I found Punch Drunk Love to be too bizarre and random and ultimately it was just so boring. People keep saying what a great film this is and I just don't understand that sentiment. I felt this was akin to staring at a blank wall for 2 hours. How is that entertaining?

I have yet to meet one person who enjoyed this film. Good thing a film's success cannot be measured by the opinions of a mere three persons. Punch Drunk Love is not a comedy. It is a quirky, whimsically-driven, off-balanced little piece of filmwork that acts more as an example of traditional indy film than the movie many folks probably wanted it do be, which was no doubt the second coming of Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore Part Duex. There are segments of comedy, but they're part of the story and not the main push of the film. Barry, Sandley's character, is normal. He's insecure, lacking in love, with sisters who joke with him and mockingly question his sexual orientation, and eventually, Barry sheepishly tries his luck with a phone-sex operator who ends up swindling him out of his money. This is where our story takes off, and the flight is hugely surprising.

Sandler takes a risk here, and proves quite capable of pulling off a character that would eventually help with the parts he played in 'Reign Over Me' and 'Splanglish'. The result is incredibly intoxicating. I would liken it to watching your mild-mannered grandfather suddenly jump atop the kitchen table and start dancing. It's unexpected, a little odd, but at the end of the day, makes you glad you were there to witness the spectacle.

As for the "Mattress Man" (played by Phil S. Hoffman), Sandler's scene involving him is worth the price of admission as Barry confronts the shady Mattress Man and procedes to tell him, "I didn't do anything. I'm a nice man. I mind my own business. So you tell me 'that's that' before I beat the hell from you...."

To watch him and hear his voice during this portion of the film is enough to make even nominal movie-goers erupt with ecstatic movie joy. If you give this film a chance, and remove Sandler from the realm of comedy that we all know him for, you will likely find yourself enjoying this bizarre, fun little movie.

a full length movie is way too much Adam Sandler. He manages to be off putting even in the sad, slow, sympathic character such as this. He's much better off in the sarcastic, obnoxious bore, movies that he usually does with some success, that's his bread and butter. He has limited range and should feel like one lucky duck to be as "successful" as he's become with so little to offer.

Ever watch a movie or listen to a record and a certain opinion of it will develop but whether you hadn't gotten yet and it grows on you or if it was good or bad right from the start is kind of nagging you? Should you spend more time with it and see if it'll eventually be a favorite or you shouldn't bother since it was never your taste to begin with? It's that state of being on the fence is kind of how I feel about Paul Thomas Anderson movies since I will admit he is a talent but then there's stylistic choices or story things that completely nag me and with "Punch-Drunk Love", we get a film that does just as much things right when it's not doing things wrong yet you don't mind that much anyway.

Barry Egan works at a shop that sells novelty items including a strange take on a plunger or "funger" and is quite the easily irritable and awkward man. But 2 unexpected things happen in his life that can change him: a talk with a phone-sex operator who wants to extort him for his money as well as a new woman, Lena, who's quite attracted to him. Both events end up becoming huge catalysts for Barry's changing behavior which is quite erratic and filled with a bit of promise as well.

Anderson's previous films I've seen such as Magnolia and There Will Be Blood were these films that I'd absolutely love if it wasn't for things that got in the way. While I will excuse the frogs and fascination with milkshakes, there was often times where the film would do something and completely lose me. Maybe it's too long and it becomes a sort-of indulgent length, or the aforementioned frogs in Magnolia, or the score and the lack of a compelling narrative in There Will Be Blood. With Punch-Drunk Love, 2 things I wasn't into was the score and a couple of weird interludes. For the former, some of it fits such as swelling orchestral strings reminiscent of old romance movies but then there's these weird percussive or noise freakouts that became incredibly distracting. Then on occasion, weird colors and patterns would show up and it becomes a case of "what are these for?" Like frogs and milkshakes, they seem more like neat ideas for novelty value rather than essential storytelling devices.

However this is the least complex and ambitious of Anderson's work (I haven't seen Hard Eight yet) and as such, it actually works a lot better because of it. The characters are allowed to breathe and be in our attention a lot and let's the characters, particularly Barry, to develop over the course of the film. It's also more restrained as the long-as-hell Steadicam shots of Magnolia and Boogie Nights are played down and the film feels more accessible and easier to manage than complex stories about 10 different characters who know 10 different people. It's more stranger than the films Anderson has done but maybe that's why it's so charming; I have to admit on a couple of scenes, I actually smiled and felt almost moved.

