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This film indulges into one too many outbursts of sound effects and slapstick action that it hardly came off as a comedy that was clever and subtle. One too many scenes of Adam Sandler going over-the-top and having violent fits, which are never explained and make him so annoying that the film becomes annoying. I don’t understand why the music had to be so loud and bombastic most of the time, other than perhaps to elevate the neurotic mind of Barry Egan as he goes maniacal over his business troubles and threats from gangsters who use phone sex as a cover for ripping people off. When he goes mad, it appears comical given that it’s Sandler playing this neurotic character, yet at the same time it’s disturbing to put up with his violent outbursts and hysterical banters that he hardly ever comes off as comical. The distinguished blue suit and the hysteria with the face of Sandler on this character gives off a comical image that fails to generate laughs, only annoyance at the insanity he lets out over buying loads of chocolate pudding and breaking windows and bathroom stalls. As much as it can be cartoonish and stylistic, it accumulates to the point where I want to cover my ears at the sounds of his outbursts and give him a punch of my own through the screen. I was never a Sandler fan before this film and this one has made me turn away from him altogether so I won’t see anything else of his. As much as Paul Thomas Anderson was trying to go artistic with this film in the bombastic neurosis of this disturbed eccentric man with a comical edge, it became too shaky and chaotic for the entire tone of the film that I felt compelled to turn it off to take the edge off. The film hardly gives a chance to take a rest and sit back to laugh at the dialogue and the slapstick antics that it felt like it was being made in a drunken punched-up state of mind mind with nothing to cool its heels in for the sake of a viewer.

Barry Egan is a small business owner with seven sisters whose abuse has kept him alone and unable to fall in love. When a harmonium and a mysterious woman enter his life, his romantic journey begins.

This is a Adam Sandler type film. His fingerprints are all over it. At least Classic Sandler. A man Childish character who is prone to rage and outrageous violence. Speaking in some scenes in a childish manor, but ti does allow him to show range as he is the main character. He is still not the coolest or smoothest like in his later films. There is also not a bunch of sight gags. Paul Thomas Anderson calls this an arthouse Adam Sandler film.

The film has a certain heaviness. It is pretentious at times and has it’s fair share of outrageous and ridiculous circumstances. That could have been played big and broad, but here more or less are downplayed to try and make the film more grounded in reality. The film manages to tap into real emotions and feelings of despair, Loneliness, Depression, Love and discovery. How it feels to make a connection with someone. The feeling of first falling in love with a person. Accepting the flaws and letting the pluses outnumber them. Seeing the good in people first and foremost. Some elements are brought up in the film. like him having only sisters who are strong and seem to bully him, but they are there to give back-story and a hint of what shaped him to the way he is now. That are good storytelling without going overboard and having too many scenes devoted to explanation that are not really needed. When it can be explained in one or two leaving the film to focus on it’s core story.

Even the romance angle is unconventional. Two characters, So oddball find each other. He has more quirks then her, But as they are middle aged. Se is willing to accept them for a man who truly loves and appreciates her. Even his violent streak seems more Romantic and heroic. Like a classic fantasy romantic leading man.

This is a film that could have easily been a disaster, but it manages to march to a beat of it’s own drummer and soon you are in tune with it’s beat. It’s also interesting this is a story of middle-aged people falling in love. One who has lived life and has a past falling in love. Who is virtually a clean slate. It’s a romantic relationship that at times seems more like a maternal one. Throw in a wacky side plot that would probably be a more central device in a film that would be played purely for laughs.

I think the whole oddball-outsider Socially awkward hero at the heart of the story makes me see the film as personal for me. This was before Judd Apatow brought it to the forefront of films. The outsider getting the girl. The Schlub getting the dream-girl. What is unique is that this is a adult relationship and that the girl is not necessarily a bombshell or model. Most films of this type would have mated him with. Wishful thinking on the filmmakers part an attempt to reach every member of the audience

When it comes to Paul Thomas Anderson films. I’m not going to lie, They aren’t al great, but they are good in my opinion. Except for one HARD EIGHT. Which showed skill but is his only film that never affected me. His films show style, Talent and voice of a true filmmaker. Who keeps thing interesting when he comes out with a new film. I know the excitement felt in the 1960’s and 70’s where these Auteurs were making classics and they were coming out it seemed like every few weeks. When Mr. Anderson’s films come out. I know they will be something to behold. This films definitely influenced my cinematic growth as I learned more and more about film.
His films come out and always amazes me, but also showed me technique. Just as this film is clearly influenced by a director. Who was a great influence on his work. The late Robert Altman. The off kilter casting. The non reliance on plot so much as moments even some songs from Altman’s POPEYE make it onto the soundtrack. The long takes roaming scenic hallways.

