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
Mary Lynn Rajskub	...	Elizabeth
Lisa Spector	...	Susan
Nicole Gelbard	...	Nicole
Mia Weinberg	...	Gilda
Karen Hermelin	...	Anna
Larry Ring	...	Steve / Brother-in-Law
Kerry Gelbard	...	Richard / Brother-in-Law
Robert Smigel	...	Walter the Dentist
Ashley Clark	...	Phone Sex Sister
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Dean Trumbell
Alan Parry	...	Member of After Eden Band
John E. Beck	...	Member of After Eden Band
Eddie Wayne Howell	...	Member of After Eden Band
Taylor J. Thomas	...	Member of After Eden Band
Bobby Bluehouse	...	After Eden Sound Man
David Stevens	...	David
Nathan Stevens	...	Nate
Jimmy Stevens	...	Jim
Carol Mirelez	...	Phone Sex Girl #1 / Utah
June Sepulveda	...	Phone Sex Girl #2 / Utah
Andrew Higgs	...	Restaurant Manager
Rogerlyn Kanealii Wakinekona	...	Lena's Apartment Receptionist
Mike D. Stevens	...	Mike D.
Catherine Cooley	...	Flight Attendant (as Catherine L. Cooley)
Michael Immel	...	Man on Plane
Ross Lasi Tanoai	...	Cab Driver
Jonathan Loughran	...	Wrong Number (voice)
Kaila	...	Member of Ladies K Band
Ku'Ulei	...	Member of Ladies K Band
Sissy Lake	...	Hula Dancer
Marie Irwin	...	Lena's Nurse
Esther Imade Balogun	...	Receptionist Nurse
Thomas Bornt	...	Dean's Employee (as Tom Bornt)
Mary Kilmartin	...	D&D Mattress Customer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sam Polson	...	Airport Traveler (uncredited)
Wells Rosales	...	Leo (uncredited)
James Stevens	...	Jim Smooth (uncredited)
Shelley Waggener	...	Co-Worker (uncredited)

Directed by
Paul Thomas Anderson

Writing credits (WGA)
Paul Thomas Anderson		(written by)

Produced by
Paul Thomas Anderson	....	producer
Daniel P. Collins	....	associate producer (as Dan Collins)
Daniel Lupi	....	producer
JoAnne Sellar	....	producer

Original Music by
Jon Brion

Cinematography by
Robert Elswit		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Leslie Jones

Casting by
Cassandra Kulukundis

Production Design by
William Arnold

Art Direction by
Sue Chan

Set Decoration by
Jay Hart		(as Jay R. Hart)
Lori A. Noyes

Costume Design by
Mark Bridges

Makeup Department
Trish Almeida	....	key hair stylist
Elizabeth Dahl	....	additional makeup artist: Hawaii (as Liz Dahl)
Peggy Nichols	....	key makeup artist
Ann Pala	....	hair stylist: Adam Sandler
Ann Pala	....	makeup artist: Adam Sandler
Debra Rego	....	additional hair stylist: Hawaii (as Debra L. Rego)
Tina Roesler Kerwin	....	makeup department head
Kelvin R. Trahan	....	hair department head

Production Management
Daniel P. Collins	....	on-set supervisor (as Dan Collins)
Mark Graziano	....	post-production supervisor
Daniel Lupi	....	unit production manager
Eileen Malyszko Lee	....	production supervisor
Will Weiske	....	production supervisor: Hawaii and Utah