One can't talk about Punch-Drunk Love without talking about Adam Sandler. While I felt he misfired in Reign Over Me, here he's actually quite surprising and you really get a feeling that with the right character, this guy can deliver. And while Emily Watson's Lena is a bit of a mystery (why does she not recoil and actually embrace his weirdness), she's quite good and it's easy to see why he'd start to like her. We have frequent Anderson players Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Luiz Guzman and 24's Mary-Lynn Rasjkub as Barry's rather manipulative, nosy sister.

I'd recommend Punch-Drunk Love but with the wide distance with opinions the film has garnered, I'd suggest watching it but if you didn't like it, well, happens to everyone.

Paul Thomas Anderson is either hit or miss with me. I liked Hard Eight, I loved Boogie Nights, but I really thought he lost his way with Magnolia. That isn't to say I can't recognize that he is immensely talented and I'm looking forward to seeing his latest film There Will Be Blood. Punch-Drunk Love is a smaller movie about Barry Egan, a business owner who sells novelty items such as stylized toilet plungers. Everything about Barry Egan permeates with a kind of frustrating sadness. His seven older sisters constantly insult him and his life is consistently portrayed as minimalist and disassociated. He is a profoundly lonely man. His bizarre social behavior is awkward but at times spirals into both perversion as well as intensely violent fits of rage. All the while, he is portrayed as the film's protagonist. Anderson is especially delicate in making us understand his eccentricities as justifiable survival mechanisms within the paradigm of his uncomfortable past and nearly pathetic current life. Anderson is careful not to mock or exploit Egan for his faults.

Who could play such a unique and intriguing character? I have to admit, I'm a big fan of Adam Sandler's early comedies. Especially Billy Madison and I don't care who knows about it. I love the silly and stupid humor of Adam Sandler and I firmly believe it is what put him on the map. But he was just a character in those early films and besides those films really are just a series of comedy sketches. It would've made more sense if Billy Madison were placed into a CGI world, a cartoon, or a comic book in the first place. He continued to be silly all along but his characters always carried this dark side that wasn't easy to pinpoint among the poop jokes and slap-stick. He was almost like Adam West's Batman was in the old television show and how we see Batman now in Christopher Nolan's Batman movies is how we see Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love. It is as if Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore were snatched away from the unrealistic comedic worlds of those respective films and aggressively forced to exist in the real world, where every scene isn't necessarily working toward a punch-line. Although, much of Barry Egan's behavior in the real world is, at least on the surface, not unlike the behavior of Madison and Gilmore.

The most amazing thing about the whole Sandler dynamic is that he can really act. He stands toe-to-toe with Phillip Seymour Hoffman (an Anderson regular who happens to be an amazing actor) in my favorite scene of the movie, where these two angry idiots just scream back and forth at each other over the phone. The scene makes their later encounter in person an amazing confrontation. Every single scene Sandler is in we tend to feel for the people around him. Knowing what his temper is capable of made me uncomfortable for the people who surround him but especially uncomfortable for Egan himself, who seemingly can't settle into his own skin. He does seem to find some comfort around Lena (Emily Watson), whose relationship with Barry is really what the film is intent on seeing through.

Punch-Drunk Love has a great style. Anderson has a way of making ordinary scenes memorable and important scenes extraordinary. He is a also a great writer and makes even the smallest characters as strong as his leads. The soundtrack is of course the perfect fit as well. In the end and most important of all, Anderson tries hard to allow us the pleasure of watching Barry Egan bring some kind of comfort into his troubled life and I for one was surprised to enjoy it as much as I did.

It is beyond frustrating to listen to people talk about this movie as if they know what PTA's intentions were, or as if they secretly unlocked the mystery of the movie and the mystery of Sandler's and Watson's characters. When we watch this movie, we are given an outsiders view of the characters and their motives. We have no idea why Sandler is crazed and breaks his sister's husband's windows. Nor do we understand why Watson enjoys Sandler's company and pretty much falls in love with him. All of PTA's films have this theme and this constant mystery behind each character's relationship with one another. In Boogie Nights, Julliane Moore's character falls in love with Wahlberg almost immediately, without any reason or any justification. This is how the world of PTA works.

