Punch

Rating:
Summary: This One is Different!
Review: "Punch" is a funny mixture of subtlity, humour, sensitivity, crudeness, gentle care of characters and raw edges.
Perhaps it is a Canadian sensibility that gives us real people instead of overwhelmingly likeable heroes. Canadians tend to see the world in shades of grey and "Punch" is true to that. The awful characters have soft, sympathetic underbellies. The "good guys" have genuine flaws. No relationships are perfect. Sometimes one's best is not good enough. There can be humour in the middle of a crisis. And so on...
Lovely shades of grey.

Rating:
Summary: [Weak]
Review: "Punch" is a pathetically bad movie with no likable characters: The father is weak and subconsciously wants to bed his daughter, the girlfriend is wimpish and desperate, and her sister is violent.

The one character we should have sympathy for is the daughter, but she has no redeeming qualities. She is deeply psychologically disturbed and wants to have sex with her father. She's violent and has severe anger problems. The father should have recognized this - but seems unaware all the way to the end. It's unbelievable that the daughter wasn't forced to have counseling. In the movie, it's never even considered as a means to help the girl.

The film-makers seem to believe that receiving a good beating or giving a good beating is the way to solve deep rooted psychological problems. A notion in itself which is very disturbing.

Rating:
Summary: This One is Different!
Review: "Punch" is a funny mixture of subtlity, humour, sensitivity, crudeness, gentle care of characters and raw edges.
Perhaps it is a Canadian sensibility that gives us real people instead of overwhelmingly likeable heroes. Canadians tend to see the world in shades of grey and "Punch" is true to that. The awful characters have soft, sympathetic underbellies. The "good guys" have genuine flaws. No relationships are perfect. Sometimes one's best is not good enough. There can be humour in the middle of a crisis. And so on...
Lovely shades of grey.

Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: Exciting movie. Extremely funny, somewhat risque, a little bit violent, quite unusual, and oddly heart-warming. What more could you want?

Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking, funny, off-beat
Review: Great acting, marvelous script, beautiful cinematography.

You might think that a movie containing topless female boxing is basically a movie to get drunk to, but this one is not. It's funny, unpredictable, tender, strangely up-beat, rude and intimate.

How very Canadian to have a male lead who doesn't try to grab the limelight. Bravo to the subtle Canadian actor, Michael Riley. And how very gutsy to have a female lead (Sonja Bennett) who is willing to be thoroughly dislikeable almost the entire was through.

It's a film worth seeing at least twice (I saw it three times when it was released in Canada earlier this year).

It's about family relationships, love, overcoming dysfunctions, growing up, grieving, hope - and, of course, topless female boxing. Did I mention that Punch is hilarious? It is.

Rating:
Summary: knockout movie
Review: I was intrigued when I saw this movie in the store. When I watched it I wasn't too dissapointed. The story surrounds an anger fueled, anti-social teenage girl named Ariel and her single father who both seem to have their share of problems in life. Things start to heat up when Ariel becomes rivals with her dad's new girlfriend and her sister. It's a movie worth checking out.

Rating:
Summary: Fists (among other apendages) of fury.
Review: lnteresting, erotic and yet a bit disturbing. You try to have sympathy for Ariel, but she is too much of a [...] to give it to her. Sure the topless boxing is nice, even though one lady l'd rather see her with her shirt on, but there is a very interesting story around it. l was shocked to find out that the lady who played Ariel is the director's daughter. Why would any Father subject their daughter to a near full frontal nudity scene? The title is appropriate because the story line really hits you, hard.

Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking, funny, interesting movie
Review: Punch (2002) was a huge hit at the Vancouver Film Festival. I saw it there and loved it.
Canadian actor, Michael Riley, gives a subtle, understated performance. It's beautiful to watch a male star who doesn't try to steal his scenes from the women around him.
Newcomer Sonja Bennett gives a gutsy, startling, riveting performance as the troubled teen, Ariel. Supporting cast is all excellent.
An interesting script. Not typically Hollywood. Punch (2002) is funny, rude, tender, caring, rough, optimistic, intelligent, interesting. Surpisingly (given that includes topless female boxing) this is a movie that women love.
It's worth seeing twice. I'm looking forward to seeing the DVD version with Director, Guy Bennett's, comments.