Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer (WGA):

Paul Thomas Anderson (written by)

Release Date:

1 November 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

A beleaguered small-business owner gets a harmonium and embarks on a romantic journey with a mysterious woman.

Plot Keywords:

Harmonium | Small Business | Love | Plunger | Forklift

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 13 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Adam Sandler	...	Barry Egan
Jason Andrews	...	Operator Carter (voice)
Don McManus	...	Plastic (voice)
Emily Watson	...	Lena Leonard
Luis Guzmán	...	Lance
David Schrempf	...	Customer #1
Seann Conway	...	Customer #2
Rico Bueno	...	Rico
Hazel Mailloux	...	Rhonda
Karen Kilgariff	...	Anna (voice)
Julie Hermelin	...	Kathleen
Salvador Curiel	...	Sal
Jorge Barahona	...	Jorge
Ernesto Quintero	...	Ernesto
Julius Steuer	...	Mechanic

Also Known As:

Just Desserts (USA) (working title)
Punchdrunk Knuckle Love (USA) (working title)
The X-4 Project (USA) (working title)
Untitled P.T. Anderson Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language including a scene of sexual dialogue.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS | DTS-ES

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Malaysia:18SX | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Claremont, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

During the scene where Barry is at the supermarket looking for the cheapest Healthy Choice food item, he is being followed by an out-of-focus character in a red outfit. It's Emily Watson's character, before they've been introduced.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: When Barry calls Lena from the phone booth in Hawaii, a red light dot is reflected in the side of the phone booth. Some think this is from the camera, however, professional film cameras don't have such a light. It appears to be the traffic light from across the street.

Quotes:

Barry: I'm guessing it was a mistake... but... I'm taking advantage of it while it's offered. Who knows how long it'll last...
[once]
Barry: too many people start doing it...

Movie Connections:

References Magnolia (1999)

Soundtrack:

He Needs Me

Biggest surprise of the year - an Adam Sandler art film

I caught this at the New York film festival and my expectations were about as low as they could be. I was never a huge Adam Sandler fan, and I hadn't ever taken a liking to PT Anderson's other films. I thought that Magnolia was pretty flimsy writing-wise, and I also thought that it got way too much undue attention when it came out.

I couldn't believe how great Punch Drunk Love was. It seems to be the polar opposite of Magnolia. Where Magnolia was sprawling, messy and often generic, Punch Drunk Love is short, tight and completely fresh. It reminded me of Fargo, in a way. It centers on a very small cadre of characters, it's incredibly focused, and it creates its own world for those characters to live and move around in.

It's been mentioned here before, but the art direction is stunning. I haven't seen such memorable visuals since The Royal Tenenbaums. In a grocery store scene, the items are stacked vertically by color (echoing the color bars that appear periodically between scenes), making the scene appear otherworldly. Other sets are bare of color or distinction. Sandler's love interest in the film (played by Emily Watson) lives in a maze of white corridors. Somehow, every "place" in the film has its own character and association. Even the characters become associated with particular colors.

The movie ends up being genuinely romantic while deviating completely from the very stale paradigm for romantic comedies of the last decade: Watson's character pursues Barry Egan; their inability to hit it off from the start is more character-driven and psychological than situational. Through the use of bizarre props and surreal scenes, the anxiety and frustration of Barry Egan becomes totally absorbing and affecting.

This is a wonderfully directed film. There isn't an extraneous moment. The visual style and pacing are particularly great. There's an interesting subtext in the film about communication - enormous background noise while characters are on the phone, Barry Egan's sisters' voices create this wall of noise (all voices making fun of him), telephones figure predominantly, the opening scene is completely bereft of background noise or music. There are a lot of interesting things to consider when it comes to the theme of communication and how sound is handled in the film.

That said, I'm already cringing at how most people are going to react to this. The Adam Sandler fans might find it too weird. People who liked PT Anderson's other movies might find it too pretensious. I was thrilled to have my low expectations completely overturned. This movie is great.