I think Punch Drunk love is a unique and truly sophisticated movie. Yes, it is a character study and the plot is only the tail, and the dog is the character, but the visuals are undeniably the part of the movie that really stand out to me. The ambiguity of the artwork that is shown between scenes almost alludes to blotched spots that a psychiatrist asks his/her patients to interpret during a therapy sessions. PTA is almost acting as a psychiatrist to the viewer, making us interpret what this whole movie really means. Additionally, PTA always does a fantastic job making the action in scenes come out in quick and LOUD spurts. The beginning of this movie is slow and very quiet, almost tip-toeing around, and then all of a sudden...BOOM, a car comes out from no where and flips over, and then the Harmonium is abandoned. It creates a huge amount of tension for the viewer, almost making us anticipate that something horrible/exciting/unforeseeable is going to happen very soon.

Additionally, PTA's use of color is phenomenal. The way he makes the colors brighter than they really should be, making some scenes glare as if they are not in focus, furthers this theme of disorder and ambiguity.

All in all, I think people should give this movie a shot. It is an experience and is unlike any movie that is out there, and very different from PTA's other movies. I would say, however, that the movie that is most similar to Punch Drunk Love is There Will Be Blood. The love theme is not present, obviously, but the pace, the visual beauty and the character development being the central theme is the same as Punch Drunk Love. DDL and Sandler both run the show in both movies, and both do an excellent job keeping the viewer intrigued.

5 Stars!

Paul Thomas Anderson continues to impress me with his films. This is in stark contrast to his three prior films (Hard Eight (Special Edition), Boogie Nights (New Line Platinum Series), Magnolia (New Line Platinum Series)). This film only features two main characters. Adam Sandler does a wonderful job playing the neurotic Barry.

It's a love story, in one of the most unconventional ways. Barry almost won't let himself love. ANd it's a wonderful film watching him actually get there.

The two disc set includes scopitones, artwork, deleted scenes, and a few other things. It's quite worth a watch.

Highly recommended.

This is a great film and Paul Thomas Anderson's best film to date. His off beat approach to depicting life and people in awkward situations and how they deal with it is a joy to watch. It seems a given that films be assembled with care, but most films today are assembled as if one was piling up leaves in a yard. Very few film makers assemble their films with the care and attention to detail that Anderson obviously gives to each and every shot and scene. Camerawork, sound, audio, score, & soundtrack are all carefully assembled and used to create a unique work of art. This is a film. This symphony of varying elements composed together in harmony or disharmony all contribute to the beautiful result that is this film.

Synchronicity and the underlying power of the universe is used as a force that propels this film forward. Free will is also examined and together the two forces, whether at odds or in harmony help show how our lives are pushed and pulled by fate, internal and external forces, and perhaps pudding. The pudding story is true by the way. It was based on a real guy who discovered the exact mistake in marketing that Barry did in the film.

Adam Sandler delivers the finest performance of his career and takes a huge step away from schlock comedy. Anderson proves himself as one of the finest film makers alive today. I will be eagerly awaiting his next feature.

I was well aware that this film was not going to be the funny Adam Sandler we are all accustomed to before I rented it. However, I was expecting a good offbeat serious movie.

It was HORRIBLE! BORING! By far one of THE WORST movies I have ever seen in my entire life! I stuck with it assuming that there simply must be a point to it all. I was desperately clinging to the false hope that perhaps he would just explode or something...but I got nothing. NOTHING! I was tragically upset when it was over that I would never, ever get back those 2 hours of my precious life. I thought about suing the filmmaker for robbing me of those 2 hours, but decided instead that it must have been the universe punishing me for something wrong I've done in my lifetime. Let me redeem myself by doing something nice for other people: Don't bother watching this film, I will tell you what it all boils down to and prevent you from shaving 2 hours off your life... "If you call a phone sex line, you are expected to pay for those calls." The end, that's all, that was the point.

The dvd skips in some parts but got it cheap so what can I expect.

Wow....what a waste of Adam Sandler's considerable talent. As a diehard Sandler fan, I can safely say that when I saw this 'film' I decided it was time to stab my eyes out with a rusty fork. Fortunately, someone nearby took pity on me and turned the DVD player off, sparing me my sanity and my eyesight. Poor Sandler. This must have been a hard blow; while he did great with what he was given for a script, the movie itself packed no PUNCH, blew chunks like a DRUNK, and I would LOVE to ask whoever's idea that was, "Just what in the hell were you thinking?! How am I supposed to get that two wasted hours of my life back?!"

