Rating: 
Summary: A religious experience?
Review: The term "punch-drunk" I believe originates in the 19th century or early 20th century. It was used by doctors to describe a syndrome of cognitive impairment brought on by a severe beating leading to traumatic brain injury. The "punch drunk wife syndrome" was ascribed to unfortunate women who were severely and repeatedly beaten by their drunken husbands. Boxers sustain similar problems and in their case the diagnosis is termed "dementia pugilistica." So the term "punch drunk" in the title is rather interesting. There is the clear explosive rage lying underneath the surface. And, there are also the bright lights and floating colors one might see after a sudden blow to the head, as in "seeing stars." Perhaps only love allows us to see the light, without which we are blind and enraged. Love reveals to us our demons, allows us to save ourselves from the dark and despair. This is a rather Christian view I realize, but seems to fit with this story. If you don't believe, watch the movie again and notice that when Emily Watson first appears there is a bright halo of light above her head. She appears angelic, and, indeed, she saves Adam Sandler's character with love and forgiveness. Imagine a Christian theology without ever mentioning Christ and empowered by a woman with divine power to save a lost soul. Who would have thought? Maybe the Pope ought to see this movie.A more practical note should be made regarding the DVD itself. This is a wonderful transfer, with a very clear picture and excellent color sturation. the sound is also recorded very well. Extra features have never really been important to me, but the features of this DVD are actually intersting and informative.
Rating: 
Summary: If you are smart enough...
Review: You should be able to enjoy this movie. It is a little off centre but the concept was amazing. Adam Sandler did a great job portraying someone with a mental illness who has no clue that he has a mental illness. The music was crazy in the background but it fit the movie well, almost as if it were shadowing the feelings his character had inside.
If you are looking for a smart comedy... and a little insight, this is the movie for you.
Rating:
Summary: yah, five stars
Review: Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson almost nailed it with "Magnolia," but didnt see the film for its excesses, and hadn't quite come to terms with his own weaknesses. He is not the strongest screenwriter in the business. This time around he leaves out most of the verbose (and profanity-laden) dialogue that almost crippled "Magnolia." However, he has a knack for oddities that add to the picture's mood, and Punch-Drunk Love is all about mood. The cinematography is flat-out gorgeous. The colors are vibrant and meaningful. For instance, one notices Sandler and Watson wear opposite red and blue wardrobe. The the two characters are written as opposites, one coming from a 7 sister family, the other being an only child. They make up for the holes in each other's lives and do not (as one reviewer claimed) fall in love without plausibility. It is these nuances that make the film so wonderful. What can be expected in indie films like this is a storyline that isn't necessarily fed to you. The hints at the pasts and personal lives of the characters are what the viewer gets by on. From there, the film takes on its own logic and reasoning. The characters are developed just enough to keep the movie personal and more ture-to-life feeling. That is the benefit of movies that are a labor of love. Some people don't appreciate the artistic aspect of film I suppose. Punch-Drunk Love acheives what I have always considered film's goal to be. It is just as powerful as a good book. It leaves you with a feeling that is amplified by the visuals and the music. The mood is always apparent due to these components, and that's what makes it a film, and not a piece of literature. The performances are terrific (Sandler is wonderful) and within the first 10 minutes you get lost in the world that the movie creates. If you feel like sitting down and really taking a movie in, I cannot endorse this film enough. It is imperfect, but everyone isn't Orson Welles.
Rating:
Summary: Exaggerated, but true nonetheless
Review: So many people grow up to be emotionally stunted, keeping nearly all their anger and pain inside, only to release it in inappropriate ways. Few of us go so far as to destroy a restaurant men's room when we do it, but many of us understand that misplaced rage. I certainly identified with Barry Eagan, and the supression he suffered, the rage he fought with, and that constant effort to be a nice guy; and I found the film moving for that reason. If you've ever felt alone, or like no one cared about what you had to say or what you felt, I have a strong suspicion that this movie will make an impression.