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sonia Bhalla	....	second second assistant director
Adam Druxman	....	first assistant director
James Moran	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Chuck Askerneese	....	assistant property master
Doreen Austria	....	graphic artist (as Doreen S. Austria)
P. Scott Bailey	....	leadman
Jeremy Blake	....	artwork
Max E. Brehme	....	leadman
Richard Crain	....	construction foreman (as Richard D. Crain)
Mick Cummings	....	set dressing buyer
Doug Dow	....	labor foreman
Doug Dow	....	toolman
Gerald Gates Jr.	....	paint foreman (as Gerald J. Gates)
Kevin Goldblum	....	art production assistant
Will Grant	....	set dresser (as William A.J. Grant)
Chris Grantz	....	set dresser
Jill Haber	....	painter
Holiday Landa	....	art department coordinator
Richard McConnell	....	construction coordinator
Martin Milligan	....	on-set dresser
Thomas Olson	....	painter (as Thomas G. Olson)
Troy Alan Peters	....	set dresser (as Troy Peters)
Mike Reiber	....	stand-by painter
Rick Romer	....	set dresser: Hawaii (as Richard P. Romer)
Keith Sale	....	set dresser
F. Andrew Scott	....	stand-by painter
Doug Sieck	....	set dresser (as Douglas D. Sieck)
Jayson Whitmore	....	motion graphics
Timothy S. Wiles	....	property master (as Tim Wiles)
Franco Esile	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Lilly Frank	....	paint decorator (uncredited)
P.K. MacCarthy	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Graham Robertson	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Thomas 'Noe' Welch	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jennifer Barin	....	first assistant sound editor (as Jennifer F. Barin)
Chris Barron	....	assistant sound editor (as Christopher Barron)
Phil Benson	....	supervising sound editor
Eric Bretter	....	sound recordist
Rick Canelli	....	adr recordist
Lawrence L. Commans	....	additional boom operator
Ben Conrad	....	foley mixer
Kat Craig	....	utility sound
Kirk Denson	....	sound effects recordist
Tony Eckert	....	foley mixer
Koji Egawa	....	assistant sound engineer
Coya Elliott	....	assistant sound editor
Sean England	....	machine room operator
Andrea S. Gard	....	foley editor (as Andrea Gard)
Aura Gilge	....	sound effects editor
J.R. Grubbs	....	sound effects editor
John Hendrickson	....	assistant sound engineer
Robert Jackson	....	boom operator
Ron Judkins	....	production sound mixer (as Ronald Judkins)
Noah Katz	....	sound editorial technical support
Stephen Kearney	....	sound effects editor
Peter F. Kurland	....	additional production sound mixer
Sean Landeros	....	sound recordist
Michael Lemass	....	sound editing intern
Kathleen McCart	....	sound recordist (as Kathy McCart)
Stuart McCowan	....	assistant sound editor
Frank 'Pepe' Merel	....	foley recordist (as Pepe Merel)
Shannon Mills	....	foley editor
Steve Mixdorf	....	assistant sound engineer
Marnie Moore	....	foley artist
Peggy Names	....	sound utility (as Peggy A. Names)
Jonathan Null	....	dialogue editor
Thomas J. O'Connell	....	adr mixer
Jeremy Peirson	....	sound recordist
Brandon Proctor	....	sound mix technician
Mark Purcell	....	machine room operator
Frank Rinella	....	foley recordist
Gary Ritchie	....	sound recordist
Marcie Romano	....	assistant sound editor
Gary Rydstrom	....	sound design consultant
Gary Rydstrom	....	sound re-recording mixer
Christopher Scarabosio	....	sound designer
Michael Semanick	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Slanec	....	assistant sound editor
Ewa Sztompke	....	dialogue editor (as Ewa Sztompke-Oatfield)
Dennie Thorpe	....	foley artist
Jana Vance	....	foley artist
Knox White	....	additional boom operator

Special Effects by
Lou Carlucci	....	special effects coordinator
Kenneth C. Clark	....	special effects foreman
Marvin Felton	....	special effects technician
Jeff Jarvis	....	special effects coordinator
Andrew Sebok	....	special effects technician
David M. Sterner	....	special effects technician (as David Sterner)

Visual Effects by
Tim Alexander	....	visual effects supervisor
Camille Geier	....	visual effects producer
Jiri Jacknowitz	....	digital paint artist

