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I
think it's important to start this review declaring my annnoyance
by Adam Sandler. I remember him pre-SNL, when he was a bit-player
on the MTV game show Remote Control: Stud Boy. Even then, I wanted
to punch him in his underbite-mugging face. Hasn't changed much in
the 15 years since. Having said that, I find him most appealing when
he's screaming and beating people up.
On the other hand, I've always liked P.T. Anderson. To refresh: director/writer
of Boogie Nights & Magnolia. Yeah, he's a pretentious
camera showoff, and he's a film-school derivative. His first film,
Sydney (released as Hard Eight) was a nice take on film
noir, married with a father/son love story. However. In style and
substance, Boogie Nights was a quality rip on Goodfellas. Depending
on how morally stand on the Porn industry. Magnolia was a disjointed
and emotionally harrowing take on Robert Altman's films, notably Short
Cuts. But, you can't deny he brings passion to his work. He challenges
his audience and his actors. And these days, a challenge from an American
film director/writer is a show of bravery and respect.
Punch Drunk Love is P.T. Anderson's The Graduate. Times
ten. I'll explain that shortly.
Schmucky guy Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is passively floating in his
life - fearful and passive. He's got 7 confrontational sisters who
never avoid an opportunity to tell him what to do and remind him of
his failures and mistakes. He trusts no one. His outward persona is
denial, lies and defense. "No, I never did that. No, I don't
remember that." He's a meek and kind guy whose idea of "beating
the system" is exploiting a Healthy Choice brand food promotion
that awards Frequent Flyer miles for purchases: he buys cases and
cases of pudding, even though he's never been on a plane and doesn't
know where he'd go. This is Barry pushing the envelope. A Quiet Victory.
Barry
is a lonely and angry guy. He's so pent up, he explodes in a glorious
shower of physical violence every so often. He trusts no one, but
he knows he really wants to and desparately needs to. Unfortunately,
every time he reaches out emotionally, he gets kicked in the stomach
(emotionally). In desparation, he calls a phone sex line in hopes
of just having someone anonymous to confide in, someone to trust and
be honest and open with. Of course, it ends up being a extortion racket
run by a Utah Mattress salesman.(Phillip Seymour Hoffman)
Then he meets Lena (Emily Watson). He falls in love. He learns to
trust for the first time in his life, and it changes everything -
she gives him something to believe in, someone to trust and something
to count on. She sees his sweetness, and forgives him for his fear
& anger. She sees how kind he is, and the effort he's putting
out to overcome his intense distrust. Eventually, the phone sex storyline
and the romance collide, and Barry is forced to step up and defend
himself . And the guy gets the girl. As the film ends, you can't be
sure if he keeps her, but despite that, it's clear she has changed
his life irreversably.
The Graduate (dir. Mike Nichols, 1967) was about a shmucky
guy (Dustin Hoffman) passively floating through his life, avoiding
his overbearing family and trying to figure out what to do with his
life. Enter: an aggressive influence, older woman Mrs. Robinson (Anne
Bancroft) who gives him a chance to reach out & open up (and get
laid), resulting in dire consequences. On the other hand, he also
becomes involved with Robinson's daughter Elaine (Katherine Ross),
whom he falls in love with. And in the end, the guy takes control
of his life and gets the girl. You can't be sure he keeps her, but.
. .blah, blah blah.
Punch Drunk Love isn't a rip off - but it's surely a thematic
tribute. The intensity of Punch Drunk Love, and notably Adam
Sandler's understated performance, overwhelms the comparisons I've
made about the story. Yes indeed, Sandler acts. Barry Egan is a phenomenally
repressed individual. The quiet intensity director Anderson gets out
of Sandler is the anchor of the film. And for once, I found him appealing,
even when he wasn't screaming & destroying something. But those
parts were pretty cool too. Sandler might be a one-trick dramatic
pony, but this is one great trick. You won't bloody likely see me
at Little Nicky 2, but if he can pull off another performance
with this depth, I might just pay 8 bucks to see him in the theater
again. This might be the peak of his career. I don't want to punch
him anymore. Except when The Waterboy is on cable.
There's a magical quality about this film. Anderson scatters it with
bright colors (Sandler wears a bright blue suit, constantly questioned
by his sisters - a metaphor for misguided attempts to be taken seriously,
I think), shiny flashes of light and sweet, tinkly, whimsical music.
I was particularly taken with the use of a song from Robert Altman/Robin
Williams' Popeye. The movie is arty, and deliberately paced
and (if you can get over the first two) deeply affecting. It's Anderson's
most personal film since Sydney, and Sandler's best film ever.
Everyone involved does a great job, and this is the kind of movie
that makes you feel vulnerable in an indescribable way as you walk
out of the theatre.
And I think that's a good thing. I think.
-
Ian, Nov 22, 02
I
liked Punch Drunk Love. The part where Happy Gilmore starts
yelling at his sister on the payphone while the parade is going by
- I loved that bit. This movie should win the "Most Pudding Snack
Packs in a Major Motion Picture" award, but only because it wasn't
released the same year as Dude Where's My Car?, and it's a
damned lucky thing for PT Anderson that it wasn't.
You
know, now that I think about it, I think the woman who played Barry
Egan's matchmaking sister was also one of Zoltan's followers in Dude,
Where's My Car? and I think she also used to be on The Larry
Sanders Show, which Jon Stewart was involved with, and he makes
fun of Dude, Where's My Car? all of the time. And as we're
all well aware, Judd Apatow wrote for The Larry Sanders Show,
as well as producing Undeclared, and Adam Sandler was on Undeclared
before it got cancelled, and Loudon Wainwright III played Kevin's
dad on Undeclared, and he pretty much created the blueprint
for dumb acoustic songs (as it is so painfully obvious that all Adam
Sandler songs are directly descended from "Dead Skunk"),
and Undeclared was a Fox show right along with That 70's
Show starring Ashton Kutcher of Dude Where's My Car? so
I think it all makes sense when you think about it. I mean really
think about it.
-
Tom Dec 20, 02
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