Andrew McMurtryPunch-Drunk Love 8/10
June 1st 2008 14:04
It's sad for me to say this, but I just can't seem to get into Paul Thomas Anderson. That being said, I thought Punch-Drunk Love was wonderful.
PT Anderson movies always seem to creep me out a little. And they are ridiculously long, full of all these complicated ideas which sometimes makes me want to denounce God all over again. Punch-Drunk Love, although it does have the director's eccentric flavour, was much simpler to follow and had delightful touches of the whimsical to make this a very original and also likable love story.
Adam Sandler is mild mannered novelty businessman Barry Egan. His life is dominated by his 7 unbelievably horrible sisters, who constantly call him up, nag him, remind him of his faults and past mistakes and belittle him for no reason at all. In this chaos, he discovers a fault in a promotional offer that he can take advantage of to give him some small space for freedom and happiness, and he also meets Lena (Emily Watson). Predictably, they fall in love. But their road to happily ever after is not without its bumps. For one thing, Barry has a frightening rage problem and some phone sex people, who he had called once in an act of desperation, are now after his money, thinking he's loaded. Oh, and there's a harmonium. Don't know, don't ask.
The reason I particularly liked Punch Drunk Love is because I am an Adam Sandler fan. Dear God, why? you may be asking. Well, Adam Sandler tends to play nice guys with a really bad temper, and I have to say I'm a lot like that. But he outdoes himself here, and there is none of that annoying fratboy crap he usually throws in to balance everything out for his fans. In Punch-Drunk Love, especially because it was Adam Sandler but better, I thought it was awesome that Barry finds love that inspires him to start fighting back against the many injustices in his life. It was daydream-like and surreal, but that was what made it so charming.
Yes, Adam Sandler is great. He knew when to be comical, when to be sympathetic, when to be crazy and when to be a pathetic mess while still seeming real and likable. Emily Watson, no matter what she does, is wonderful. We don't learn much about Lena, but you get the sense that deep down she is just as crazy as Barry, and that's why she's so drawn to him, even when he comes off as completely irrational and possibly sociopathic. The support were like cardboard cutouts (but it doesn't matter because this isn't an ensemble piece), only doing their role in leading the story forward for Barry, with the exception of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who has the annoying habit of stealing the show in most of the films he's in. He held back this time around, and good on him.
There was something about the cinematography that made the film feel allegorical, which totally rocked. Every movement reflected Barry's state of mind. If he was doing the routine, the camera followed his every step. If he was threatened, the whole world seemed to close in on him. When he was with Lena, everything was beautifully shot to seem like he's in a magical world of perfection. It really made the story stand not just as a quirky comedy, but its fusion of yesterday's fairytale love story with our everyday miserable dysfunction made it one that should be remembered.
It'll make you feel good. PT Anderson style.
PT Anderson movies always seem to creep me out a little. And they are ridiculously long, full of all these complicated ideas which sometimes makes me want to denounce God all over again. Punch-Drunk Love, although it does have the director's eccentric flavour, was much simpler to follow and had delightful touches of the whimsical to make this a very original and also likable love story.
Adam Sandler is mild mannered novelty businessman Barry Egan. His life is dominated by his 7 unbelievably horrible sisters, who constantly call him up, nag him, remind him of his faults and past mistakes and belittle him for no reason at all. In this chaos, he discovers a fault in a promotional offer that he can take advantage of to give him some small space for freedom and happiness, and he also meets Lena (Emily Watson). Predictably, they fall in love. But their road to happily ever after is not without its bumps. For one thing, Barry has a frightening rage problem and some phone sex people, who he had called once in an act of desperation, are now after his money, thinking he's loaded. Oh, and there's a harmonium. Don't know, don't ask.
The reason I particularly liked Punch Drunk Love is because I am an Adam Sandler fan. Dear God, why? you may be asking. Well, Adam Sandler tends to play nice guys with a really bad temper, and I have to say I'm a lot like that. But he outdoes himself here, and there is none of that annoying fratboy crap he usually throws in to balance everything out for his fans. In Punch-Drunk Love, especially because it was Adam Sandler but better, I thought it was awesome that Barry finds love that inspires him to start fighting back against the many injustices in his life. It was daydream-like and surreal, but that was what made it so charming.
Yes, Adam Sandler is great. He knew when to be comical, when to be sympathetic, when to be crazy and when to be a pathetic mess while still seeming real and likable. Emily Watson, no matter what she does, is wonderful. We don't learn much about Lena, but you get the sense that deep down she is just as crazy as Barry, and that's why she's so drawn to him, even when he comes off as completely irrational and possibly sociopathic. The support were like cardboard cutouts (but it doesn't matter because this isn't an ensemble piece), only doing their role in leading the story forward for Barry, with the exception of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who has the annoying habit of stealing the show in most of the films he's in. He held back this time around, and good on him.
There was something about the cinematography that made the film feel allegorical, which totally rocked. Every movement reflected Barry's state of mind. If he was doing the routine, the camera followed his every step. If he was threatened, the whole world seemed to close in on him. When he was with Lena, everything was beautifully shot to seem like he's in a magical world of perfection. It really made the story stand not just as a quirky comedy, but its fusion of yesterday's fairytale love story with our everyday miserable dysfunction made it one that should be remembered.
It'll make you feel good. PT Anderson style.
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