Stunts
Michael Adams	....	stunt player
Mike Adams	....	stunts
Brian Avery	....	stunts
Jack Carpenter	....	stunts
Mark De Alessandro	....	stunts
Mickey Giacomazzi	....	utility stunts
Allan Graf	....	stunt coordinator
John Hateley	....	stunts
Toby Holguin	....	stunts
Steve Kelso	....	stunt coordinator
Paul M. Lane	....	stunts
Diana R. Lupo	....	stunts (as Diana Lupo)
Dustin Meier	....	stunts
Hugh Aodh O'Brien	....	stunts (as Hugh A. O'Brien)
Rex Reddick	....	stunts
Mario Roberts	....	stunts
Lincoln Simonds	....	stunts
Steve Wooten	....	stunts
Mark De Alessandro	....	stunt double: Adam Sandler (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alfred Ainsworth	....	video assist operator (as Alfred Ainsworth Jr.)
Ben Beaird	....	key grip (as Benny Beaird)
Bruce Birmelin	....	still photographer
David Bodin	....	grip
William Coss	....	first assistant camera
Richard Crompton	....	rigging best boy grip (as Richard C. Crompton)
David Crone	....	Steadicam operator
David Crone	....	camera operator
Dean DesJarlais	....	best boy electric: Hawaii (as Dean C. Des Jarlais)
Kevin 'Rambo' Fitzgerald	....	best boy grip
Neil Fleischbein	....	grip
Alexander W. Gage	....	grip: Hawaii (as Alex Gage)
Vance Gage	....	best boy grip: Hawaii
Jay Galbo	....	electrician
R. Scott Goodrich	....	second assistant camera (as Scott Goodrich)
Bob Gorelick	....	additional Steadicam operator
Jeff Griffith	....	camera loader
Rick Harris	....	key rigging grip
Keith Hartley	....	rigging electric (as Keith Richard Hartley)
Richard Hartley	....	rigging gaffer
Nathan Hathaway	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Tony Hibbard	....	electrician
Tom Kessenich	....	grip (as Kurt T. Kessenich)
Ashley Kimmet	....	electrician
Jeff Kunkel	....	dolly grip (as Jeffrey Sherman Kunkel)
Leonardo Larosa	....	grip (as Leonard M. LaRosa)
David Lee	....	chief lighting technician
Karl Linde	....	additional first assistant camera
Daisuke Dice Miyake	....	grip (as Daisuke Miyake)
Frank Montesanto	....	key grip (as Frank A. Montesanto)
Michelle Morgan	....	camera loader
Jeffrey Norvet	....	additional camera operator
Robert A. Preston	....	best boy grip
John R. Priebe	....	electrician (as John Priebe)
David Richardson	....	best boy grip
Andi Ruane	....	grip
Robert Stillman	....	grip (as Bob Stillman)
Ian Strang	....	electrician
James Takahashi	....	grip: Hawaii
Dave Tutokey	....	rigging best boy electric
Rick Crum	....	electrician (uncredited)
Lance Dickinson	....	electrician (uncredited)
Craig Kohlhoff	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Maricella Ramirez	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)
Maricella Ramirez	....	camera operator: "b" camera (uncredited)
Shannon Summers	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Suzanne Anaya	....	extras casting: TBS Casting
John Barba	....	casting associate
Juliet Carlson	....	extras casting assistant: Hawaii
Margaret Doversola	....	extras casting: Hawaii (as Margaret J. Doversola)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eden Clark Coblenz	....	costume supervisor (as Edem Coblenz)
Linda S. Cormany	....	key costumer
Anne Hoss	....	additional costumer: Hawaii (as Anne L. Hoss)
Lizabeth Maggini	....	additional costumer: Hawaii (as Lizabeth Maggini-Mackay)
Andrew Slyder	....	additional costumer
Jennifer Day Young	....	additional costumer

Editorial Department
Phil Hetos	....	color timer
Lara Khachooni	....	assistant editor
Ladd Lanford	....	first assistant editor
Christopher Marino	....	assistant editor: avid (as Christopher L. Marino)
Sandra Montiel	....	first assistant editor
Fred Raskin	....	additional film editor
Mary Beth Smith	....	negative cutter
Lee Wimer	....	color timer

