Rating: 
Summary: Amazing film, amazing director, amazing performances...
Review: ...and an amazing performance by Adam Sandler. This is definitely not the film for your standard "Waterboy" Sandler fan. You actually have to have a brain to enjoy this film.I'm not going to recap the plot here because, as of this writing, there are 202 other reviews of this disc and the majority of them contain complete plot outlines (written by people who seem to be think they're writing for a major periodical) which is totally pointless because there is a plot outline on the listing for this film and how many outlines do we need? Also...how many thousand-word-essays do we need lamenting that a film is to long? It's those people who don't understand this simple irony who wouldn't understand this film. If the reviewer gave five stars to Jackass: The Movie and hated this film...well...you do the math.
Rating:
Summary: The best Adam Sandler film.
Review: I just watched it. I'm so impressed that I'm speechless. I can't even describe it. It's very weird. I really just don't know how to describe how I'm feeling right now. This is my new favorite Adam Sandler movie, and I've seen them all, even Going Overboard.
Rating: 
Summary: No decent dialogue
Review: Maybe Im a words person, but I defy anyone to quote one imaginative, remotely profound or at least INTERESTING line from this 'extraordinary film'.
I realise real life dialogue isnt forever poetic(far from it), but it is presumptous to assume actors can, for example, ad-lib as if to say; Its like the tradition of 'improv' Man, its like JAZZ - the character Im playing - he's just so REAL.
Ad-lib can sometimes work, but here its merely required in the abscence of decent script writing. The film is toe curlingly student in places.
I got the same dissapointing feeling with 'Magnolia'; great acting, nice visual sense, but boring as hell in the chit-chat department.Lots of ums,ahs and f-words dressed up as intriguing quirks in the characters demenour - exemplified by Juliana Moores bogus, affected performance.
The films strong points are its visual sensibility, the opening credits and graphics are brilliant and original. Although having said that, they strongly remind me of the opening of 60s TV comedy 'Bewitched'or something.
But back to the negatives. To me this film had self-consciously Indie written all over it, the cut-and-paste quirks in the story were most often meaningless.I like the idea of coupon collecting because of the embarrassing and clumsy way Adam sandlers character goes about it. But his familys bewildering under-reaction at his hilairiously contrived OVER-reaction - smashing the huge glass patio windows at his sisters house because they, like all familys do, gently rib him for not being married yet? I just didnt buy it. Adam Sandlers performance was good and his character likable. Ditto Emily Watson. Phillip Seymore Hoffman was good, though the films weak verbal narrative clearly didnt require anything great from anyone.
Overall I thought this film mildly amusing,and it got better towards the final 3/4 hour. Maybe I need to watch this again. The director is clearly a very promising one. But I didnt think this film was as interesting as IT thought it was.
Rating:
Summary: Please, go buy all the pudding you can.
Review: Paul Thomas Anderson didn't do it with the ridiculous ending to Magnolia, he couldn't pull it off with Boogie Nights, but with Punch-Drunk Love, he's finally got something. Adam Sandler and Emily Watson both give spectacular performances. Adam Sandler's on-the-edge-of-insane character Barry Egan, who is the only boy in a family of several kids, gets treated like dirt by women his whole life. One night he decideds to call a phone sex line and as a result gets taken advantage of, beaten and robbed for money. This will make sense when you watch the movie and see how vulnerable he is. Then he meets Emily Watson's character, and finally may have met someone who can love him. On their first date, he doesn't mean to 'beat up the bathroom', but his violent fits of rage seem uncontrollable and detrimental to his relationships with others. As you will see, later on in the film there is one fit of rage which will make you cheer. Please, do yourself a favor, and watch this. If love stories are your thing, you're in for a special treat, a love story that hasn't been done already. This is not When Harry Met Sally, and it sure as hell isn't Maid in Manhattan. Definitely a great flick for Sandler fans and fans of love everywhere.
Rating:
Summary: odd and ultimately unfullfilling
Review: I found this movie to be very beautiful. In fact, 2 of the 3 stars I gave it are for the gloriously artistic and compelling cinematography and fabulous quirky music. Every single shot told a bit of the subtext to the story-- the colors are intoxicating and tasty-looking. The light is surreal and dreamlike. The music is a perfect reflection of the pace and meaning under each scene. The soundtrack is probably a much better purchase than the dvd itself.
The other star is for the surprisingly good acting by Adam Sandler and his excellent supporting cast.
