Review of Punch-Drunk Love (2002) by Joey S — 24 Aug 2013

Punch-Drunk Love is definitely one of Paul Thomas Anderson's minor works, but it does pack good performances from Adam Sandler and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Sandler stars as Barry Egan, a quiet man who is mistreated by his seven sisters and prone to infrequent bouts of destructive behavior.

Barry finds love in Lena (Emily Watson), a friend of his sister. However, while Barry is falling for Lena, he's also being chased down by a group of criminals who stole money from him via a phone-sex hotline they operate.

It's a quirky movie, but not in a warm fuzzy way; it's very dark from beginning to end. Adam Sandler's surprisingly impressive dramatic performance elevates the movie quite a bit, and Philip Seymour Hoffman is also great as the head of the criminal operation chasing down Barry.

Without those two actors, the movie would be boring and not worth a second glance, but they're good enough to make the movie watchable at the very least. The movie is a little odd, but it's rarely very funny.

Punch-Drunk Love is enjoyable enough as long as you approach it as a drama, and it just barely works thanks to Adam Sandler and Philip Seymour Hoffman.