Music Department
Julian Bratolyubov	....	music preparation
Debbi Datz-Pyle	....	orchestra contractor: The Music Team (as Debbie Datz-Pyle)
Greg Dennen	....	score recordist
Barry Fawcett	....	scoring stage manager
Nathan Furst	....	score technical consultant
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Michael Jay	....	additional music editor
Jonathan Karp	....	music editor
Thomas Pasatieri	....	music score consultant
Simon Rhodes	....	music scoring mixer
Ryan Robinson	....	scoring technician
Dennis S. Sands	....	orchestra mixer (as Dennis Sands)
Dennis S. Sands	....	orchestra recordist (as Dennis Sands)
Richard Wheeler Jr.	....	scoring stage manager (as Richard Wheeler)
Thomas Pasatieri	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Jody Bingenheimer	....	driver
Glenn Coopersmith	....	driver
Joe Cosentino	....	driver (as Joseph Cosentino)
Pat Cosentino	....	driver
Sherri Cosentino	....	driver (as Sheri Cosentino)
Jon 'Sudee' Dahl	....	transportation co-captain: Hawaii (as Jon Sudee Dahl)
Angel Desanti	....	transportation co-captain (as Angel De Santi)
Devin B. Donahue	....	driver: Hawaii
Jesse Duarte	....	driver: Hawaii
Douglas A. Farias	....	driver: Hawaii
Rick Fese Jr.	....	driver (as Rick 'Easy' Fese)
Hector M. Gonzalez	....	driver
Daniel Gordon	....	driver (as Daniel R. Gordon)
David Travis Grieb	....	driver: grip truck
Dash Hart	....	driver
Geno Hart	....	transportation coordinator
Kirk Huston	....	transportation captain
Alfie Jensen	....	driver
Jose A. Jimenez	....	driver (as Jose A. Jiminez)
Richard Jones	....	driver: Hawaii
Steve Larson	....	transportation dispatcher
Eric Learnnard	....	driver (as Eric 'D.J.' Learnard)
Ronald Linxwiler	....	driver
Kelly Loo	....	driver: Hawaii (as Kelly Loo Jr.)
Marco Lupi	....	driver (as Marco R. Lupi)
Harry Marks	....	driver
Stan Mataele	....	driver: Hawaii
Esteban Munoz Jr.	....	driver
Bill Needham	....	driver
James 'Obee' Oberman	....	driver
Hardy Ophuls	....	picture car coordinator
Marty Osborne	....	picture vehicle coordinator (as Martin J. Osborne)
John Pellegrino	....	driver
John Reed	....	transportation co-captain: Hawaii
Tanoai Reed	....	driver: Hawaii
Carlo Solano	....	driver (as Carlos Solano)
John Spaccarelli	....	driver
Scott Tyler	....	driver
Chris Waldoch	....	driver (as Christopher M. Waldoch)
Michael P. Walsh	....	driver (as Michael J. Walsh)
Dave Wilson	....	driver
Robert Wilson	....	driver: Hawaii
Robert L. Young	....	driver (as Robert Love Young Jr.)
Billy Kane	....	driver: car carrier (uncredited)
Adam Pinkstaff	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Donovan Ahuna	....	craft service: Hawaii (as Donovan K. Ahuna)
Tom Ajar	....	projectionist
Kyle Alexander	....	production assistant: Hawaii
Aaron Barrocas	....	production assistant
Gary Bechtel	....	assistant location manager
Joe Biggins	....	production secretary
Luca Borghese	....	accounting clerk
Steven Butensky	....	first assistant accountant
Dorian Cirillo-Murray	....	additional production assistant
Jennifer Clark	....	second assistant accountant
Valeria Migliassi Collins	....	script supervisor
Bruce Comtois	....	teamster
Kat Craig	....	set mother
Demelza Cronin	....	assistant production coordinator
J.D. Donaruma	....	assistant: Adam Sandler
Moumen El Haji	....	chef: Hawaii (as Moumen El Hajji)
Cecilia Escobar	....	payroll accountant
Jamie Feldman	....	set production assistant
James Flemming	....	chef
Ryan Alan Garvey	....	assistant chef (as Ryan Garvey)
Seamus Gibbons	....	assistant chef
Eric Glasser	....	additional set production assistant
Brenna Graziano	....	office production assistant (as Brenna Effrain)
Audie Harrison	....	production assistant
Allison Harvey	....	production assistant
Justin Healy	....	assistant location manager
Maru Hernandez	....	assistant production coordinator
Vern Hoke	....	medic: Hawaii (as Vernie Hoke)
Dominique Jaramillo	....	medic
Kat Jensen	....	stand-in: Emily Watson
Brian King	....	title designer
Gregory P. Krueger	....	assistant chef
Jon Krueger	....	assistant unit coordinator (as J.L. Krueger)
Thomas Krueger	....	medic
Harlem Logan	....	unit assistant (as Harlem F. Logan)
Charles Long	....	security: Hawaii, Private Security
Jonathan Loughran	....	assistant: Adam Sandler
Makamae Masuda	....	production assistant: Hawaii
Kristi McConnell	....	construction accountant
Lisa Michele McTigue	....	set production assistant
Jeff Milcheck	....	production assistant
Frank Mitchell	....	location assistant: Hawaii
Andrew Padilla	....	security coordinator (as Andrew G. Padilla Jr.)
Matt Paull	....	location production assistant
Robert Paulsen	....	assistant location manager
Michael Phillips	....	key set production assistant (as Michael 'Jocco' Phiullips)
Carlo Pratto	....	assistant: Emily Watson
Nancy Reid	....	production coordinator
Marlon Rhoden	....	production assistant: Hawaii
Larry Ring	....	location manager
Louis Rittenhouse	....	stand-in: Luis Guzman
Charlie Scott	....	craft service
Charles E. Scott III	....	craft service
Julie Shack	....	production assistant
Trevor Sifton	....	location assistant: Hawaii
Corey Sklov	....	production assistant
Laura D. Smith	....	assistant: Joanne Sellar (as Laura Smith)
Kelly Snyder	....	production accountant (as Kelly A. Snyder)
Stuart R. Sprangler	....	location manager: Hawaii (as Stuart R. Spangler)
Dorion Thomas	....	office production assistant
Jill Thornsberry	....	location production assistant
Aaron Ali Tichenor	....	assistant: Paul Thomas Anderson (as Aaron Tichenor)
Anastasia Torrent	....	production assistant
Jodi Tripi	....	clearance coordinator
Jim Triplett	....	assistant location manager: Hawaii
Melisa Uchida	....	production assistant: Hawaii
Dan Wesselman	....	laboratory contact: dailies
Gary Wigglesworth	....	assistant chef
Matt Woodard	....	stand-in: Adam Sandler
Brian Barrale	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Robert Hampton Frazier IV	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Peter V.O. Moore	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Mikul Robins	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Fiona Apple	....	special thanks
Bobby Bates	....	thanks
Gloria S. Borders	....	special thanks (as Gloria Borders)
Todd Garner	....	special thanks
Isobel Griffiths	....	special thanks
John Lesher	....	special thanks
Rob Moore	....	special thanks
Charles Newirth	....	special thanks
Simon Rhodes	....	special thanks
Joe Roth	....	special thanks
Tom Sherak	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• New Line Cinema
• Revolution Studios
• Ghoulardi Film Company