Paul Thomas Anderson is like Quentin Tarantino in the way that he's able to design his own world and the characters in it and convince you that this place might actually exist. He's taken us into the world of porn stars and into a town where frogs fall from the sky; Now he takes us into the world of "Punch-Drunk Love" the only Anderson movie I didn't enjoy upon my first viewing. I loved Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia immediately...But when I first saw "Punch-Drunk Love" I turned off my television with so many questions running through my head. Even as I write this, having now seen the film 5 times and loving it,
I still have questions. Anderson's energetic, anxiety-filled, almost ADHD world doesn't seem realistic for a minute. His protagonist Barry Egan (played by Adam Sandler) is either odd, insane, or retarted. Anderson presents us with Barry but makes no judgement about him and leaves it to the audience to decide. Barry obviously has a lot of problems, but whether he's mentally disturbed or mentally challenged is never quite approached. In many moments, I wondered if maybe the events were just occuring in his head. I'll get to that in a moment. The basic plot structure breaks down like this: Barry is a business owner who is enjoying a cup of coffee outside his wherehouse when there is a sudden car wreck and a taxi appears, dropping off a small piano. Barry takes it into the wherehouse and begins working on it. Meanwhile, he finds a marketing campaign with a big marketing error in it, that he begins using to his advantage. After Barry calls a phone-sex line, he finds himself being harrassed by the girl he talked to...At the same time, he meets Lina (Emily Watson), who may be the girl of his dreams. We learn early on that Barry has extreme anger problems. He's got 7 sisters who continually, ceaselessly harrass him. When he goes to a party with all 7 of them present, he ends up kicking in the sliding glass door...Which apparently he already did earlier in life with a hammer, although he frequently claims not to remember although it's obvious he does. That's what makes Sandler's performance so brilliant. He completely buries himself in this character. While Barry has the same violent outburts that we've seen come from Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and Dave (from Anger Management); This is hardly the same Adam Sandler we've seen since SNL. Just like a person knows when their friend is lying or tired or getting angry, we sense when it's happening to Barry. This has to do with the combination of two things. Sandler's performance and the way Anderson directs the scenes. By the time Barry kicks in that sliding glass door, you're ready to kick in your television set. Anderson is amazingly skilled at creating a feeling of anxiety or anger for his audience. Since his films are either love it or hate it, this talent goes two ways. It either makes you FEEL the anxiety and anger of the character or it makes you act it out. The big question about this film that still plagues me is whether this is all or mostly occuring in Barry's head. The car wreck scene in the beginning looks like a pretty serious wreck, but there's no sounds of anyone reacting and it doesn't seem like anyone points it out later. Later in the film, Barry rips a phone headset out of the base and appears in Utah with the phone still in his hand. Did he run to Utah? And back!!!??? This is not a structured plot at all; Much of it is meant to be taken metaphorically, so maybe what's actually happening and what's not is irrelevant. "Punch-Drunk Love" is a film that has grown on me. I hated it the first time around and love it now. It's a love story/dark comedy that strays far from convention is a brilliant piece of filmmaking.

GRADE: A

This is one of those movies that the actor gets more attention to his casting role then the movie itself. Yes we all should know that when you think of Adam Sandler, you think comedy right away, so maybe that's why so many hardcore "Happy Gilmore" fans didn't "get" this film. They were probably too clouded with how Sandler played his dark, yet quirky characters roll. This movie is certainly not for everyone but I thought it was well written and directed. I admit it was a little slow at the start, but you soon got into the movie and the plot and that's what made it so entertaining to me.

You should watch this movie if: You have an open mind to Sandlers "out of the box" acting past and want to see an unpredictable love story.

You should stay away if: You are looking for the comedian version of Sandler. You won't find it here.

i just don't get it. i thought this was terrible. it was boring, uncomprehendable, dull, slow paced. i was wondering if this movie was made as a joke. i watched it for less than 30 mins then left the room (was at a friend's house). adam sandler is not that attractive to look at. maybe if it had a handsome guy or beautiful girl in it i could have watched it more.

