Well,
I have to admit that I�m not the biggest fan of P.T. Anderson.
I found Magnolia to be a bit pretentious and Boogie Nights
to be slow at times. That being
said, it didn�t surprise me that I�d have a few problems with Punch-Drunk
Love. I will say that after seeing most of his films, even though I
come away a bit unsatisfied, I do usually think about the movie for a few days.
This film was no exception. So
that�s my first compliment.
I didn�t think I�d enjoy watching Emily Watson and Adam Sandler together on
screen. And for the most part I was
right. What did surprise me is that
neither one annoyed me. I found
Sandler�s Barry Egan enjoyable to watch on screen. Obviously, a great character for Sandler to prove that he
could act when he wants to. A
quirky guy who has some serious obsessive-compulsive tendencies, including
buying large quantities of pudding in order to get frequent flyer miles.
He also has some anger management issues, with both family and strangers.
Emily Watson plays his girlfriend, Lena, who is drawn to this strange man
even though he gives her plenty of reasons to avoid him like the plague.
They don�t exude chemistry on screen together, but they do fit their
characters nicely. The movie actually works better since they don�t appear to
be a great match. It gives the
characters more reasons to look for to be together.
Anderson plays this like an old time romantic comedy, with all the quirks left
in for good measure. Luis Guzman
and Phillip Seymour Hoffman play outstanding supporting actors that you have to
watch to appreciate. I loved the
music in this film, which was scored by Jon Brion.
It has a great title sequence which does it�s best to draw you into the
world of the film. Many times it
appeared to me that Anderson was also invoking old MGM style musicals of the
30�s and 40�s. Barry�s bright
blue suit that he wears throughout the film, and his passion for dancing around
reminded me of those old musicals.
So can I tell you to run out and see this movie?
No way. But I can tell you
that if you�re looking for something original, this is definitely one to check
out. Sandler delivers a performance
that many didn�t think he had in him. Emily
Watson also fleshes out a character that leaves you wondering, is she nuts? or
just really understanding. I�m
not sure I understood the flick, but it did sit in my brain for a while.
That�s got to be something.
Got
comments? Suggestions?
I�d love to hear them.
email
me at no.clue@indenation.com
come back soon, until then, i�ll be at the movies