Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer (WGA):

Paul Thomas Anderson (written by)

Release Date:

1 November 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

A beleaguered small-business owner gets a harmonium and embarks on a romantic journey with a mysterious woman.

Plot Keywords:

Harmonium | Small Business | Love | Plunger | Forklift

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 13 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Adam Sandler	...	Barry Egan
Jason Andrews	...	Operator Carter (voice)
Don McManus	...	Plastic (voice)
Emily Watson	...	Lena Leonard
Luis Guzmán	...	Lance
David Schrempf	...	Customer #1
Seann Conway	...	Customer #2
Rico Bueno	...	Rico
Hazel Mailloux	...	Rhonda
Karen Kilgariff	...	Anna (voice)
Julie Hermelin	...	Kathleen
Salvador Curiel	...	Sal
Jorge Barahona	...	Jorge
Ernesto Quintero	...	Ernesto
Julius Steuer	...	Mechanic

Also Known As:

Just Desserts (USA) (working title)
Punchdrunk Knuckle Love (USA) (working title)
The X-4 Project (USA) (working title)
Untitled P.T. Anderson Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language including a scene of sexual dialogue.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS | DTS-ES

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Malaysia:18SX | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Claremont, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

The four blond brothers who go after Barry and beat him up are actually brothers in real life.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Barry punches the wall under the map, the map is stuck inside the hole. Later, there is a quick shot of him in front of the map again where you can see the hole above the map, but in the next shot, the map is clearly still stuck inside the hole.

Quotes:

Barry: Teryaki chicken. Tery... aki chicken. Soup? Soup... soup... Chicken noodle...? Cookies. Pudding. PUDDING!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Rhapsody (2006)

Soundtrack:

He Needs Me

A New Side of Sandler

Adam Sandler is known for his wacky, flaky, and sometimes over the top style of comedy. With films like Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and Big Daddy under his belt, one would think that he would stick with what he's got. Sandler has shown us a new side of him with his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch Drunk Love.

Sandler plays Barry Egan, an ambitious man who owns and operates his own business. He sells his own plungers. One day after finishing a phone call with a food company, he walks outside to find a tiny piano someone dropped on the side of the road. He runs after it and puts it in his office. Then shortly after he meets Lena Leonard (Emily Watson) who needs help with her car. Being the nice guy he is, he complies.

Barry Egan is a great guy. He is nice and is trying his best to do well. With seven sisters, he faces the brunt of their vicious wrath that they unintentionally place upon him. With embarrassing stories of growing up and how they teased him, Barry has a little built up anger that he uses here and there, like his sister's sliding glass door. Barry means well, but man can he do damage.

When lonely one night, Barry calls a sex line for just someone to talk to. What he ends up getting himself into is a huge scandal with the operator of the sex line due to the fact that he gave his credit card number to them and everything they need to know to get money from him. On top of this, Barry has found a way to cheat the food company he talks to in the beginning. The deal is getting free frequent-flyer miles due to a deal the company has on all of their items...including individual pudding cups. Barry pounces on the opportunity by buying as many 25 cent cups as he can so he can fly anywhere for free.

With an interesting plot and a great performance by both Sandler and Watson, this film is bound to make an impact. Sandler's more dramatic side shows, giving us a glimpse at the real actor behind all of the goofy nonsense we have come to love over the years. It was really refreshing to see a comedian do a really good job acting in a serious role. It reminded me of Jim Carey is The Truman Show. Serious, yet still able to crack a joke, much like Sandler in this film.

Anderson is no newcomer when it comes to movies. He has written and directed a couple of gems. Boogie Nights and Magnolia are two he both wrote and directed and came out great. This movie is no different. It's unique style with interesting choices for music give the picture an edge.

If Sandler keeps landing roles like this, he could potentially put himself in position for an Oscar nomination, much like Bill Murray did with Lost in Translation. That's not to say he shouldn't make his regular comedies, but a nice blend would be great. Punch Drunk Love is a knockout!