This is the only Adam Sandler film I have sat through from beginning to end (I have seen SNL sketches and snippets of his work), and the film is certainly interesting, though it is not as mind blowing as many critics said it was. I always felt there was a sadistic side to Sandler in a lot of his comedy, a love of being cruel and malicious to people. Granted, many comedians are very angry people, but Sandler seems to have a vicious streak in him 3000 miles wide, and this is brought to the fore in Punch Drunk Love. Sandler seems like he could lose it at any moment, with 7 annoying sisters and a horrid job. I think we're supposed to find sympathy for Sandler, but we don't, because he isn't really a nice guy, but a guy who lets people walk all over him, and seems poised to take revenge by going on a shooting spree. The film itself feels disjointed, and as many others have pointed out, one doesn't believe when the Emily Watson character falls in love with Adam's character. She's relatively normal, and he is teetering on complete insanity. If she had been a tad more insane, it may have worked. Sandler's performance, while good, was not Oscar worthy (as critics were screaming "Oscar buzz! Oscar buzz!"). This is an OK film that is really kind of a mess. Sandler gets a point or two for trying something new, but it's still not very good....

I went with a friend to see this movie and we were not at all impressed with it. The story was so BLAH - it felt like nothing happened the entire movie. We finally decided we had enough and got up to leave and the credits started to to roll. There was no beginning, middle and end to this film.

Adam Sandler plays a painfully shy man who has extreme fits of violent anger and has to deal with 7 sisters constantly interferring with his life. He calls a phone sex line one evening and is then hounded by the man running the service. This takes place the same time he meets a woman who likes him despite his oddities.

The sad thing is I think there is probably a sweet, poignant love story in this film but it's buried in a morass of pointless scenes and a discordant soundtrack that is sometimes so loud it nearly drowns out the dialog. There is no reason shown why Emily Watson would fall in love with Sandler. It's really just one strange scene after another that in the end is dull and left me wishing I'd rented another movie.

Boy, did this movie disappoint a lot of people.....but not me.

The "disappointed" were the Adam Sandler fans who expected another "Happy Gilmore"-type character, the kind of goofball the comedian has built a career on portraying. Instead, they got a dark comedy/drama that was anything but the typical Sandler fare. They also got a weird story.

I had the advantage of knowing what to expect, and that helped a lot. Also, I guess I've watched too many movies because I am beginning to like some of these oddball films....and this one certainly qualifies as "odd." I thought the mixture of dark humor, drama, suspense and romance all made for a fascinating film. You just never knew what was coming next, something funny or something horrifying. This is definitely something different and I suspect one of those movies you'll either really like or really hate.

I supposed it helped I like Emily Watson, who is the female love interest in here. No one that nice would keep seeing a wacko like Sandler's character in here, but that's the movies for you. In most cases, you have to suspend your belief.

The storyline, whether pleasant or very unpleasant, got me involved and the camera-work in here was interesting, too. In summary, it's a curiosity piece for those who like something different. Just don't expect a happy, hilarious Happy Gilmore.

Okay, so Adam Sandler DIDN'T get an Oscar nomination for this film . . . and the reason he didn't is because he's Adam Sandler. There's no other way to figure this one, as he lays bare his character's soul with revealing acting that seems very real and "organic."

This is an extraordinary film; it creatively mixes pathos, sound effects, long camera takes, and claustrophobia into a heady combination. You can check other reviews for plot details. I would simply encourage the viewer to notice how nearly every "space" you see on-screen is tightly enclosed. Shot in apartments, industrial parks, and supermarkets, nearly every frame in the film takes place in a constricted and sterile environment . . . and this somehow makes the film's romance blossom even more dramatically.

Frankly, I think this is a brilliant film, and a funny one as well, though certainly not in a HAPPY GILMORE sense.

(SIDENOTE: I have five sisters, and since Sandler's character has seven, I may have been able to relate to his travails more than the usual viewer. You only children out there may find this film unfathomable.)

While I'm not a huge fan of Paul Thomas Anderson I do enjoy this film very much for more cinematic purposes and from the perspective of a director. If you're looking at this film because you love the goofy, lovable, jackass; Adam Sandler then you will be thoroughly disappointed. Adam Sandler becomes a completely different actor completely and surprises and shocks the audience by his acting capabilities. His performance will leave you uncomfortable, touched and enlightened. Emily Watson (as always) plays a lovable British sweetheart that is very interested in Adam Sandler's character. The two of them create a heart melting romance that changes and helps Adam Sandler's character through his struggles with life and being able to break barriers as a person.