No stars at all, unfortunately, for a highly disappointing script which ulimately brought the movie down.
I usually love off-beat movies (plot is not always necesssary) which are either slightly disturbing or loose-ended enough for you to draw your own conclusions. This movie, however, although it seemed to WANT to be that kind of film, was not.
You learned to sort of like Adam Sandler's character and feel sympathy for his quirky, sweet love affair. Some very funny bits involved him dealing (sometimes violently) with his 7 exhaustinly meddling sisters. There were some very lovely scenes and moments. But, as a whole, the film failed to deliver.
For being a funky romantic film with a highly untraditional plot, it sort of worked...I have nothing against needing to put some energy into a film...but I spent most of the movie not quite knowing where any of the characters were coming from. For the first half hour I was completely confused by the one-track emphasis on Sandler's discovery of a piano that had been bizarrely dropped off in the middle of a road. The movie had a lot of moments like that-- you tended to spend a good deal of time having no idea where any of this was going, even after it had been clarified (as much as you were going to GET it clarified).
The rating is essentially for excessive language (mainly for the 500-or-so F*ck's).
I just didn't connect with this movie at all. Maybe it is unfair to give it such a low rating, especially because it was so lovely to look at. But I feel that if the only redeeming feature of a movie is its "look", it is not truly a good film. I felt the same way about "2001: A Space Odessy", even though everyone with taste is supposed to think that Stanley Kubrick is an artist and his movies are important.
Oh well, maybe I missed it, but I honestly think a LOT of people are going to miss the deal with "Punch-Drunk Love" and will find lots of better ways to spend a few hours.
Rating:
Summary: Sandler finally has a chance to shine.
Review: Anyone who has watched Adam's Sandler's movies knows he has the ability to become a great dramatic actor. While his other films were slapstick comedies, the characters in them were often more than just pratfalls and booby jokes. 'The Waterboy' was by no means intelligent fair, but Sandler artfully managed to imbue into his character a sense of despair, of being trapped by love and a sense of responsibility to his mother. You found yourself feeling sympathy and understanding for a character who, in less capable hands, might only have been obnoxious and irritating. True, this does not make the film anything more than a lowbrow comedy...but the potential was there. Punch-Drunk Love finally offers Sandler a worthy medium for his talent. It's a story of Barry Egan, a socially inept businessman who, by virtue of his loneliness and an ad in the paper, finds himself being extorted by a phone sex operator. As if this were not difficult enough, Barry also has seven controlling, verbally abusive sisters to contend with. Yet even while he struggles (at times violently) against the shackles of his existence, Barry manages to find love. Or rather, love finds him--and it won't take no for an answer. It's difficult to categorize Sandler's character in this movie. Barry is a wonderfully three-dimensional character, a man so repressed by his circumstances that when he does explode it with with all the intensity of a nuclear bomb. He is awkward, painfully shy, depressed and at times physically violent. The floridly colored inserts between certain scenes in the film make you wonder if Barry isn't suffering from some more severe mental illness. Yet despite all his flaws Barry is a very likeable character. You find yourself aching at his lonliness, experiencing his rage, rooting for his ultimate victory over adversity...even if your initial instinct says this probably won't happen. A lot of people say that the love story between Barry and Lena (played by Emma Watson) is unrealistic. It's true that Barry and Lena seem to be polar opposites, yet those kinds of relationships are very often the best kind. And they do have some things in common (the unusual nature of their pillow talk, for one). Also, one must remember than Lena chose Barry--she saw a picture of him on his sister's desk and she wanted to meet him. Perhaps she saw what a vulnerable, damaged person he was from the picture alone and therefore was not surprised by what she found. Or, having discovered his flaws, perhaps she wanted to help him. It's called Florence Nightingale Syndrome and it isn't all that uncommon. And as for Barry loving her... She was the first woman who ever treated him with affection and respect; he was a lonely man. Of course he fell in love with her. And P.T. Anderson never tried to convince us their relationship was a flawless fairytale. He never implied it would last. He just made us want it to...all I can say is it takes a special type of person to watch this kind of fare. If you are a fan of 'The Royal Tenenbaums', 'Magnolia', or anything Hitchcock, you will most likely love it. If, however, your tastes run to the more obvious, shallow kind of neat little love story save your time. Take your money and rent 'A Walk to Remember' instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Sandlers Best, in fact, his worst.
