'Punch-Drunk Love': A delightful knockout of a film
Anne Hamilton
Scene Movie Critic
"Punch-Drunk Love" is an offbeat, unlikely knockout that sneaks up on you from behind and keeps you reeling for more.
Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) has seven very loud and very unruly sisters, who have undoubtedly kept him unable to relate well to women. He is the owner of a small business, which produces unusual washroom appliances. Lena Leonard, (Emily Watson, "Red Dragon"), is the radiant woman who has an unabashed desire to be a part of his life after only seeing his picture and takes him on a romantic adventure toward self-affirmation. Their first days spent together are what make up the basis of "Punch-Drunk Love," and an interesting few days they turn out to be.
The film is based on a true story about a University of California civil engineer who stumbled upon a lucrative frequent-flyer promotion. By purchasing 12,150 cups of Healthy Choice pudding for just $3,000, he accumulated millions of air miles. It begins with Barry dialing the 800 number on the back of Healthy Choice dinner package in the early hours of the morning to inquire about one of their promotional deals, only to be followed by the next scene wherein an unknown van drops off a small piano on the side of the road for no explained reason.
The rest should be left to be discovered in theaters. What makes this film great is that it manages to be unusual while still being engaging.
Writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson ("Magnolia," "Boogie Nights") is up to his old, and some of his new tricks in his latest film. The story is quirky and seemingly without punch line or moral. It flows from scene to scene without giving its audience much rhyme or reason for why it moves the way it does, until finally something in the viewer clicks.
This is not a typical film, but it reveals truth about people and life that is much needed and is, in a word, honest. Almost half the running time of the three-hour "Magnolia," "Love" exchanges falling frozen frogs from the sky for randomly placed harmoniums, and promotional deals involving large amounts of pudding. The script involves mostly situational absurdity, which has the capacity to leave audiences either gasping in disbelief or giggling in their seats.
The directing is outstanding and Anderson captures his characters in a winning combination of clichés and intimate portraits. The film's scope takes some of the footage to Hawaii, and there is a beautifully constructed scene composed entirely of silhouettes when Barry and Lena meet each other from across a hotel lobby. A great deal of the action takes place at night, and Anderson capitalizes on this through is use of interesting angles and muted lighting. Anderson's strongest point in this film, however, is his ability to tolerate long stretches of silence without dialogue or score. "Punch-Drunk Love" is a rare film in that it does not bombard its audience with sound and picture in an effort to be entertaining.
The acting is equally subtle. Sandler plays a character similar but not identical to those in previous films. Neither crazy nor sane, Barry Egan is a frustrated and at times comic character in a very serious world. He is obviously a misunderstood loner, and Sandler's experience with this type of character in other roles shines through. Barry is, however, prone to outbreaks of crying or destruction, (he tears apart a restaurant's bathroom on his first date with Lena), and Sandler carries out this apparent absurdity with a high degree of grace. Barry's crazy outbreaks of anger or grief indicate an imbalance; however, as the story developed, I began to wonder whether his "imbalance" was not due simply to his having an over-sharpened sense of what is going on around him.
As he wanders through the wonderland of "Punch-Drunk Love" he meets the larger-than-life character, Lena. She is perhaps the most engaging and attractive character I have encountered in film a very long time. I don't know whether to attribute her success to Watson's ability or the writer's genius. I suppose it would have to be a marriage of both. Lena is wearing red, and this could symbolize the life she brings to Barry's frustrating existence. (It is also a strong contrast to the royal blue suit that Barry wears throughout the film as a symbol of his downtrodden state.)
The characters' honesty about themselves and their motivations are a refreshing delight, as Barry's coworkers randomly fall off chairs, crash machines into walls, and make other very human failings. One clear message of this film is centered in its honesty. These people clearly are not perfect, but because of their honesty, they don't have to be.
Cinematographer Robert Elswit, who worked with Anderson on both "Magnolia" and "Boogie Nights," continues to develop his style in this film. He orchestrates a medley of bright colors again in "Love," and he and Anderson add interesting synesthetic "scenes" of music behind moving watercolor "paintings," which appear alone on the screen between scenes.
The original score, composed by Jon Brion, is also outstanding. It integrates music by The Beatles and a wonderfully desperate rendition of Shelly Duvall's "He Really Needs Me," which add to the playful mood of the film.
The sum total of "Punch-Drunk Love" is that is overall a great film, not for any one of its qualities, but because it is consistent in what it tries to accomplish by its humble plot and unusual characters. Not fitting into any one genera of film, "Love," like its name suggests, is a film a little bit on the edge. It is on the edge of being defined as a comedy, a romance, a mystery or any kind of usual film. It defies the normal sentiments, which would demand from it a logic that, for its completeness, this film really should not have. "Punch-Drunk Love" is an edgy romantic comedy that doesn't stumble over sentiment or slapstick, and should be on everyone's list of films to see this year.
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
You can contact Anne Hamilton at ahamilton@nd.edu.
All Scene Stories for Thursday, November 7, 2002
