of the worst films I've seen in my 34 years of watching movies. A classic example of why I get discouraged for the future of American film.
Rating: 
Summary: Weird And Quirky, Thumbs Up!
Review: I do not ever recall enjoying Adam Sandler movies, EVER! I was hesitant to watch this movie, mainly because of the boring cover of the DVD, and did I mention I have never enjoyed Adam Sandler? I heard this film was loosely based on a real event. A man starts collecting UPC codes from "Healthy Choice" puddings to collect frequent flier miles.
I started to watch this film and thought my TV settings were off (distortion), then figured out it was suppose to look that way.
I thought the usage of Shelly Duvall's song "He Needs Me" (from Popeye the movie) was brilliant. This song plays when Adam's character realizes he is in love with Lena and chases her to Hawaii.
The bottom line is, this was a love story told in a very odd way (there is even a sex chat line involved in bringing the 2 characters together). Adam impressed me with this role and his acting. He tells Lena that he is cashing in his frequent flier miles, so he can travel with her. Because he never wants to be anywhere without her again. AWWWW
I give it 3 1/2 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Aptly titled movie
Review: Many of the reviews for this movie, both good and bad, are on the mark, so adding to them would just be gratuitous. I would like to comment specifically on Adam Sandler's performance, however. We should re-read end time prophesy very carefully, because Adam Sandler's acting in this film is superb. He nails this character as I've never seen anyone else do before. Yes, God help me, I am going to say it: this is the best acting performance I have ever seen. And I don't mean the obligatory "I'm supposed to think this is good" Rainman or Forrest Gump schlock; I mean real acting. The other reviews here will give you an accurate idea of whether you should spend your time watching this movie. That being said, allow a fairly snotty movie critic to add that you really might want to catch it as a curiosity, just to check out Adam Sandler. Personally, I loved it, although it took several days for that reaction to sink in. (As an aside: issuing this movie as a mainstream release as the distrubutors did all but guaranteed it would be a box-office flop, which it was. It should've been released solely through the art-house circuit at first. Then it would've had a chance to develop word-of-mouth support, and from there perhaps move up to the mainstream theaters. As it was, it left Adam Sandler fans angry and disappointed, which was painfully predictable. Perhaps the backers envisioned a sort of "hit and run" approach. Strange.)
Rating:
Summary: Horrible
Review: One of the top 5 worst movies I have ever seen. I sat through the whole thing waiting for it to get better - it never did.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but Perplexing Film
Review: After watching this movie, I couldn't tell whether I had enjoyed the experience or disliked the movie altogether? I still am not sure. I liked the film aspects of the movie: the cinematography, the stylizations, the art, the score, etc. The story itself it a very neurotic experience, like being on an espresso high times a thousand! At times I could feel my heart racing and felt the claustrophobia taking part in my chest. It's a nerve-wracking movie to sit through. I don't know if I'd have the same reaction a second time viewing however? Adam Sandler gives a great performance here - the guy can act! You can't help but relate to his character and root for him, even if you can't really understand him or what he's doing at times, or why he's doing them. I didn't care for the New Age-esque, love conquers all, "soul mates" ending very much however. It's very indicative of the present era, and not a very original concept. I saw the ending of this movie coming a mile away, and that was disappointing in a film that showed a lot of initial promise as far as being completely original at times. But it is a unique movie. It'll surely make you think twice before calling a phone-sex number!
Rating:
Summary: It's OK
Review: What was great about this movie, Nothing. If you want a comedy don't waste your time. The only thing this movie had was the ability to keep my attention. So in conclusion I would wait until this movie is on TNT or something. Do waste your money!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Punch Drunk Love
Review: Are you people nuts? This movie was bloody mediocre at best, and P.T. Anderson is the most overrated filmmaker alive. He fancies himself an incredibly deep artiste, but Thomas Hardy he ain't; Magnolia, for the most part, had the depth of an afternoon soap opera and Punch Drunk Love is even worse. Granted, the guy has some visual flair, but he really needs to go the Martin Scorsese route and get other people to write his scripts for him. Punch Drunk Love is just further proof of how narratively and intellectually deficient his writing is. Some good ideas are wasted in a rambling collage of cinematic non sequitirs, and the harmonium representing Sandler's character at last finding inner harmony(harmonium, harmony, get it?) has to be the most trite metaphor I've seen in a long time. P.T. Anderson, and Wes Anderson for that matter, need to learn that shallow quirkiness does not a great film make.
Rating:
Summary: Either You Love It Or You Hate It
Review: I hated this movie. When we were done with it, my friend and I were both like, "What did we just watch?" PT Anderson dropped the ball on this one - he tried to be too arty with the minutes of nothing but colour splotches on the screen and he didn't pull it off. It made for a disjointed movie, with a weak script. The acting was fine, but Sandler and company really didn't have a lot to work with as far as a script was concerned, and the whole thing just comes off as pretentious and mired in its own self-importance. In all, this movie was a total drag to sit through and it's a definite low-point in Anderson's otherwise magnificent canon.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST FILM OF 2003 (in the UK)
Review: This review is dedicated to Elle on our First Anniversary. xxx In Brief Punch Drunk Love tells the story of Barry Egan (Adam Sandler), a small business owner who has an eye for the small things in life. Egan has seven sisters whose constant ridicule of their brother keep him alone, somewhat unbalanced and unable to fall in love. That is until one day when a mysterious woman (Emily Watson) enters his life leading him upon a romantic and twisted journey. Review The genesis of Punch Drunk Love came two years ago, when Paul Thomas Anderson came across a Time magazine article about David Phillips, a University of California civil engineer who stumbled upon a lucrative frequent-flyer promotion. Like Egan he became known to the entire airline industry as the Pudding Guy as Phillips had accumulated 1.25 million air-miles by purchasing 12,150 cups of Healthy Choice pudding for a mere $3000. It may seem a peculiar basis but Anderson optioned Phillips' story and wrote the film specifically with Sandler in mind. Egan lives within himself, a fantasy world if you will, that is accentuated and highlighted by the Rainbow coloured cuts that institute a new era of each narrative act. As you watch this film, one feels that they are literally looking out upon everything from his perspective, and can feel his frustration as both camera and sound exemplify this out of body experience throughout. Indeed as this world that he so badly wants to be a part of pushes him to the point of rage the amplification of the slightest sound that we hear seems to justify any action or indeed inaction that he takes. Like the opening car crash that bears little relation or obvious consequence, Eagan is man looking for a reason for being. Frustrated by the bullying of his sisters, he is on a road to destruction in which no one cares how hard he will hit the wall at the end. Sandler, unlike many of his films prior to this point, truly shows here that he can meet that standard when the bar is raised. He is the real Rainman: a man held back by the implication and constraints of normal living as he beautifully creates a sincere, honest and poignantly funny portrayal of a man lost in himself. At the start of the story an old organ is discarded in the street before Egan's full view. Uncertain at first he collects it and hesitantly proceeds to tinker and fix it, in much the same way that the understated performance of Watson brings him out of himself and nurtures him into bloom. Though it may sound soppy, nothing is ever clear sailing and this quirky tale spins and loops in such a way that will keep you gripped to the end. The Verdict Sandler, Watson and indeed the dastardly performance by Hoffman along with a fine supporting cast provide a perfect ensemble to this slice of a magnified focus upon the small things in life. Most people do not notice the world in which they live, and like the Pudding Guy you should follow his lead and make sure you absorb every facet of this beautifully quirky film.
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