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 Overpowering Music and Camera Work Attempt to Make Up for a Weak Script Jan 07, 2009
After seeing There Will Be Blood, I came to the conclusion that director Paul Thomas Anderson had made a director's film, one that will visually astound and attack all senses, without focusing much on story or making sure the script would have a good solid grip on the audience. It turns out, that realization would prove to define not only "There Will Be Blood," but also Paul Thomas Anderson as a director. The same strengths and the same weaknesses are very much at play in his 2002 film, "Punch Drunk Love," which I saw this weekend for the first time. I came in expecting to like it, because in the past, movies that bring comedic actors out of their comfort zones and into more dramatic territory have proven to be particularly moving. But, while Adam Sandler did a fantastic job as the socially awkward (to put it lightly) Barry Egan, the script wasn't strong enough to make this film as good as it thinks it is.
The concept and story fascinates me, and there were parts of the movie where I thought I was about to fall in love. Barry's dialogue is often very good, showing a man who realistically fumbles through conversations (Spitting out "Business is food" when asked how business is), so the script at least has that going for it. But instead of going anywhere real with the story, all of the potential is sort of muffled and shoved to the side in favor of over-extravagant camera work, long shots that drag on and on, and overpowering music that distinctly tries to lead the viewer by hand through the movie, because the script wasn't enough to do so. "Punch Drunk Love" isn't horrible, and there are even moments of excellence, but the director's bloated sense of self-importance and emphasis of technique over true depth ensure that the movie would never reach its potential.
5/10
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 As I just said that out loud I realize it sounded a little strange but it's not Oct 08, 2008
Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is a child-man character prone to explosive anger, much like other Adam Sandler characters. But wait, this one is very different. Instead of a comedy, this is an art film where Sandler really delves deep into his character to find the source of his anger. It seems that his emotional development was stunted by the fact that with seven sisters, he was the only boy. They tease and torment him, but he can't really fight back, so it is all bottled up inside, except when it explodes in periodic outbursts.
The story was inspired by an article in 'Time' magazine about a University of California civil engineer name David Phillips who took Healthy Choice up on their offer of frequent-flyer miles in exchange for purchasing their products. He bought 12,150 cups of pudding for just $3,000 and thereby acquired 1.25 million frequent-flyer miles (after waiting 6 to 8 weeks for them to process his coupons).
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[Barry looks around... ]
Barry: Healthy Choice and American Airlines got together and put this promotion: If you buy any 10 Healthy Choice products, they will reward you with 500 frequent flier miles; with this special coupon, they'll up it to 1,000 miles. So, I think they are trying to push their teriyaki chicken which is $1.79, but I went to the supermarket and I looked around and I saw that they had pudding... for 25ยข a cup... comes in packages of four. But insanely... the barcodes... are on the individual cups! So, quarter a cup, say you bought $2.50 worth. That's worth 500... with the coupon it's 1,000 miles. It's a marketing mistake but I'm taking advantage of it. If you were to spend $3,000, that would get you a million frequent flier miles. You would never have to pay for a ticket the rest of your life.
Lena: You... you bought all that pudding so that you could get frequent flier miles?
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Lena is played by Emily Watson. Barry's sisters both set him up and simultaneously try to sabotage the relationship, but by clever subterfuge he manages to keep it a secret. Besides the pudding, there is also a mysterious harmonium that 'falls off a truck' (no, really, it actually does) in the street by Barry's warehouse. Barry owns his own business, though when he wears a suit and tie in an attempt to project a professional image, his sisters still see him as their kid brother playing dress up.
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Barry: I didn't ask for a shrink - that must've been somebody else. Also, that pudding isn't mine. Also, I'm wearing this suit today because I had a very important meeting this morning and I don't have a crying problem.
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To further complicate things, he calls a phone sex line and gets ensnared in an extortion shake down. Dean Trumbell (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) is a Mattress Salesman in Utah who orchestrates the plot.
It is a very strange movie, but Barry finally confronts his problems with Lena, pudding, and the Mattress Man. For an Adam Sandler movie, it is quite empowering. Though he is not ready to "give a concert of anything" he does manage to make some music with his harmonium, and it meshes with the soundtrack in a most satisfying way.