This is not only a love story, But a love song to Altman. A director who to me was 50/50 When it came the end product. He was willing to be experimental. Which at first threw me off, but once I got into his films I usually enjoyed them. Even when he made a bad film there was something to admire in the film. A certain fearlessness and willingness to experiment and get his actors to find the emotional truth. That Paul Thomas Anderson emulates, but in his own way. Even though at times Altman films could get artsy to the nth degree and feel pretentious. He found a way to save it overall and make it worth watching. Though Anderson’s use of some things like the use of light installations between the scenes are not needed.

I Love this film. It means a lot to me. It’s one of the rare love stories I appreciate that doesn’t over do it. It’s no TRUE ROMANCE. That love seems more pumped with adrenaline. This is more the love you wait for and eventually find. It inspires me and leaves me hoping to have this type of love and romance one day. It’s the type of story that doesn’t overstate itself or feel sickening. I wish more films were not afraid to allow the film and their characters some dignity and the chance to be vulnerable. Even the soundtrack effects me I always use it for introspection.
The camera rarely leaves the character. It follows leading to long takes but seeing them in their element after the conversation or situations.

Sean Penn had to drop out of the film and was replaced by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Some of the things I like about the film are the small details. Like Adam Sandler’s characters insistence of learning about this instrument he finds. The color scheme of the film. The unforgettable visuals that are simple and don’t call attention to themselves like more stylish directors would have. The soundscape of the film which is hard to describe and one of a kind. It is very much a experimental film with Steadicam shots fit in with camera shots that are out of focus at times. Even the score for the film was planned to be different with The score being written and played while filming of scenes. That didn’t work out so the score was constantly played on the set to help set the mood of the film.

GRADE: A

“Aggressively poetic” best describes Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Punch-Drunk Love” – one of the most beautifully tense, most unsettling romantic comedies ever made. Adam Sandler gives his best and most original performance as Barry Egan, the owner of a moderately successful designer toiletries business, living a life constantly filled to the brim with anxiety. Indeed, Barry’s seven older sisters render him numb with their overlapping waves of incessant pestering. But with the flick of a very specific switch (his sibling-alleged homosexuality), Barry the nebbish nice guy becomes a raging, fist-splitting lunatic. Sandler’s Barry is full of surprises, all brought to light when he meets the lovely and mysterious Lena Leonard (Emily Watson). Their obvious chemistry is an off-beat mix of the awkward and sweet but what they share more than anything is an all-consuming loneliness. “You got me out of my room,” she says to Barry with a smile, taking the words out of his mouth. The film relies skillfully on atmosphere over plot, emotion over logic – and Sandler makes Barry Egan one of the most likably complex characters to come along in a while. He’s a walking case-study replete with quirks – whether it be his subconscious need for escape (conveyed in the purchase of $3,000 worth of pudding that a faulty marketing scheme makes good for a million frequent flyer miles) or the looming frustration and guilt he feels after calling a phone sex ad, which leads to a phone sex extortion scam, which then leads to a gang of volatile hillbilly brothers, led by the great Philip Seymour Hoffman. Oh, and there’s a road-side harmonium thrown into the mix, too. One thing is clear, “Punch-Drunk Love” never trivializes romance with winks, smiles, and bubblegum. It’s an aggressive and poetic experience that brazenly depicts the clumsy nature of falling in love, warts and all.

first of all,this is not a conventional movie.,so for you adam sandler fans out there who expecting another silly comedy from him,well..this is not it.for me,this is good news.

Actually,Paul Thomas Anderson brings a very unique love story that i very rarely to see.,and the result is,very romantic (although in a different kind of way).this movie tells the story of a two awkwardly human beings,that,as time goes by fell in love into each other.their date,their conversation,is sweet (because,like i say,it is a very unconventional things)seeing how these couples interact into each other is sweet,and sometimes funny.kudos to adam sandler and emily watson who can brings great chemistry and some quirkiness into their role.

