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Punch-Drunk Love Movie Review

Punch-Drunk Love is a 2002 romantic comedy drama film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Adam Sandler in the main role. It is an exceedingly odd, interesting picture.

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“I don’t know if there is anything wrong

because I don’t know how other people are“

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A frustrated Barry Egan calls a phone-sex line to curb his loneliness. But then he lands in huge trouble jeopardizes his relationship with Lena. I am not a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson. I find him to be a frustratingly cold, overrated director. With that being said, this movie I genuinely admired. Along with ‘Magnolia’, it ranks among his best efforts in my book at least.

I had to think about this one a lot. I had to think about whether I like it or not. But then, the realization hit me – just the very idea that the movie would make me examine it this much undoubtedly makes it a strong film. Yes, it is overwhelmingly strange and tonally disorienting, but that was exactly the point. The originality here is abundant.

Adam Sandler is genuinely terrific as Barry Egan, an awkward man with a high amount of anxiety following his every action in life. This is a very unlikely, strange and different kind of protagonist, especially for a rom-com. That is why he worked. He was authentic, believable and you actually root for the guy to find happiness and to escape his horrible circumstances. Sandler was actually quite humorous in a role that fit him like a glove.

Emily Watson was wonderful here as his love interest. The two share a fittingly awkward dynamic and their relationship really worked for me. In a rather small cast for this movie, the only other actor who made a genuinely big impression is Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He was hilarious in the scenes that he was in.

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Those scenes reminded me that this was actually a comedy. The dialogue exchange was superb and very amusing and the acting from both actors was top-notch. But again, I wished that the rest of the film was as comedic as this bit. For a film that is called a romantic comedy, I found it to be more anxiety-inducing and intense than funny or even romantic.

I actually liked those scenes with the phone sex operator. The situation that burst out of his encounter with this firm was outlandish, but more disturbing than amusing in my opinion. Those sections in the film where he had to destroy a credit card and evade threats and genuine physical violence were very intense.

This muddled tone was a problem for me, but it led to an authentic movie that is difficult to deny in its idiosyncrasy. Punch-Drunk Love is very well directed, well paced and superbly edited with each and every scene making an impact on the story at hand. The movie’s not that appealing visually speaking, but it remains an engaging, authentic viewing experience throughout. Its crime storyline is somewhat implausible and tonally awkward, but entertaining it most definitely is.

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After seeing Punch-Drunk Love, I had to think a lot whether or not the movie is good or bad. The very idea that it would make me examine it this much undoubtedly makes it a strong film. In fact, it’s a rare PTA flick that I genuinely enjoyed. Yes, it is exceedingly strange in its storyline and characters. And yes, the crime subplot did not make a whole lot of sense and those moments were more disturbing than funny as intended. But still, this is a film that operates wholly on its own terms. It is a rom-com that is led by a very odd protagonist wonderfully played by Adam Sandler. The humor in the second half was excellent and the dialogue was very interesting. This is an idiosyncratic feature that is tonally muddled and strange, but its authenticity is difficult not to admire.

My Rating – 4