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Barry: I have a love in my life. It makes me stronger than anything you can imagine.
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Paul Thomas Anderson is quite a director. The 2002 'Punch-Drunk Love' was quite different than other things he's done, such as 'There Will Be Blood' which won the Oscar for Daniel Day-Lewis, and it is also quite different from anything else Adam Sandler has done, or probably will ever do again. It is a quirky and strange movie, but well worth watching.
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Barry: I have to get more pudding for this trip to Hawaii. As I just said that out loud I realize it sounded a little strange but it's not.
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FILMS DIRECTED BY PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Magnolia (1999)
Boogie Nights (1997)
Hard Eight (Special Edition) (1996)
FILM ROLES OF ADAM SANDLER
Anger Management (Widescreen Edition) (2003) .... Dave Buznik
Little Nicky (New Line Platinum Series) (2000) .... Nicky
The Waterboy (1998) .... Robert 'Bobby' Boucher Jr.
The Wedding Singer (1998) .... Robbie
Shakes the Clown (1991) .... Dink the Clown
FILM ROLE OF PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN
Capote (2005) .... Truman Capote
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Lena: Oh... I'm sorry... was that like a secret pudding?
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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Great Movie Sep 17, 2008
Adam Sandler is commonly viewed as a goofball of an actor. His classics include Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison and its no surprise that those roles garnered him no critical acclaim. With 'Punch Drunk Love' he has silenced those who thought him incapable of serious acting. This movie is an eclectic rollercoaster of sound and imagery. Watching the metamorphosis of Sandler's character is as wonderful an experience as any other i've had with film or television. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who appreciates art, Adam Sandler, and general bad-assery. Oh, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman's in it. Checkmate.
Fabulous! Sep 01, 2008
If you love Adam Sandler movies you probably won't like this one. If you hate his movies and like something different then you will really appreciate this movie. I can swing both ways. I like most of his movies and this is my favorite. I absolutely loved it!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A Uniquely Entertaining Film with a Magical Tone Jul 16, 2008
Three points of note:
1. The original (in both senses) soundtrack. Barry Egan (Sandler) has psychological problems. He's prone to paroxysms of destructive rage, sparked primarily by his seven domineering and dysfunctional sisters. But his issues are more complex than anger management. In my lay opinion, he seems to be too close to the bad end of the autistic spectrum: he often appears oblivious to, and overwhelmed by, everyday stimuli (such as meeting new people, especially women); he's emotionally and socially stunted (but in a way distinct from the typical Sandlerian manchild); and verbal communication isn't exactly his strong suit (except when intimidation is called for). So what has this got to do with the soundtrack? Well, it struck me that the percussive, layered, and sometimes cacophonous music that plays when we see things from Barry's perspective is meant to convey the blooming, buzzing confusion that he's experiencing. It's as if we can hear his inner chaos. At any rate, these conspicuous and distinctive tracks help bring atmosphere to the foreground of the film, which is a plus, because the story itself is nothing special; the magic of this film is in the execution, the details, the tone.
2. The cinematography. I am no expert, but Anderson clearly uses some cool and unusual shots and lenses. He also intersperses some colorful abstract art by frequent collaborator Jeremy Blake (R.I.P.). You'll have to see for yourself.
3. The descent into fantasy. The film starts off quirky but fundamentally realistic. Ayn Rand didn't write the dialogue, and no one makes a dwarf-tossing joke in the middle of a pitched battle over the moral fate of the world -- everyone acts like a real person, with real emotions, however eccentric. But once the love story takes off -- literally, to Hawaii -- no amount of chemistry can make up for the fact that we have no idea what Lena Leonard (Watson) sees in Barry. She's stable, successful, and has a British accent; he's crazy, strapped for cash (he's counting on a milking an overgenerous frequent flyer miles promotion -- based on a true story), and sounds like Adam Sandler. Yet she's really into him. Maybe this is just Anderson situating himself in the romantic comedy section (love at first sight), but still, there should be something, however implausible, behind the romance if he wants the audience to care. (Interestingly, maybe he doesn't: maybe he was that committed to style over substance; maybe he wanted to focus exclusively on Barry's emotions; maybe this was his way of satirizing the genre.) At any rate, viewers are free to form their own understandings of characters' motivations.
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