Another high point of this movie is it’s cinematography.this movie is beautifully shot,PTA proves once again his great flair with the camera(with help of cinematographer robert elswit),.there is one scene that is very beautiful to look at,which is when the couples see and hugging into each other in the hotel in hawaii with the background of hawaiaan beach( that is also become this movie iconic one sheet poster).that is simply beautiful..

Can’t shake the feeling that this is directorial wish-fulfillment a la Buffalo 66, which is to say: how many Emma Watsons really go for guys as radically insecure as Barry Egan? I guess when your film constantly verges on Astaire-Rogers levels of gaiety (albeit with darker undertones), that’s a trivial objection. Still, the idiosyncracies of characterization, narrative, and tone get pretty syrupy in sum, and viewers of a cynical bent may find this positively dopey. The all-smiles romance is tempered some by Sandler’s odd freak-outs, and Anderson’s counter-intuitively abrasive sound design makes the film a surprisingly visceral lark, so it’s hardly third-rate. Whether or not you warm to self-consciously Hollywoodish frivolity may be the deciding factor in your reaction. So, a conditional recommendation.

“That’s that!” – and this is one weird, beautiful, touching, funny, magnificent movie! It hasn’t been regarded much in terms of the romantic comedy genre – because I guess it’s just a blast, and who wants to get limit it to genre discussion? The two lead characters are fascinating, and their connection makes no sense — but PT Anderson dazzles us with it, and a bevy of other things (like the family dynamics). A supremely inventive film, probably the film of the ’00s.

I have no idea why people love this movie. I’m not sure I’ve ever been as disappointed in a movie. I love Jon Brion and I like pta but I just couldn’t even figure out what the attraction was. I wasn’t taken by Sandler, the story was interesting but I couldn’t connect to it. I didn’t find it beautiful. Anderson’s direction was excellent but that can’t carry a movie. I’m gona sadly have to agree with Wonderlust King on this…and commend him for his possibly Gogol Bordello inspired username

I cannot describe the joy I experienced while watching this last night. I’ve seen the film, before, yes, but last night’s viewing was like seeing something utterly new, like I had been missing something my entire life. I knew the movie was good; I didn’t know it was this good. How Paul Thomas Anderson was able to write something like this, let alone direct it, is a complete mystery to me. There has never been a film like it before; the intricately detailed chcracter of Barry Egan presents one of the most complex people I’ve seen in the movies in a while. He is tortured, yes, but once he finds something that he cares about, that he can actually defend, boy does he defend the hell out of it, all the while hardly ever being sure of himself. The dreamlike structure of this movie just makes it so fantastic to watch these two crazy people fall in love.

Savvy

This is probably my favorite American film of the new millennium. Adam Sandler is perfect as Barry Egan. Paul Thomas Anderson’s direction, Robert Elswitt’s photography, and Jon Brion’s music fuse so well to create such a unique movie. It’s one of the most harmonious partnerships behind and in front of the screen I’ve ever seen. Everything blends so well.

In my book this is the only great film by Paul Thomas Anderson and its solely because of its confidence in its emotions and its simplicity. He manages to create something painfully sweet.

(Originally written July 11, 2008)

There has always been a strange sense of sweetness to the insanity of Adam Sander, and director Paul Thomas Anderson knows exactly how to utilize the actor’s vulnerability in this masterpiece. Sandler gives a brilliant performance as a quietly tortured individual who is incapable of interacting with others without looking like a fool. He has outrageous breakdowns in public that dangerously dance the line between hysterical and tragic. Yes, it’s ridiculous to break the windows of his sister’s home, but we develop an understanding of his pain. He’s destructive, yet he’s harmless. Barry Egan, Sandler’s character, finds himself struggling to have intimate contact with human beings, suffocated by his seven sisters and his monotonous job as a plunger salesman. He tries to end his quest for love with a phone sex hotline, but this results in a messy situation that gets him into trouble when he finds true love with Lena Leonard, played by Emily Watson. What makes the story so poignant is its insertion of a naïve innocent character into an adult situation, and how he solves the crisis is moving. The romance in this film between Sandler and Watson is powerful because it is innocent without being cliché. This “romantic comedy” transcends its own genre with its eccentricities and mastery of aesthetics. The film’s cinematography is exquisite, and the music helps to establish the offbeat mood of this film.