The film starts out showing us the awkward and unorthodox life of Barry Egan (Sandler) and relationship with his: seven sisters, his business partner (played by Luis Guzman), and a conflict that he encounters with a phone sex-line company that threatens to send their gang of "brothers" lead by Academy Award Winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman when Barry refuses to pay them money. Barry is a quiet person that is rather anti-social and is embarrassed easily, he hides behind his lies and denial so that his girlfriend Lena Leonard (Emily Watson) doesn't think that he's a loser. But when the `brothers' begins to ask to hard and begins to cause Barry and Lena's relationship harm, Barry stands up for the woman he loves.

While many argue to say that this film has no plot, I ask "Are you completely out of your mind?" The film is a beautiful portrait of a relationship and how love changes people and makes them step outside of their comfort zones. I truly recommend for the open-minded and insightful.

bizarre love story, pt anderson isn't afraid to go where no director has gone before. barry [adam sandler] is a timid little mouse, bottled up with rage, and abused by his sisters, until he meets emily watson and love transforms him. down the rabbit hole we go in this quirky comedy. major kudos to anderson for pushing the cinematic envelope. I loved the confused looks on some of my fellow audience members, as we left the theater. this is not the type of movie I believe people will be ambivalent about. no middle ground here. you either love it or hate it. I'm a big fan of magnolia [did you catch the fortean references?], and boogie nights. I can't wait to see what he does next.

Punch Drunk Love gave Adam Sandler a chance to show that he can play a serious role. There are plenty of laughs in this picture but one can never laugh AT the main character. He is faced with what appear to be insurmountable odds, and he is a "nice guy." Therefore, the audience is hoping that somehow things will work out for him, but it is very uncertain what will happen! This picture is a bit dark, so be aware that you may find yourself shocked at times, but hang on to the end. It's worth it!

This is one movie where it seems a lot of people either like it or really hate it. What I find about this film, though, is that the people who hate it do so for the wrong reasons (or at least they can't articulate why, but I have a theory). Here are some of the complaints:

*"It is boring" - Since when did loud, fast and outrageous become associated with boring? I don't care how slow something is. If it is different, innovative, and interesting, it is not boring. Your standard Michael Bay film is boring - this film is not.

*"The background of the characters was not fleshed out." We hear Eagan's life story, get to meet his seven sisters, hear all his hopes and fears as admitted to his brother-in-law, and go through every neurotic detail of his life. The only way to this character could possibly be fleshed out more is if we saw him going to the bathroom.

*"Bad acting." What these people are really saying is that they miss the low-brow roles traditionally played by Sandler (not that those roles aren't funny). Critics gave good reviews to Sandler's depth and Watson's portrayal. Sorry, but I put more faith in Ebert's evaluation of good acting than I do your typical fan of 50-cent movies or "Dukes of Hazzard."

*"The plot is rather predictable" - I defy anyone to predict what would have happened two scenes after watching a scene. "Armageddon" and "Independence Day" are predictable - this film is not.

If you like formula, then avoid this movie. If you want to see something interesting, innovative, and sometimes funny, this movie is for you.

This is the first movie review I have ever written. I wish I could have been doing something more pleasurable than watching this epic...like poking myself in the eye with an ice pick or lighting myself on fire. Wait, it gets worse...I actually bought this piece of camel dung.. .. I am going to loan it to a prick at work that I hate! No, I'll give it to him and refuse to take it back... Hurry, go see it!!

OK- I am a PT Anderson Fan. OK- I am a film fan. OK- I am a fan of artsy movies. But I was not a fan of Punch Drunk Love.

Here, we have an example of a great director trying to be someone he's not; is he a victim of the masses who expect something a slight bit on the quirky side? or was he going for the "art film" look in every shot just because he could?

Either way, it does not succeed in my book. I've loved PT Anderson's films up until this point, but with this one, it seemed like he was trying too hard to impress the audience and give them (us) something new. For me, it didn't work. It MAY have worked with a first time director trying to find his/her style, but not a vet who already has both a mainstream AND a cult following. This one tried too hard to satisfy that cult following- and this member of that cult saw right through the artsy stuff and wondered why he chose to do something that's so obviously "fake."

Sadly, 6/10

Sorry Folks but I found this movie excruciatingly painful to watch & extremely boring.

Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is a successful business owner but a complete failure in his personal life. Lonely and socially inept, he longs for companionship but has trouble navigating almost any interpersonal contact. Further, he tends to erupt into violent rages when faced with his large, overbearing and hypercritical family. In desperation, he calls a phone sex line and is sucked into an extortion scheme run by an out-of-state hood (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Shortly thereafter, he is introduced to Lena (Emily Watson), a woman who doesn't seem to mind Barry's shyness and peculiarities and to whom he is instantly attracted. Oddly, Lena is also attracted to Barry and pursues him almost in spite of himself.

