Review of Punch-Drunk Love (2002) by Rameshwar N — 01 Sep 2012

It offers nothing that you have not seen before. Acting, plot and premise are nothing out of the ordinary. Some of it does not even makes sense or feels implausible. But what grabbed my attention is the terrific presentation and extra ordinary soundtrack that elevates what goes on the screen.

The story is actually a one liner but I am trying to extend it here. Barry (Sandler) is a loner with 7 sisters and feels constantly awkward about himself. To beat his loneliness, he once calls a phone sex line and divulges his contact information and financial status. Out of the blue he meets Lena and they both start to have mutual feelings. Just when he starts to step into a feeling of love he has never experienced before, his phone sex bit comes back to bite him in the form of blackmail and extortion. How he handles his love life and the threats comprise the overall premise.

Performances are apt and the role is tailor made for Sandler which he has done countless times before and after. Paul Thomas Anderson converts these average performances and a shoe string of a story into a terrific screenplay by mixing a fantastic background score. The movie is crisp and never gets tired or boring. But there are quite a few loose ends that does not makes sense and looks like they were left that way intentionally.

Its not the type of movie you recommend as must watch, but if you do watch - you might actually enjoy it.