PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE – 6 June

At Wahnfried on Friday 6th at 4pm, P T Anderson’s romantic comedy-drama film, PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE. The film stars Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It received positive reviews from critics, with Sandler’s performance receiving widespread acclaim and has been included in lists of the greatest movies of the 2000s and the 21st century.

The film stars Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The film received positive reviews from critics, with Sandler’s performance receiving widespread acclaim. Retrospectively, Punch-Drunk Love is viewed as a favourite film of several prominent film directors and actors and was seen as a launchpad for Sandler to pursue dramatic or unconventional film roles outside of his usual mainstream comedies and has been included in lists of the greatest movies of the 2000s and the 21st century.

Barry Egan hates himself and hates his life. The only male among eight siblings, Barry is treated poorly by his overbearing sisters. Despite owning his own business, he has gotten nowhere in life largely because of his insecurities. He leads a solitary life, which allows him to hide his violent outbursts that occur when he’s frustrated. His solitude however allows him to think, he stumbling upon a scheme to travel the world on a pittance, travel which he has never done. Concurrently, he meets two people who pull him in two different directions. The first is Lena Leonard, a friend of his sister Elizabeth. Barry is slow to realize that Lena is attracted to him, he making her make all the first moves. Lena is eventually able to get Barry out of his shell, she who sticks around despite his obvious problems. His burgeoning relationship and thus new life with Lena is threatened by the second, “Georgia”, who he contacted in an effort to alleviate his loneliness. Georgia and her “band of brothers” do whatever they can get out of Barry what they want, no matter the price to Barry.

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Punch-Drunk Love holds an approval rating of 79%. The website’s critical consensus states, “Odd, touching, and unique, Punch-Drunk Love is also delightfully funny, utilizing Adam Sandler’s comic persona to explore the life of a lonely guy who finds love.”

Writing for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers felt the pairing of Anderson and Sandler was “parallel lines that meet triumphantly in a mesmerizer that stays true to both of their anarchic spirits,” and praised the cast’s performances, ultimately calling the film’s effect “intoxicating.” Angie Errigo of Empire complimented Anderson’s direction as “simply captivating and exquisitely controlled, with a restless mood and no end of fascinating, beautifully-orchestrated oddness,” and said, “One of the joys of this film…is that you really have no idea what’s going to happen next.” Daniel Fierman of Entertainment Weekly thought the film was a “meditation on true love, the ways in which we are all bizarre, the magic of the perfect match, and the preposterously unlikely nature of the whole enterprise.” The Los Angeles Times’ Kenneth Turan stated that the film was “a comedy of discomfort and rage that turns unexpectedly sweet and pure.” Writing for Variety, Todd McCarthy said that “there is no mistaking the exceeding creativity that has gone into nearly every shot, transition, narrative choice and musical selection,” and praised Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performances. He also opined that “Sandler fans will probably take it as a lightweight, but agreeable enough, outing with slightly weird elements to it, while Anderson partisans could split between those who will revel in the thrill of his ongoing creative inventions and others who may find this light lifting between heavy workouts.” Charles Taylor of Salon.com described the film as a “manic-depressive romantic comedy that aspires to the soul of a musical,” and complimented Anderson’s direction, Christopher Scarabosio’s sound design, and Jon Brion’s score. He believed that Anderson properly utilized the “threat of sudden, bellowing, red-faced rage” of Sandler’s known comic persona in the film.

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