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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Punch-Drunk Love

Murray Hamhandler

15:29 / 30.10.02

Has anyone else here seen this? Having only seen it once, I don't know how accurate a judgement I can make about it at the moment. It's as quality a film as any of Anderson's previous efforts, but it definitely doesn't top or match Magnolia or (that film among films) Boogie Nights, IMHO. I can see it being a film that grows on me more w/subsequent viewings, like Magnolia.

But, yeah. Initial reactions: I liked it a great deal. It was a beautiful and honest film. It's mostly a character study and, thematically and mood-wise, is very similar to Magnolia. Except in the form of a 90--minute comedy. Sandler's character is semi-creepy and, although the movie goes to great lengths to show why he's the way he is, it doesn't cop out and make him seem any less damaged by film's end. He has a long way to go, but he's on the road there.

I think that audiences lining up for the next Sandler flick are going to go away highly disappointed. There's some funny stuff, but I wouldn't say that the film is a comedy. Some of the IMDB reviews are funny. Incoherent Sandler-fans warning the unsuspecting public away from "the worst movie of all time".

What do you think?

19:03 / 30.10.02

P.T. Anderson is one of my favourite filmmakers, and Punch-Drunk Love didn't disappoint. He's for 4 for 4 in my book.

Interesting to see Sandler play what is essentially the same character he always does - the awkward, man-child idiot prone to explosive outbursts of anger - but this time it isn't a cartoon, it's moving and genuine. I pretty much despise Adam Sandler so I have to give credit to P.T.A. for being able to draw a decent performance out of him.

I've heard a lot of Adam Sandler fans slagging off the film, for no reason other than "it's not like Big Daddy or The Waterboy" and it makes my blood boil.

The Tower Always Falls

03:36 / 02.11.02

Just saw it myself, and I'm having an interesting time trying to digest it. Your'e right Cameron in saying that P.T. Anderson basically used Adam Sandler just as he always has before, but the violence and outbursts of anger are played entirely straight. It's this weird anti-matter Sandler movie, where every other moment in the movie is vauguely dreamy EXCEPT the outbursts- which end being more scary as hell than funny. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and I personally saw two of those Adam Sndler fans walk out of the theater before it ended. I think labelling it as a comedy sort of tosses it into unrealistic expectations, however. Not a lot of laugh-out-loud moments from the crowd or me, but there were plenty of time where I chuckled to myself just at the irony of a certain shot with Adam Sandler in it.

Most amusing moment? The love scene in the hotel... Adam's sweet nothings into Kate Hudson's ear, and her giving it RIGHT back to him. I could FEEL the waves of discomfort wash over me from the audience, yet not being able to help laughing. But it was a nervous sort of laughter that you feel really odd laughing at it. That kind of sums up the movie for me...

17:37 / 02.11.02

Kate Hudson?

Emily Watson.

The Tower Always Falls

19:28 / 02.11.02

Jeez. Yes that is correct. Mistaking 200 Cigarettes for Breaking the Waves is entirely unforgivable. My bad...

Yotsuba & Benjamin!

13:33 / 03.11.02

The worst misrepresentation of this film, though, has got to be the new and desperate run of commercials featuring "Blister In The Sun" and narration over quick cuts to the effect of "This is the harmonium...that lead to the girl...that lead to the phone sex line...that lead to Hawaii..." It's shriekingly painful to watch.

The film however was remarkable. The moment that sums up all of the wide-eyed greatness of PTA's work for me was the phone booth in Hawaii. a) Gorgeous color and light work. b) A top drawer performance culled from an actor. c) When that light goes on and Barry is almost literally cheered on by the entire state of Hawaii, well, shit. Just beautiful.

He's really got, in this film, a thing for visually illustrating the nebulous feelings of falling in love. Car crashes, running through an endless series of identical hallways to find what you want, and that brilliant closing shot where the invisible act of Lena accepting a new and improved Barry is shown visually. Excellent.

Benjamin.

Matthew Fluxington

14:31 / 16.11.02

I saw it yesterday and liked it, it went beyond my expectations, but mostly because P.T.A. had nearly demolished my hopes for his career with Magnolia. He has, in my mind, thoroughly redeemed himself with this picture.

The film is so incredibly uncomfortable - from start til finish, I was constantly cringing at and for the protagonist. There were a lot of scenes that were so awkward that it sort of made me squirm and look away. It's like an emotional slasher film half the time.

Any of the scenes with Phillip Seymour Hoffman were golden, especially the one with him screaming "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!".

The film looked great too, and I liked the music motifs and the rainbow colored bits.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

05:22 / 17.11.02

I finally got to see it today, and really didn't see it as much of a comedy. My only problem was that so much fo the movie seemed to not be there...I would have loved an entire movie about the phone sex line being run out of a mattress store...or the odd accidents at the beginning of the movie...or the seven sisters who torment him constantly...or the whole pudding idea...

PT Anderson's movies always seem to me like a good Dickens novel, filled with rich characters and strange, yet real situations. The look of the movie was wonderful as well, with the color dissolves between major portions of the movie, the maze-like confining of the apartment building, the starkness of his apartment. But, to be honest, the scene where they get together in Hawaii, everyone walking by in silouette and him going to shake hands and being embraced was a heart-breakingly beautiful looking peice fo film, worth the price of admission right there.

I have always hated Adam Sandler because I don't find his stock character funny in any way...this movie shows me that it's OK for me to think that way because, in the end, it's not funny. It's a little scary and a little sad. And THAT is why the movie worked.

00:04 / 16.02.03

Just saw it at a Valentine's Day viewing. Not much more to add, though I enjoyed all the stand-out scenes everyone else has mentioned. The use of sound was extraordainary, especially the two car crash scenes. After I left the theatre, I said, man, PTA could make an amazing horror movie.

The one completely half-baked notion I had at the end was that Barry Egan was Popeye. No, wait. The song "He Needs Me" which plays in the film is sung by Olive Oyl in the Popeye movie. But the part that did it is when he confronted Hoffman and talked about his strength. Maybe pudding is his spinach.

OK, nevermind. I'll go back to dropping acid and watching Wizard of Oz to the Dark Side of the Moon soundtrack. Sooo deep.

Matthew Fluxington

01:39 / 16.02.03

You know, I sorta already said in this thread, but I think that in its own way Punch Drunk Love is a horror film. It's all made so that you're constantly fearing for Barry, for what kind of emotional or physical violence that may come to him or that he may cause to others. The film was constantly making me flinch or want to look away, which I think is a sign of a good horror film.

10:55 / 12.04.03

As has been said elsewhere - this film was way too short (which may be PTA's deliberate reposte to criticisms of the length of his last 2 films).

It looks and sounds fantastic. I'd quite happily watch it again.

PTA is a bit of a sadist to his characters - really likes to humiliate them (he does especially horrible things to Gwyneth Paltrow in Hard Eight). The whole cringe thing is reminiscent of "The Office". I couldn't watch parts of this.

Reminded me kinda Buffalo 66 coz with Emily Watson in PDL and Christina Ricci in B66, it's never made clear why they fall for their rather unlikeable men.

Matthew Fluxington

17:01 / 12.04.03

I am baffled by the notion that Punch Drunk Love was too short.

Explain.

Yotsuba & Benjamin!

01:08 / 13.04.03

If anyone in the States is waiting for PDL to hit DVD, pick up Kid Koala's Nufonia Must Fall for the hip-hop equivalent. Seriously.

And PDL was in no way too short. The film's protaganists were walking through a living and breathing metaphor for love and if that had gone on even a second longer it would have fallen flat on its face. C'est perfect.