Review: When I purchased this movie, I was under the impression that any film with Adam Sandler would fulfill my entertainment desires. Alas, i was highly mortified by the extremely horrifying display on my television set. The film was not only dark and disturbing, but the soundtrack was erratic, irritating, and a failed attempt at being artistic. This film is a tragedy; a complete insult to socially inept people. The only positive in this situation, is that Adam Sandler was able to emerge from this film with his career still intact. Please reconsider purchasing (or even simply viewing) this film. If you still feel the need to purchase a new DVD (I myself am an avid film collector), I suggest Old School (starring Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Will Ferrell). Now THAT is a fine film.
Rating:
Summary: Gives pudding a good name! PDL is awesome!
Review: once i saw the trailers and spots for this movie I knew it would be a movie worth seeing. i missed the theatrical release mostly because of its select city release. but once the dvd came out i rushed out and rented it. the first few minutes of the movie throw you off, but if you don't take the movie for granted and enjoy this movie, it actually is not a bad flick. The movie is very weird dialgoue-wise. Most of the dialogue doesn't make sense, but if you pay attention to some of the stuff said, it actually sounds like P.T.A. is a modern-day Shakespeare. Pretty cool, I think. Pretty stupid, you think. Visually this movie rocks. I don't quite understand what the color interstitials were, but it kind of gives the movie an acid trip (I PERSONALLY DO NOT DO DRUGS) feel. For those of you who have seen Pink Floyd-The Wall, PDL is much like that in a way. Paul T. Anderson (NOT THE DIRECTOR OF RESIDENT EVIL, MIND YOU THAT IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AND IRREVERENT DIRECTOR) has chosen to make his movies with an indie type camera style. It doesn't have a Blair Witch look but the camera moves around and stuff, almost like it was done on digital video. If you see the DVD and have a nice color scheme on your TV (if your TV has bad picture quality you probably won't enjoy the movie as much) or you follow the directions in the pointless booklet inside the slipcase, it tells you this: "Get Barry's (Adam Sandler) suit blue, blue, blue. Don't be shy. Get Barry's shirt white, don't be afraid to let is bloom a bit. TURN UP THE CONTRAST! Make sure your blacks are black nad listen to it loud!" (I'll get to the audio in a minute) Follow that and you're golden and ready to SEE PUNCH DRUNK LOVE! The audio is also a big thing you need to hear to understand the movie. I recommend that if you have a nice home theater sound system with Dolby Digital/DTS capability, switch the audio over to DTS and crank the sound up, because from the first few minutes of the movie, it will draw you in. If you are watching the movie without a sound system, switch over to the Dolby Surround track because it is directed more to the TV only crowd. All the audio tracks in the movie immerse you, but the DTS has the best quality. The dialogue is mastered well but if you have a bad TV with a bad speaker(s) (PLEASE UPDATE AND WATCH THE MOVIE) or bad picture tube, please don't buy this movie because these are the requirements of viewing Punch Drunk Love. At least a 27" TV or higher with STEREO SPEAKERS if watching without a:
A nice home theater setup with speakers set up in the way the instruction booklet that came with your surround sound set. PDL, while not perfect is a beautiful movie that must be experienced as best as possible. And if you have seen the movie you will understand the first half of my title. If not, Adam Sandler's character puts pudding to a good use. JUST WATCH THE MOVIE ALREADY! If you don't have any of the good equipment listed above, please watch the VHS copy because that's about as good as your experience will be!
Rating:
Summary: Not as punchy as it could have been
Review: I'd seen mixed reviews of this movie, but I decided to try it anyway. I was mildly disappointed. It's not terrible, but I can't give it more than three stars. In fact, it's really more like 2.5 stars. Sandler does a good job of portraying a nearly-dysfunctional geek, but the "credit card" storyline is just too bizarre and in the end everything is just left hanging. PDL reminded me of the Coen Brothers' movies (Fargo, Big Lebowski, etc.) but it lacks the clear focus and sardonic vision that make their movies so entertaining. Also, production quality on PDL is mediocre at best, with lots of overexposed shots. And while the setup is promising, the movie really bogs down in the middle. If I had to go "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" I'd vote "down."
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant or Terrible? Little Appears To Matter Anymore.
Review: A film whose sole purpose for existing is to provoke its audience.
Like Magnolia before it you'll either love or loathe this film. There is no middle ground. Paul Thomas Anderson now detests his audience as much as George Lucas does.
Because of this comedown, Punch Drunk Love frustrates like few other recent films have been able to do. Boogie Nights now seems like a very long time ago.
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