Rating:
Summary: offbeat triumph
Review: Barry Egan's life has all the earmarks of an absurdist, Kafkaesque nightmare. Plagued by idiosyncrasies and riddled with neuroses, Barry is the classic introverted nerd, a man who is completely incapable of relating to people on a social level. Barry finds himself harassed by seven sisters who do everything they can to demean and ridicule their brother, all in the guise of 'helping' him when really all they want is to dominate him. It isn't until Barry meets up and falls in love with Lena Leonard that he begins to find the inner strength and intestinal fortitude to stand up for himself and create a life worth living. Barry also finds himself caught in a bizarre tangle with some dangerous thugs after he 'innocently' calls a phone sex service one lonely night. As with any true Kafkaesque hero, Barry becomes the enmeshed victim of an ill-defined threat that seems to exist outside the scope of reason and everyday life. With 'Punch-Drunk Love,' writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson has narrowed his focus somewhat from his two previous films, 'Boogie Nights' and 'Magnolia,' to concentrate more intensely on a single individual subject. Barry is a wholly unique creation, a man who seems barely sane at times, yet who also strikes chords of familiarity in the viewer. How many of us cannot identify in at least some way with the obsessions, anxieties and sense of hopelessness that plague Barry to such an exaggerated degree? Despite his frequent outbursts of explosive violence (directed at objects rather than people), Barry also displays an innate goodness and tenderness that make him, in the long run, a highly sympathetic character. Anderson's triumph is in making the centerpiece of his film emotionally conflicted and psychologically complex. We don't feel as if we have ever met anyone quite like Barry Egan before ' and this uniqueness goes a long way towards winning us over to his side. Visually, Anderson has once again proved himself a master of widescreen composition. Every shot in the film helps to contribute to the strange, otherworldly quality of Barry's life and experience. Anderson always seems to have Barry walking down sterile corridors or hanging aloof in one corner of the screen while the rest of the shot reveals the stark emptiness of the world around him. Anderson knows how to use his camera to emphasize Barry's isolation not only from his external environment but also the isolation Barry feels from the dark part of himself he wishes he could reject and overcome. At times, Barry is fully aware of his almost pathological 'weirdness' and he frankly admits that he would like very much to change. It isn't until Lena becomes a major force in his life that he is subtly, gradually, almost imperceptibly, able to break away from the internalized demons that haunt him. As always, Anderson has drawn remarkable performances from his cast, many of whom have appeared in some of his previous works. Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Luiz Guzman all make their marks in supporting roles, but it is Adam Sandler, as Barry Egan, who is truly a revelation. In his first mostly serious role, Sandler demonstrates a mastery of control in a part that could easily have slipped over into maniacal overkill (as it would almost certainly have done in any other Sandler film). Instead, Sandler delivers an intensely subtle performance, one that allows us to see every facet of this emotionally complex character without ever letting any one of his qualities dominate over the others. This is clearly one of the best and most unfairly overlooked acting jobs of 2002. 'Punch-Drunk Love' is not a typical Adam Sandler comedy and it may never be appreciated by the great, unwashed masses who have trouble dealing with any film that seems just too 'far out there' for their own provincial taste or understanding. But for those with an appetite for offbeat, original and challenging filmmaking, 'Punch-Drunk Love' is clearly one of the finest 'romantic comedies' of the past several years.
Rating:
Summary: Punch-Drunk Love
Review: Barry Egan (adam sandler) is one of the most complex characters ever in a movie. When a car crashes right in front of him, he looks stunned and shocked, but does nothing about it. When on a date, he destroys the bathroom and comes back out; unfazed. He tries to learn how to play the harmonium that is dropped off on the street, but acts like he doesn't know what it is. He obviously has social problems, after he tries to show his emotions and his sisters disband him; he destroys stuff. Punch-Drunk Love is about someone caring about him, even through all his discrepencies and faults. Even though Lena (Emily Watson) knows that he destroyed the bathroom, she acts like she doesn't notice. Paul T. Anderson didn't give her much of a role, besides being a supporter for the protagonist, but she still receives a lot of depth. She knows he's a good person, and always believes in him.But he calls a phone-sex line one night when he gets lonely, but is unable to communicate with the woman on the other line. Knowing his disposition, the lady takes advantage of him; even though they know it's wrong. This movie isn't like Magnolia, so don't compare it to Magnolia. Magnolia was an ensemble drama about redemption, this was more of a romantic comedy about someone who is good at heart. And Adam Sandler's acting is pretty good so stop knocking it. Another thing; it's not an Indie film. In no way, shape, or form is this Indie, just because the script is a little off beat. As for the DVD, it's Superbit which means superb quality and superior sound. The 2nd disc has all the cool extras, but unfortunately none that are really worth your time. I would buy this movie, it's a great movie, and one of the best of 2002.
