Punch Drunk Love: - Sandler Impresses in this Quirky Film

Punch Drunk Love is a film I held off on seeing for a long time. I heard through the grapevine that it was the most serious film Sandler has ever starred in, and with this knowledge my interest quickly evaporated. You see I'm one of the few people who, despite nearly being one quarter of a century old, still laughs at the likes of Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, and most other comedies starring our favorite Hanukkah Song singing ex-SNL star. I'm disappointed in myself for waiting so long to watch Punch Drunk Love – It's easily the most impressive film Sandler has ever been a part of.

"I don't know if there is anything wrong because I don't know how other people are."

For this film Sandler plays the role of a man named Barry Egan. Egan is a respectable guy – he runs his own bathroom novelty accessories store in Los Angeles and he lives alone in a pretty decent apartment. He seems pretty normal, but in truth, he's a deeply troubled, depressed and awkard individual who often falls into bouts of rage for rather trivial reasons. The film begins as the unlikely protagonist is on the phone with a company discussing the value of a promotion they're running for frequent flyer miles. Suddenly there's a crash outside. A taxi drives by and drops off a miniature piano on the sidewalk. Intrigued by this musical device Barry snatches it before it's destroyed. It's just a normal day in the not so normal life of Barry Egan.

Luck has apparently shined on our awkward protagonist though - a female friend of one of his sisters has taken an interest in him. Barry unfortunately does not know how to deal with a situation like this - he doesn't exactly have women beating down his door. The girl, Lena, doesn't show up to meet him at a family dinner with his seven sisters and it's probably a good thing - the reunion is cut short when Barry kicks and shatters a sliding glass door as his rage from being called "gay boy" by his sisters hits the breaking point. Upon returning home that night Barry resorts to calling a phone sex hotline to qualm his loneliness. Unfortunately the girl on the telephone is now demanding he sends her money to help her with rent, and when Barry refuses she sends her three brothers to beat it out of him. With few other options Barry makes an out of character trip to Hawaii to see Lena and escape from the money-grubbing thugs.

"I have a love in my life. It makes me stronger than anything you can imagine."

Punch Drunk Love can't really be defined by one genre. It has elements of comedy, romance, and drama but as a whole it's mostly undefineable given it's bizarre nature. Those going in expecting a typical Sandler film will surely be disappointed - the antics of Barry Egan, while funny (in an awkward and pathetic way) are much deeper than the actor's typical fare. Adam Sandler is an actor who's associated with violent outbursts, and what I really liked is that the writer/director played off of this quite well - in one sequence Barry smashes the heck out of a bathroom, and then there's the aforementioned sliding glass door kick out scene. These two sections of the film are surprisingly comical - not because of their over the top nature, or because you expect that sort of thing from Sandler, rather, it's because it's so very Barry Egan.

The best element of this film however, is how well it puts you into the shoes of the main character. The camera angles - often over teh shoulder, and the intense frantic music gives you a first hand experience of what it's like to be Barry Egan. It all adds up to a very immersive experience that's extremely tense and awkward. I found one scene particularly striking - during the birthday party sequence the camera is focused on Barry, and in the background you can hear his sisters talking about him. It feels almost as if you're meant to be looking at this from Barry's point of view, and this is an extremely effective film technique. It's these elements that makes Punch Drunk Love a painful movie to watch, but believe me when I say that I mean that in the best kind of way.

The film's score is absolutely amazing. Most of the music is based heavily on drums and ambient noise which works to raise tension to the point that you yourself may even begin to feel the pain and overwhelming stress that plagues the main character. These original compositions are really what make the film stand out so much because they add so much more expression into each scene. The tense pieces are offset by some rather tranquil music that adds a surreal gloss to many of the later scenes. On it's own the music, for the most part, doesn't make a lot of sense, but when you pair it with this film - the imagery, story, and characters it ties things together perfectly. Had the soundtrack been anything less Punch Drunk Love would not be nearly as enjoyable.

Adam Sandler is far and away the breakout performance here as the pained and awkard Barry Egan. Sandler adds a lot to the character through a ton of subtlety - the actor proves that he's got what it takes to fully envelop himself in a character for once, and I can't imagine any other person taking on a role such as this with so much finesse. Emily Watson does a pretty good job as Lena - her quiet and gentle demeanor works very well in the movie but she doesn't particularly stand out. Philip Seymour Hoffman makes a triumphant appearance in the movie as a secondary character and an incredibly memorable and hilarious one at that.

Final Recommendation
Punch Drunk Love proves that Adam Sandler is far more talented than we give him credit for being. The film is an enjoyable attack on the senses, and nearly all aspects of the film are of high quality. Definitely not for everyone though, but if you're a bit more into the subtle humor and unorthodox stories than this one might be for you - most will consider it too 'weird' though.