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Punch Drunk Love (2002, Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is stuck in a rut. He owns a small novelty business that doesnt really seem to be going anywhere, and their sale of plastic toilet plungers arnt exactly helping. He doesnt have many friends and his work collegues think his a bit strange. His seven sisters constantly torment him and speculate over his non-existant love life calling him "gay-boy" whenever they get the chance, while he tries to hold back his anger for them and stop himself from crying...which he does...a lot. All of this changes however when one day he buys a blue suit to wear for work, finds a dumped harmonium outside his work place and a strange woman (Emily Watson) enters his life, this is where we see his story begin.
Throughout the film we see the bizarre yet wonderful relationship of Barry and Lena (Watson) blossom through some equelly bizarre circumstances. An angry, thieving phone sex service, frequent destructive outbursts by Barry, intensly irritating sisters and an offer for free air miles by a pudding company punctuate their devoloping relationship as the film plods on towards its conclusion. Throughout the film wee see Barry as the odd one, delivering lines such as "I'm lookin' at your face and I just wanna smash it. I just wanna f*ckin' smash it with a sledgehammer and squeeze it. You're so pretty." But wonderfully as the film progresses, by the end of it you start to question whether he may be the normal one and unfortunatly the people around him are the ones screwing him up. Especially where his sisters are concerned and Philip Seymour Hoffman's potty mouthed Mattress Man. There are some truley funny moments thanks to these bizarre characters, when we witness the extent of Barry's anger for his sisters the consequences are frequently hilarious. Smashing windows, destroying toilets, screaming at telephones are among some of his common responses to their taunts of "gay boy" and "why are you so weird?"
Adam Sandler is absoloutly brilliant as the tormented and cooky Barry. his played the strange charecters before in Water Boy and Little Nicky but normally only for comic effect. In Punch Drunk Love Sandler manages to create a character that is not only funny at the right times, but also sweet, shy and sometimes distressing at others. Emily Watson is equally as charming with just a hint of strangness as the love interest for Barry whilst Mary Lynn Rajskub is brillaintly irrittating and horrid as his most annoying sister, Elizabeth.
The third in the three of Paul Thomas Andersons most successful films is perhaps the most bizarre, yet also the most beautiful. His trademark cinematography is still noticeable, but with some new additions Punch Drunk Love is a absoloute blast of the senses. Amongst the developing story of Barry, we see his anger and emotions and hopes portrayed through an array of colours and bizarre sounds that errupt over the screen as the film continues. It is a film that needs to be watched on a big screen, with the volume and contrast turned to the max, becuase more than a good story, it is a film for your ears and eyes, creating a piece of art as pastal pinks, and water coulured blues wash over the screen feeding your eyes, while strange noises plop, swish and bubble into your ears.
Its easy to finish watching Punch Drunk Love in a state of utter bewilderment. The noises, colours, images and events that happen on screen are enough to confuse anyone, but if you can accept the strange sight and sounds your hearing as part of the film and not some seperate attempt to symbolise some deeper meanings, the film is a love story shown through colours and sounds. There are no plot holes and unanswered questions that you need to dwell on well after he film has ended. It all makes sense in a wonderfully pretty way. Some Sandler fans may be well dissapointed with his most bizarre role yet, whilst people that are not fans of Sandelrs work (like me), may be happily suprised at this role.
A cooky, bizarre yet sweet tale of Love told in a way that may not be to everyones tastes, Punch Drunk Love certainly will knock some of you sideways.
Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is stuck in a rut. He owns a small novelty business that doesnt really seem to be going anywhere, and their sale of plastic toilet plungers arnt exactly helping. He doesnt have many friends and his work collegues think his a bit strange. His seven sisters constantly torment him and speculate over his non-existant love life calling him "gay-boy" whenever they get the chance, while he tries to hold back his anger for them and stop himself from crying...which he does...a lot. All of this changes however when one day he buys a blue suit to wear for work, finds a dumped harmonium outside his work place and a strange woman (Emily Watson) enters his life, this is where we see his story begin.
Throughout the film we see the bizarre yet wonderful relationship of Barry and Lena (Watson) blossom through some equelly bizarre circumstances. An angry, thieving phone sex service, frequent destructive outbursts by Barry, intensly irritating sisters and an offer for free air miles by a pudding company punctuate their devoloping relationship as the film plods on towards its conclusion. Throughout the film wee see Barry as the odd one, delivering lines such as "I'm lookin' at your face and I just wanna smash it. I just wanna f*ckin' smash it with a sledgehammer and squeeze it. You're so pretty." But wonderfully as the film progresses, by the end of it you start to question whether he may be the normal one and unfortunatly the people around him are the ones screwing him up. Especially where his sisters are concerned and Philip Seymour Hoffman's potty mouthed Mattress Man. There are some truley funny moments thanks to these bizarre characters, when we witness the extent of Barry's anger for his sisters the consequences are frequently hilarious. Smashing windows, destroying toilets, screaming at telephones are among some of his common responses to their taunts of "gay boy" and "why are you so weird?"
Adam Sandler is absoloutly brilliant as the tormented and cooky Barry. his played the strange charecters before in Water Boy and Little Nicky but normally only for comic effect. In Punch Drunk Love Sandler manages to create a character that is not only funny at the right times, but also sweet, shy and sometimes distressing at others. Emily Watson is equally as charming with just a hint of strangness as the love interest for Barry whilst Mary Lynn Rajskub is brillaintly irrittating and horrid as his most annoying sister, Elizabeth.
The third in the three of Paul Thomas Andersons most successful films is perhaps the most bizarre, yet also the most beautiful. His trademark cinematography is still noticeable, but with some new additions Punch Drunk Love is a absoloute blast of the senses. Amongst the developing story of Barry, we see his anger and emotions and hopes portrayed through an array of colours and bizarre sounds that errupt over the screen as the film continues. It is a film that needs to be watched on a big screen, with the volume and contrast turned to the max, becuase more than a good story, it is a film for your ears and eyes, creating a piece of art as pastal pinks, and water coulured blues wash over the screen feeding your eyes, while strange noises plop, swish and bubble into your ears.
Its easy to finish watching Punch Drunk Love in a state of utter bewilderment. The noises, colours, images and events that happen on screen are enough to confuse anyone, but if you can accept the strange sight and sounds your hearing as part of the film and not some seperate attempt to symbolise some deeper meanings, the film is a love story shown through colours and sounds. There are no plot holes and unanswered questions that you need to dwell on well after he film has ended. It all makes sense in a wonderfully pretty way. Some Sandler fans may be well dissapointed with his most bizarre role yet, whilst people that are not fans of Sandelrs work (like me), may be happily suprised at this role.
A cooky, bizarre yet sweet tale of Love told in a way that may not be to everyones tastes, Punch Drunk Love certainly will knock some of you sideways.