Distributors

• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) (2002) (worldwide) (all media)
• Columbia Pictures (2002) (USA) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2003) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Cascade Film (2003) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Film Distributors (2003) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films (2003) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2003) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Italia (2003) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Senator Film (2003) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2003) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Toho-Towa (2003) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2003) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (2003) (Brazil) (VHS)
• RTL Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing) (RTL7)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2003) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• F/X Concepts
• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (special visual effects)

Other Companies

• Abbey Road Studios  thanks (as Abbey Road)
• Avon Studio Transport  transportation
• BTL Production Services  payroll company
• Behind the Scenes Freight  shipping by
• Bill Schnee Studios  score recorded at (as Schnee Studios)
• Cast & Crew Payroll Services  payroll
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• Cinelease  production equipment
• Deluxe Catering  catering (as DeLuxe Catering Inc.)
• Digital Symphony  Avids provided by
• Eastwood Scoring Stage  score recorded at (as Warner Bros. Eastwood Scoring Stage)
• J.L. Fisher  camera dollies
• NRG Studios  score recorded at (as NRG)
• Near North Insurance Brokerage  production insurance provided by
• Nonesuch Records  soundtrack
• O'Melveny & Myers  production legal counsel
• Pacific Title  opticals
• Panavision Remote Systems  camera cranes
• Panavision  cameras and lenses
• Pivotal Post  imaging transfers
• Private Production Security  security: Hawaii (as Private Security)
• Sessions Payroll Management  extras payroll services
• Skywalker Sound  post-production sound services
• TBS Casting  extras casting
• The Music Team  orchestra contractor
• Todd-AO Hollywood  sound transfers
• Two Beers & Everybody Sings  score recorded at
• WMG Soundtracks  soundtrack
• Warner Hollywood Studios  adr recorded at
• Warner Hollywood Studios  sound re-recorded at
• World Link Digital  pro tools provided by

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:

John C. Reilly was originally supposed to play one of the men who come from Utah to collect the money. But Reilly thought that it was a strange role for him, considering how everyone would recognize him and would wonder why he was not doing more. So he dropped out.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: While Barry is running away from the brothers from Utah, a shadow of the cameraman is visible on the street.

