Shots, such as when Sandler and Watson kiss in silhouette, are truly memorable -- but Punch-Drunk Love is never more than this: a series of chocolate-box moments, PT-style.
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05/28/08
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Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
79 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 179
Fresh: 141
Rotten:38
Average Rating: 7.4/10
Consensus: Punch-Drunk Love is weird and delightfully funny, even though Sandler essentially plays the same character he has always played in all his movies.
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Paul Thomas Anderson follows 1999's MAGNOLIA with the intensely compelling character study PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE. Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is a quiet, shy, socially awkward man with an office in an out-of-the-way warehouse. He is... [More]
Starring: Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzman
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Reviews for Punch-Drunk Love
Top Critic The film looks good and has its funny moments, but too often one senses Anderson straining to impress...
06/24/06
Top Critic Nothing makes much sense, and the Watson character would have run a mile from Sandler, who performs like Jerry Lewis at his least endearing.
03/25/03
Top Critic 'Punch-Drunk Love is so convinced of its own brilliance that, if it were a person, you'd want to smash its face in.'
02/27/03
The film is unpredictable in its humour, drama and poignancy, and ends up fascinating.
02/16/03
An oddly moving, surprisingly charming film that you'll find yourself thinking about months after you see it.
02/08/03
Anderson has a firm grip on Sandler's dangerous essence and draws it out in an astonishing performance.
02/02/03
Top Critic
Top Critic Subtle and more than a little offbeat, this is the kind of movie the Farrellys might make if they (a) made intelligent films and (b) weren't obsessed with gross-out humor.
11/14/02
...Punch-Drunk Love is (and always will be) the crowning achievement within Anderson's filmography.
01/03/08
It's clear by now that whatever characterization skill Anderson showed in his lean, mean debut, 1997's Hard Eight, was a fluke.
09/22/07
A trifle at 89 minutes with a genuine, heartfelt performance by Mr. Sandler, and not much else.
07/14/07
Paul Thomas Anderson used Sandler for a very specific purpose -to convey a sense of tough-luck awkwardness and smile-masking-frown frustration, and it worked perfectly.
01/04/06
It's a very idiosyncratic take on the genre, but it works because of Anderson's ability to challenge viewer expectations.
12/06/05
Anderson is simply punch-drunk on the possibilities of cinema, and sophisticated film lovers will be more than willing to go wherever he goes -- yes, even to an Adam Sandler movie.
12/06/05
What really makes this movie so special, apart from the revelation that Adam Sandler can act, is the direction.
09/30/05
Punch-drunk Love reminds me of why I go to movies in the first place. To be challenged, surprised, transported, inspired, and exhilarated.
01/15/05
The elements of tragedy aren't life and death issues in this movie, and Anderson's film wisely contains itself to the microcosm of this one man's beleaguered existence.
02/01/04
[I]t’s no secret that... certain films [are] critic’s darlings... leav[ing] moviegoers vowing never to trust a critic again. This season [it's] Punch-Drunk Love.
01/01/04
Latest News for Punch-Drunk Love
September 06, 2007:
RT Exclusive: Pics From There Will Be Blood
Attention P.T. Anderson fans -- your wait is almost over! After a five year break, P.T. Anderson is back, and this time he's teaming up with the unparalleled Daniel Day-Lewis... More...
June 22, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Click" Doesn't, Ahem, Click; "Waist" Isn't Deep Enough
This week at the movies, we've got a magical remote control ("Click") and a father who's trying to rescue his son ("Waist Deep"). Will the critics dig... More...
March 29, 2005:
Who's Got the Scoop on P.T. Anderson's Next Project?
PTAnderson.com, repository of all things PTA-related, brings us the early word on the celebrated filmmaker's next potential project: 'Paul never ceases to surprise us & it... More...
Related Forums for Punch-Drunk Love
PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE - Adam Sandler gets a 'raison d'etre'?
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