Punch-Drunk Love

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href=javascript:popUp('http://buybox.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=reelmoviecriticc&link_code=qcb&creative=23424&camp=2025&path=/dt/assoc/tg/aa/xml/assoc/-/B00000G02H/reelmoviecriticc/ref=ac_bb6_,_amazon')><img src=http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/remote-buy-box/buy6.gif border=0 alt='Buy from Amazon.com' ></a>"); document.close(); </script> <noscript> <form method="POST" action="http://buybox.amazon.com/o/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=B00000G02H"> <input type="hidden" name="asin.B00000G02H" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="tag-value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input type="hidden" name="tag_value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input type="image" name="submit.add-to-cart" value="Buy from Amazon.com" border="0" alt="Buy from Amazon.com" src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/add-to-cart.gif"> </form> </noscript>  </B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>Punch-Drunk Love </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Wingdings 2" ><B>êê</B></FONT><B>  </B> (PG-13 ) </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By Cathy Edsey Collins</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="575" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>Huh?</B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="305"><div> Adam Sandler: Barry Egan</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Emily Watson: Lena Leonard</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Philip Seymour Hoffman: Dean Trumbell</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="268"><div> Luis Guzman: Lance</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Paul Thomas Anderson: Director and Writer</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="268"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="268" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: A simple-minded novelty toilet plunger salesman, with an explosive temper, becomes involved in an airline miles (for pudding) scheme and an offbeat love affair.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: Though unrelated, Wes Anderson and Paul Thomas Anderson both revel in turning a favorite icon on its ear. With 1998's "Rushmore," Wes Anderson gave comedian Bill Murray's proven smart-aleck personae a jolt. This was not your typical yuk-yuk Murray vehicle. Audiences were confused but critics raved and Murray earned a Golden Globe nomination.</div> <bR> <div> "Punch-Drunk Love" is no "Waterboy" and this may off-put some diehard Sandler fans, who will miss his usual onscreen goofiness. More disconcerting, however, are the gapping holes in this lauded film's screenplay.</div> <bR> <div> Yes, I am going out on a limb here. Nearly every critic has raved about this film and Sandler's awesome performance. I refuse to get caught up in this mindless praise. While "Punch-Drunk Love" is a visual treat-juxtaposing crashing cars with harmoniums-and an innovative audio </div> <bR> <div> delight with its jarring Jon Brion score, it remains a string of cool scenes swaying in a no-plot breeze, hampered by underdeveloped characters. Sandler's Barry Egan displays two emotions here: a blank-stared detachment and a disturbing rage. Perhaps this huge disparity, jumping from total blahness to complete mania, is supposed to be funny<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Symbol" >¾</FONT>no such luck. This "romantic comedy" is neither humorous nor endearing. In fact, one continually wonders why Emily Watson's Lena-who seems pretty normal-would even find the disturbed Barry remotely attractive.</div> <bR> <div> Based on a TIME magazine article about a University of California civil engineer who racks up 1.25 million airline miles by getting rebates on 12,150 cartons of Healthy Choice pudding, Anderson's film suffers from the one-joke syndrome. This is a unique idea to build a story around, but no one seems to have made the effort. The result is a patchy plot line that leaves the viewer breathless with confusion and too embarrassed to admit it. Hence, the old "Emperor's New Clothes" dilemma: there's nothing there but we're too afraid to say it aloud.  Well, consider it said. </div> <div>       </div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="621" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> Rated PG-13 </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> Cathy Edsey Collins © 2002</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> <A HREF="Cathyedsey@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cathyedsey@aol.com"><U><U>Cathyedsey@aol.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Mini Filmography </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 ><NOBR><div> Adam Sandler: "Mr. Deeds", "Waterboy"</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Emily Watson: "Breaking the Waves", "Hilary and Jackie"</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="286"><div> Philip Seymour Hoffman: "Almost Famous"</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Luis Guzman: "Boogie Nights"</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="286"><div> Paul Thomas Anderson: "Magnolia", "Boogie Nights"</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="38" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="286" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="501" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="495"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="495" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>