Review of Punch-Drunk Love (2002) by Ronald T — 11 Jan 2011

How divisive was Adam Sandler's performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love back in 2002? Here in Indianapolis alone, Nuvo critic Ed-Johnson Ott took a whole lot of unnecessary flak simply for giving the film four stars. And why not? The film is that good, and Adam Sandler is that damn good in it. He shocked many with the ferocity and nuance he put into the performance, but true believers know Sandler was always more of a talent than he was given credit for.

Thankfully, Sandler finally found a director who could channel and release his hidden acting prowess in Paul Thomas Anderson, the indie force behind great 90's films Boogie Nights and Magnolia. Anderson gave former rapper Mark Whalberg the role of a lifetime in Boogie Nights so why couldn't he extract something remarkably stunning from Sandler. We always knew there was a combustible rage roiling beneath Sandler's humorous veneer, even in crass, but entertaining comedies like Billy Madison and The Waterboy. Luckily, Anderson is also allergic to cheap pap, and so he wisely gets Sandler to sidestep the sentiment so often seen in crap like Mr. Deeds.

Punch-Drunk Love runs a scant 89 minutes, but what it packs into those 89 minutes leaves a mark. Sandler plays Barry Egan, a San Fernando Valley salesman who specializes in, of all things, toilet plungers. He's painfully shy, but also prone to outbursts. He also collects lots of pudding (don't ask). His co-worker (Luis Guzman, excellent worries about him) and his seven sisters constantly set him up on dates and tease him mercilessly.

Suddenly Barry seems to meet a kindred spirit in Brit gal Lena Leonard (Emily Watson, stunning and forceful), who takes a genuine interest in Barry. Barry feels something too, so much so that he excuses himself to a restroom where he trashes it, and himself.

Barry has other obstacles though, mainly in the form of a phone-sex extortionist (the great Philip Seymour Hoffman), who nearly has Barry killed. But it's the romance that'll get to you, especially when Barry and Lena finally give in to their desire for one another; it'll make you swoon.

Anderson's Punch-Drunk remains a miracle of a movie. Robert Elswit's cinematography, Leslie Jones superb editing and Jon Brion's sumptuous score (which incorporates, of all things, Shelley Duvall from Popeye) creates a tapestry of romance that is unmissable and unforgettable. The effect is intoxicating and moving.

Anderson would become more ambitious, and would even outdo himself (more on that later), but he's yet to ravish us like this again.