30 Second Bottom Line: 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.
Tell Me More About It: 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.
"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.
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
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 funny¾no 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.
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.
Soundtrack
Punch Drunk Love Soundtrack
DVD