Rating:
Summary: Love and change, the PT Anderson's way
Review: THE MOVIE What attracts me on PT Anderson's movies is that they're so rich in details that the more you see them, the more you discover. This adds a lot to the "re-view" level and pleasure experience. Not to mention his cinematography, use of music, actor's direction. Punch-Drunk Love is no exception.
This is a story about change, about opening our hearts, about taking control of our lives. About blue meeting red. And the positive consequences this meeting can produce.
Adam Sandler is a sad and frustrated guy whose life is not in his hands. He just keeps pushing it. He lives in a blue world, he's Mr Blues. Pay real attention to the colors in this movie. The movie starts blue, on a blue morning just before the sun start to shine. Hot colors represent desire, temptation to change, challenges.
The first sign his life is about to change comes as a shocking morning crash. Just like the frogs shook lives in magnolia. The second sign - a red cab drops a piano (not a piano, actually, but a keyboard instrument whose name I don't remember now). The third sign - RED HOT - Emily Watson, who's always wearing red until they meet for real (I won't tell it all, am just trying to help clarify some points to make PDL more enjoyable).
After these signs, it's left for him to do something, to choose between changing or not his status quo. By picking the piano, he opts for change. And when a truck scares him, he's advised that this won't be risk free, but he goes for it. And we have a beautiful movie everyone can take some lessons from.
Some people argue that there are times when the music goes over the dialogs, that it's "badly mixed". They didn't get it. Please note that every time this occurs, the dialogs are not important, and the music adds mood to what is - the interaction, the growing feelings between Adam and Emily, or Adam and his own life.
A movie I recommend that deals with this very much is A Man And A Woman, by Claude Lelouch. The dialogs are never as important as the relation, the reaction, the gestures, the looks between the "man" and the "woman". Simply beautiful and original - a history told by gestures, not only words. Pure cinema.
So, to enjoy this lovely movie, pay attention to the details, observe the colors, what and who is out-of-focus and listen to the music. Everything is very well orchestrated by a fabulous, talented, original and capable director (maybe storyteller fits better) - Paul Thomas Anderson. He sometimes defy our minds, and that's very good.
THE DVD
It's Superbit. But sometimes I feel magnolia has a better picture... Anyway, the transfer is very good. The sound - DTS - is very good, using all channels for music and effects very well. This is somewhat rare, specially for this kind of movie. It surprised me more than the Superbit image.
The second disc has one specially interesting extra, which adds to the comprehension of the movie - Blossoms And Blood. And, also, some traditional extras, like trailers, deleted scenes, more samples of the amazing art used and "scopitones". What's missing, in my opinion, is a featurette with PT Anderson, like there is on magnolia. Maybe he felt Blossoms And Blood would fulfill this. By the way, the image on this extra is very good.
If you like magnolia, has an open mind and heart and also conscience of yourself and your life, if you understand that not all things must have a reason why, you'll certainly enjoy Punch-Drunk Love. It is both a loving/touching story and a very good DVD, with a high "re-view" level.
If you believe movies must be more logical or coherent than life, this is not for you.
Rating: 
Summary: The Empereor's New Clothes
Review: As a result of excellent reviews from the critics, my friends and I saw this bomb. If you have seen even a 10 minute snippet of any Adam Sandler movie , you have seen this movie. If you enjoy debasement,poorly controlled anger and juvenile behavior, this is the movie for you. If not, find something else... anything else.
Rating:
Summary: Sandler's best.
Review: Sandler is great. Sometimes distrubing and funny at the same time. Great acting and a great script.
Rating: 
Summary: The more I think about it, the less I like it.
Review: This movie is no good... No character development, no amazing story, a very terrible ending, very annoying and loud music. Adam Sandler does well in this movie - I like him in this. But, Emily Watson is terrible...and the sisters in the movie are so annoying. I have a hard time watching this movie. I dont really like Paul Thomas Anderson anyway. I mean I'm into original movies ...[but]I hate movies like that. But I just think P.T. Anderson's movies are just pretentious and boring. He's trying to be too indie. I just don't like this movie...Adam Sandler does good in this movie but thats about all there is good to it. I'm not gonna tell you not to watch it because maybe you need to see for yourself and actually think about this movie. Really ask yourself if it was good. Too many of the little indie kids are like oh man this is the greatest ever. So yea..I'm done.
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