Review of Punch-Drunk Love (2002) by Thequietgamer — 12 Aug 2017

What starts off as a slowly paced and rather odd movie, quickly opens up into a meaningful tale about a lonely, socially awkward man who is mistreated by family that doesn't understand him, confused by his own actions, gets himself involved in a dangerous phone-sex scam, and meets someone he falls in love with. It's about growth. About finding out who you are, coming out of your shell, standing up for yourself and discovering what you are willing to fight for. Oh, and it's about falling in love.

The thing holding the movie together is Adam Sandler's incredible performance as "Barry." The movie really shows why Sandler should step out of his box more. He even outshines the incredibly talented and critically acclaimed director behind the whole thing. Dare I say it, if Paul Thomas Anderson had tried to make this movie with anyone else other than Sandler, the results probably wouldn't have been this good. It would have been harder to overlook the nonsensical moments the director throws in or his intentionally cheap, amateurish camera work (most evident in the way it pans the screen). All of which feels kind of pretentious. The remarkable thing is that none of this really feels all that far out of Sandler's wheelhouse. It's not the majority of the stuff he's been in hasn't had him playing as a character with anger problems before. The difference is that the material here is just deeper and requires more range from him. It's amazing that more people aren't taking advantage of this. That they can't see what Anderson saw in him. I don't blame other people in Hollywood kind of losing faith in him and not wanting to give him a chance based on all those critically panned comedies he's made over the years. Especially lately where even as a fan I have to admit he hasn't been trying as hard as he used to. Still, it's not as though he hasn't come out of his comfort zone following this. He's shown he can rise to the occasion for more serious material in film's like Reign Over Me or Spanglish, among others. Come one people, throw the man a bone. He's still got it in him to deliver movies like this.

Punch-Drunk Love proves to be a meaningful, romantic, and at times outright hilarious dark comedy that features an outstanding performance from an actor who most people wouldn't and still don't think is capable of one. The movie even manages to get it out of him while playing to a few of his expected strengths in the process. Simply put, the movie gives one of cinema's biggest critical punching bags some good material from a proven director and lets us watch him rise to the occasion. Sandler even elevates to something even more special as a result. Highly recommended.