Quotes:

Barry: Pudding...

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Soundtrack:

Moana Chimes

PTA unlocks Sandler with a brilliant film

We've come to expect a lot from Paul Thomas Anderson. After his twin masterpieces "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia", not to mention the sure-handed and satisfying "Hard Eight", we knew he was a filmmaker of skill and magic. So when it was announced that the next PTA film would be a 90-minute romantic comedy starring (Gasp!) Adam Sandler, I was, for one, not worried. This man had taken Mark Wahlberg and turned him into someone we could be proud to watch onscreen. He cast icon Tom Cruise, gave him the character of Frank "T.J." Mackey, and directed the actor to one of the most repulsive, offensive, and inspired performances of the "Top Gun" star's career. So, I was pretty confident in his ability to handle the star of "Little Nicky". But, boy, I still wasn't prepared for what I saw. Sandler just wasn't good, he was INCREDIBLE. I couldn't believe my eyes-here was the man behind "Eight Crazy Nights" creating a completely realized, utterly human character with a studied, nuanced performance. Many have commented on the fact that Barry Egan, Sandler's character, is not that different from his previous incarnations. Socially akward and prone to explosive violence, Barry might just be the key to explainging Sandler's Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore. The character helps shine a light on the inner torment of those man-children.

The plot is a bit more complicated than your usual romantic-comedy fair. First off, it's really not a comedy. Second off, the two major players-Sandler and Emily Watson as the beautiful and mysterious Lena Leonard-both have quirks and tension that ordinary movie characters who fall in love don't in movies today. Barry has been terribly scarred (perhaps irreperably) by the constant torment and abuse of his seven sisters. There are several scenes where he bursts into destructive rages for no real reason-to sum it up, this guy has problems. Lena seems to have some of the same hurt simmering under her, but she controls it and accepts Barry for who he is, eventually coming to a stage where she understands him better than anyone truly ever has. Much of "Punch-Drunk Love"'s story is how Egan manages to regain control of himself and experience truly human feelings for the first time. Lena is his salvation-through his devotion to her he saves himself.

The film's other specifics are a bizarre, but extremely original mix of details. Barry is a toilet-plunger salesman. He one day wanders onto a loophole in a snack-foods sponsored contest that would allow him to get enough frequent flier miles to never have to pay for a plane ticket again. First, however, is the nasty business with a small-time porn entrepeneur in Utah who is trying to extort a large sum of money from Barry, using the company's "Four Blonde Brothers" to threaten the (for a time) hapless Egan. The film is so utterly free that to reveal how these disparate elements come together would ruin the movie. Much of the joy of "Punch-Drunk Love" is that you never truly know where the movie is going to go next.

The performances are uniformly excellent. Philip Seymour Hoffman is "the heavy", but he puts a small line of tragedy in his character. Dean Trumbell seems fierce, but a telling look at his "empire" reveals he is all bark and no bite. The always-great Luis Guzman is Sandler's well-wishing co-worker, Lance, who is constantly supportive of Barry despite his doubts about what is really going on inside his boss's head. And Emily Watson is appropriately fascinating and quietly alluring as Lena, who drops her car off one day and admits the next she did it just to meet Barry.

The film might seem weird and violent, but this is truly one of the sweetest movies I have seen at a long time. At its core, "PDL" is decent, honest, and beautiful. It is reminiscent of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", which, despite its rampant drug use and other disturbing subject matter, was a film that had a heart of gold. One of the best of 2002, "Punch-Drunk Love" will be seen in the future as a shining moment for all involved. Here's to hoping it will also be seen as the beginning of Adam Sandler's serious film career.