Rating: 
Summary: Character in Search of a Plot
Review: I had a strong identification with the Adam Sandler character in this comedie noir without being anything like the person he portrays. Or so I believe. Barry Egan, a character creation whom only superlatives seem sufficient to describe, is an impulsive knot of conflicting compulsions and neuroses; he's completely uncomfortable with himself, beguiled by his contradictions. The yawning chasm between who he is and who he wants to be engulfs him, swallows him whole. His new suit, a purchase presumed to give him some sort of authority and confidence, might as well be made of lead or cement so awkward is he in the role of widget impresario. Indeed, if there is one word which describes action, character, and environment of this entire movie, it would have to be: uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable from the first screechy frame when a "harmonium" (everyone says 'piano') crash lands on the road running past the widget sales warehouse. Predictably uncomfortable when Barry meets his love interest, Lena, played with contrapuntal warmth of expression by Emily Watson. It's not only the main characters who are uncomfortable, either. Everyone is quirky, from the silent Hispanic employees who work without relish alongside Barry in the sleazy Sherman Oaks warehouse and cheap merchandise district to the sleazy dial-a-sexual fantasy low lifes who invade, menace, and wreak havoc with Barry's love life from a parallel universe of sleaze in Provo, Nevada or some place like that. As you might expect, Barry has an interesting family comprised of a whole bunch of sisters and their cloying husbands. There's a fractious family gathering scene which does much to highlight and underscore Barry's disconnect and estrangement from the rest of the world.
The plot has two main currents and I'm not sure which one is the "back story", as they say. Obviously, the love affair with the Emily Watson character is significant and central, but it's not as interesting as when the desperately lonely would-be impresario divulges his credit card number and other personal information in a dial up phone sex scene which spins the action toward violence and danger. I'm not giving up any state secrets to say that love triumphs in the end because you knew that if you read the movie's title.
The film had its disappointments, let's say, but what really did engage me in the film was Adam Sandler's range as an actor. Being middle-aged, numb as a Buddha, and out of the loop half the time with regard to who's whom in the New Cinematic Universe, it was encouraging and inspiring for me to see Adam Sandler, the favorite of 8th graders everywhere, undertake a staggering and sometimes breathtaking series of metamorphoses, shedding skins as if there were no tomorrow.
Rating: 
Summary: PT Anderson comes unhinged
Review: I was a fan of both Boogie Nights and Magnolia, finding much to admire about both films. However, with PDL, director P.T. Anderson appears to have just tried every crazy idea he could think of, abandoning things like plot and character development along the way. About the ONLY thing I admired about this new flick was that it was a different kind of role for Adam Sandler. His character was pretty insufferable though, with an unexplained rage that dominated several of his scenes. The bottom line is that the love affair was unconvincing, the plot developments unbelievable, and the story was uninteresting. In the past, Anderson's films have featured various seemingly random events that were tied together in interesting ways. Here, many little and big things just happen that make no sense. Why did the car crash at the beginning? Just Anderson's attempt to shock us? Would Sandler's character actually carry a phone receiver in his hand all the way from L.A. to Provo, Utah? How could he drive a car with it in his hand? Was he mentally handicapped? Judging from his expectation that he could get instant redemption on the Healthy Choice frequent flyer coupons, there must be something wrong upstairs. Why did the forklifts crash and the chair break? Sorry attempts at slapstick? And those are just 4 of a myriad of similar nonsensical happenings throught the movie. I will hesitate before I see another Anderson film after this disaster. I think he's done an Oliver Stone – that is, staying a critic's darling while making unwatchable films.
Rating: 
Summary: The Funniest Adam Sandler Movie
Review: I admit, I am completely capable of watching Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore and letting go of my 25 years of education and laugh. I find Adam Sandler's sense of humor to be so honest and sincere--his art is simply making one laugh, no pretenses. Maybe it is a family trait since my mother, father, and sisters as well as my husband and his family feel the same way (7 out of the 10 of us have graduate degrees).
