Punch-Drunk Love
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A socially awkward and volatile small business owner meets the love of his life after being threatened by a gang of scammers.
What critics thought
Critics were broadly won over by Paul Thomas Anderson's formally daring romantic comedy, with Sandler's performance drawing the most consistent praise — many called it a revelation, arguing it exposed depths his usual lowbrow vehicles had buried. The film's willful strangeness was the main fault line: admirers loved its restless, unpredictable texture, while skeptics felt the central romance was underwritten and the emotional payoff unearned. Notably, audiences at the time were far cooler on it than critics, a gap that has only widened as the film's reputation has grown.
“Sandler, liberated from the constraints of formula, reveals unexpected depths as an actor. Watching this film, you can imagine him in Dennis Hopper roles. He has darkness, obsession and power. He can't go on making those moronic comedies forever, can he?”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“there is no mistaking the exceeding creativity that has gone into nearly every shot, transition, narrative choice and musical selection”
Todd McCarthy·Variety
“a short cut to an entirely unearned emotional resolution that doesn't begin to illuminate the jagged and disturbing - and gripping - ideas that swirl around the beginning of this film”
Peter Bradshaw·The Guardian
“an emotional jigsaw puzzle that's missing a couple of crucial pieces”
David Ansen·Newsweek
“he has become a tender and arresting presence, like a fusion of Chaplin's Little Tramp, Woody Allen, and Edward Scissorhands”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
Accolades
Genres
Romance, Drama, Comedy
Cast & Crew
Paul Thomas AndersonDirector
Adam SandlerBarry Egan
Emily WatsonLena Leonard
Philip Seymour HoffmanDean Trumbell
Luis GuzmánLance
Mary Lynn RajskubElizabeth Egan
Robert SmigelWalter the Dentist
Jason AndrewsOperator Carter (voice)
Don McManusPlastic (voice)
Rico BuenoRico
Jon BrionComposer
Robert ElswitCinematographyFrom the studio
Punch-Drunk Love
A socially awkward and volatile small business owner meets the love of his life after being threatened by a gang of scammers.
What critics thought
Critics were broadly won over by Paul Thomas Anderson's formally daring romantic comedy, with Sandler's performance drawing the most consistent praise — many called it a revelation, arguing it exposed depths his usual lowbrow vehicles had buried. The film's willful strangeness was the main fault line: admirers loved its restless, unpredictable texture, while skeptics felt the central romance was underwritten and the emotional payoff unearned. Notably, audiences at the time were far cooler on it than critics, a gap that has only widened as the film's reputation has grown.
“Sandler, liberated from the constraints of formula, reveals unexpected depths as an actor. Watching this film, you can imagine him in Dennis Hopper roles. He has darkness, obsession and power. He can't go on making those moronic comedies forever, can he?”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“there is no mistaking the exceeding creativity that has gone into nearly every shot, transition, narrative choice and musical selection”
Todd McCarthy·Variety
“a short cut to an entirely unearned emotional resolution that doesn't begin to illuminate the jagged and disturbing - and gripping - ideas that swirl around the beginning of this film”
Peter Bradshaw·The Guardian
“an emotional jigsaw puzzle that's missing a couple of crucial pieces”
David Ansen·Newsweek
“he has become a tender and arresting presence, like a fusion of Chaplin's Little Tramp, Woody Allen, and Edward Scissorhands”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
Accolades
Genres
Romance, Drama, Comedy
Cast & Crew
Paul Thomas AndersonDirectorAdam SandlerBarry EganEmily WatsonLena LeonardPhilip Seymour HoffmanDean TrumbellLuis GuzmánLanceMary Lynn RajskubElizabeth EganRobert SmigelWalter the DentistJason AndrewsOperator Carter (voice)Don McManusPlastic (voice)Rico BuenoRicoJon BrionComposerRobert ElswitCinematographyFrom the studio
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Rent & Buy