Needless to say some of us were very nervous when we heard that Adam Sandler made a "serious film". I finally saw it, with one sister and a husband fully expecting to be disappointed. However, I was enchanted with the first minute of the movie. I was hooked when Adam's character, Barry, thinks he might get in trouble for taking the piano and is running as fast as he can with it. The humor in this scene was overpowering. He just kept on running, it wouldn't end, he had so far to go with the piano. It was brilliant. I was laughing so hard before the credits that I was afraid I would drop my extra value diet coke. The rest of the movie followed suit. The humor was everywhere, when he breaks the glass at his sister's house, when he tells his love interest that he is in his hotel room even though he is very obviously in the middle of a parade, when he is so overtaken with love that he tells her he wants to smash her face with a sledge hammer, when he is trying to find her apartment and is frantically running through her building, how he could look at the restaurant manager and say he didn't destroy the bathroom, how he knows that he shouldn't tell just anyone about the pudding, when Barry is arguing with the Healthy Choice guy about the 6 to 8 week processing time. I could go on, but you get the point. Humor is everywhere in this movie and it is true life humor. There is so much chaos in Barry's life that you can't help but feel for him and understand everything he is thinking. The incredible part is that Adam Sandler also lets us laugh at the chaos since it is inherently funny and endearing.
Adam Sandler plays this character like he does all of his others, honestly and sincerely. Punch Drunk Love proves that Adam Sandler can find and show us the comedy that is everywhere in life, even in tense chaos. Call it black comedy or whatever you want, but he is officially brilliant.
Rating: 
Summary: What Is The Point?
Review: I've heard this mentioned in comparison to Rushmore and Mullholland Dr. It is a black comedy (not much comedy) and it is vague. I enjoy films, and even the bad one's I'll sit through. But Punch-Drunk Love is the type of film that I was willing to leave after the first 20 minutes. It goes nowhere, it makes no sense. Mullholland Dr. and Blair Witch leave you wondering how things happened, and that is what makes them good. Punch-Drunk Love leaves you wondering "why?" things happen. This is an absolute mess of a film. Negative 5 Stars is a better rating for this waste of my time.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning and Magnificent
Review: I don't even know where to start. This movie had me AMAZED from start to finish, leaving me clueless as to what was going to happen next. I knew that 'Punch-Drunk Love' was going to be a great movie, but I didn't think that I would fall in love with it the way I did when I saw it on a Friday night. Written and directed by P.T. Anderson, the man behind 'Boogie Nights' and 'Magnolia,' 'Punch-Drunk Love' is an overwhelming, comedic masterpiece that will stay in your head for days. Adam Sandler stars as Barry Egan, a person who owns his own business. Barry's quiet, shy, and he tries his best to avoid conflicts. But from growing up with a bunch of sisters who did nothing but torment him when he was little and when he grew up, it caused Barry to have the ability to violently snap without warning. No matter how nice and polite he tries to be, there's always someone who tries to push him over the edge just one step further. And things don't improve when Barry ends up getting blackmailed by a phone-sex operator after he talked to her, wanting nothing but a little companionship. Things do take a strange turn when he meets one of his sister's friends, Lena. The two fall for each other in their own insane way. And that's when all the fun begins, because now with a love in his life, Barry is ready to take on anything that stands in his way. All of this adds up to one strange and dark comedy unlike any you have ever seen. This was such an incredible movie. During the night after seeing it, I could not get any sleep because the film was stuck in my head all night long. I just kept thinking about it. I was even thinking about it the next day! It's been quite awhile since a film has been able to do that to me. (Last movie was 'Memento.') It was done in such a unique and original way. And for once, Sandler is finally getting respect from critics. I just find it humorous that the same people who said that Sandler could neither act or be funny are now completely backpedaling on what they said. The acting by Sandler was great. He's so subtle in this film that even the slightest thing he does seems comical. He can be funny without even trying. Emily Watson is also fantastic in playing Lena, who appears to be every bit as disturbed as Barry (except without the anger problems). Anderson Regulars, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Luis Guzman are also great in their roles. Which is probably why P.T. has them in almost all of his movies. (I have not seen his first movie, but they were in both 'Boogie Nights' and 'Magnolia.) P.T. Anderson has been a fan of Sandler's for quite sometime, so he said in an interview conducted by Roger Ebert. He'd always watch his movies if he felt bummed out or just wanted to laugh. Anderson actually wrote this movie FOR Adam Sandler. I have a feeling he wouldn't had written it with anyone else in mind. And I think that is awesome. His writing and direction is really original and refreshing. Anderson isn't out to make movies that are bound to be commercial-popular or are going to bring in the big bucks at the box office. He makes movies to tell a story, no matter how strange, bizarre, or dark that story may be. If he thinks it's worth telling, then he does so with his movies. I really admire that. Be warned, this isn't going to be your typical Sandler film. And it isn't your typical comedy. It is strange, offbeat, and different. Many people are bound not to like it. It's just a fact. This is NOT a romantic comedy, despite what some of the critics or trailers will lead you to believe. (Although the original theatrical trailer did an excellent job of representing the film for what it was.) This is a genera that comedy has never seen before. I don't even think there's a reasonable category you could put it in. Just know that this isn't going to be your typical Adam Sandler film, nor is it going to be a cutesy romantic comedy. If you want a romantic comedy, see 'Mr. Deeds' instead. If you love movies that aren't afraid to be different, then choose 'Punch-Drunk Love.' I thought it was an amazing and hilarious trip down the dark side of Sandler's persona in which we have never seen before. Definitely goes down on my list of 'best movies of 2002.' Can't wait for the DVD! In fact, I loved the movie so much, I just might see it one more time before it does come out on DVD. A spectacular film that amazed me on every level. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title
Rating:
Summary: Very bad movie
Review: This movie is classified as "Comedy and Romance," but there was no comedy at all. It was only a collection of unrelated fights, car accidents, and weird scenes; in addition to the loud meaningless sound effects. I did not get the point of the story, neither did the people who walked out early -- they were a lot. I regretted that I didn't leave and kept hoping that there will be some meaning at the end. Adam Sandler was fine as an actor, but if he kept playing this kind of weak stories, he will lose his popularity.
Rating:
Summary: The Oddest Movie in Many Years
Review: I went to see this one with three of my friends and we all agreed that it was very unsettling to watch, but we all enjoyed it very much. It's just that kind of movie. Its certainly an original. And everyone agreed Adam Sandler's performance is the best thing about it -I would even say Oscar-caliber. I'm giving it five stars here simply for its uniqueness. (And I would suggest to the cheeches who thought it was "the worst picture I ever saw" to go spend thier time and bucks on pablum like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" or "White Oleander".)
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This is by far the best movie I've seen in recent years. Fresh, innovative, real. The use of magical realism is remarkable. The placement of background sounds in the foreground expresses a truer awareness. Excellent performances by every actor, but especially Sandler. Anderson has created a film that will be revered for decades.
Rating:
Summary: A plain stupid movie
Review: ...this movie classified as "Comedy and Romance." As a matter of fact, there was no comedy or romance. Only a collection of unrelated scenes of fights and craziness, in addition to loud annoying meaningless sound effects. I did not get the point neither did the people who left the theater early -- they were a lot. I regretted I didn't leave and kept hoping that there will be a point at the end. Adam Sandler was fine as an actor, but if he kept playing this kind of weak stories, he would go down.
Rating:
Summary: Underwritten and Overdirected
Review: Paul Thomas Anderson is an undeniably talented director. I loved BOOGIE NIGHTS, was disappointed in MAGNOLIA (although it had its moments... way too few over three hours!) and wanted very much to like PUNCH DRUNK LOVE. Unfortunately, the script is weak. Emily Watson's character is so underwritten that we have no idea why this woman should care about Sandler's character at all, which undercuts any real emotional impact the story's resolution might have. This is truly ironic, since the film is about people getting past their neuroses to connect with each other, and ultimately the film fails to connect with the audience. Sandler gives a fine performance, and I never thought those words would leave my lips, but the contrivances of the script (a problem with MAGNOLIA as well) are just too far-fetched and undercut even his work. The photography is beautiful but the same could be said of many commercials. Indeed, Anderson needs to get out of that sunny California mindset and find a project - preferably scripted by a strong collaborator - worthy of his directorial skills. Maybe he should live in New York for a year or so to absorb a greater range of emotions and influences. As it stands, BOOGIE NIGHTS may be his CITIZEN KANE and I'd hate to see him become a one-hit-wonder.
|