Adam Sandler fans should know that "Punch-Drunk Love" is essentially not a comedy. It is not a breakthrough role for Sandler, either, as many critics have claimed, because Barry Egan is the same character Sandler always plays. But this time he is played for sympathy instead of laughs. Barry is a dysfunctional, emotionally ill, violent misfit. In this case, the comedic value of those qualities is de-emphasized in favor of their pathological nature, which shape Barry's character and his problems. At first look, "Punch-Drunk Love" seems to be a stylized love story for the socially challenged with a cuddly message about even misfits needing and finding love. But once the film begins to sink in, it isn't that at all. I should say that this movie is slow and takes its time getting off the ground. But once it does we are presented with a supposed love story that makes no sense whatsoever and a narrative that is cluttered with non sequiturs and discontinuities.

To go into the discontinuities here would risk spoiling the plot. But this script is so conspicuously unbelievable that I am forced to conclude that either writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson has lost his mind, or Barry has lost his mind and "Punch-Drunk Love" is some kind of dream or fantasy sequence. A certain amount of discontinuity and nonsensical narrative I would write off as artistic license -which is what I did...up to a point. But the entire film is like that. I have to conclude that this story is not supposed to take place in the real world. "Punch-Drunk Love" reminds me of Stanley Kubrick's last and lousiest opus, "Eyes Wide Shut", which also appeared to be an extended dream sequence. The dialogue was stilted; the characters' behavior completely lacked credibility; and the film was filled with discontinuities. But the dream had no purpose or context. The same is true of "Punch-Drunk Love". If you are going to make a film that is substantially a fantasy sequence, you have to connect it to reality at some point, or it has no meaning.

So is "Punch-Drunk Love" a story about a social misfit given to violent rages who finds love and a soul-mate against all odds? Or is the entire movie a dream sequence or hallucination emanating from Barry's -or Paul Thomas Anderson's- abnormal mind? If it is the former, it makes no sense and carries no credibility. If it is the latter, we in the audience need to be let in on the joke. If the elusive nature of "Punch-Drunk Love" doesn't put you off, the character of Barry Egan will. He is repulsive. And parts of the film were shot with a spastic handheld camera. I'm giving "Punch-Drunk Love" three stars only because I like Emily Watson's performance and because the film is thought-provoking in the sense that if I think about it, I have no idea what this film is about. It might be an attempt to interpret the effects of last weekend's party favors cinematically.

So sweetly bizarre, this movie rocks.
I never thought I cared for Adam Sandler and probably would have never seen an AS movie, but I'm glad I saw this one.

A kind of love I love, shown so well I could smell it.

And a good dose of the absurd thrown in.

So unlike what you think of Sandler.

"I love you so much I could punch your face in"

My kind of love.

This movie is not for everyone. It's not mainstream, doesn't have action, moves a little slow, is very bizzare, contains Adam Sandlers best performance, has a little piano that is still a mystery, is comical at times, very dark, deep, mysterious, it seems boring to most people, because they want something simple that makes simple ordinary sense, some people think its a waste of time to even watch, is nothing like you've ever seen before, the special features, I'll admit make less sense then the movie, but for some reason I love this movie the more I watch it, It connects to me in some strange way that is quite beautiful, I can't really explain it, but I'll try the best I can by saying it's a wonderful, obscure, uniquely filmed, dreamlike, dark, sad, strange, moving...Ok I'm not good at describing how I feel about something honestly, I just know for sure this movie moves me in some crazy way that makes me think about life and love like never before. Anyways, movies like this I get, love and I don't care what kind of silly reviews it gets, 3 1/2 stars though? Wow! Like I said, most people just don't get movies like this. I know my Mom wouldn't like it, she likes your everyday, same plot different characters, ooo will they get together romantic comedies, well they always get together, it just happens to be in a different way everytime, so you think, romantic comedies are not real, that doesn't happen, life isn't that easy, it's just the same thing over and over. Well that was quite a bit of run on sentences. It just dawned on me I think the piano represents his relationship with the girl, it comes out of no where, she comes out of no where, he tapes it up fixing their relationship, something like that, I think he gives her the piano(his heart). Whatever, I'm just rambling, this movie is one of my favorites of all time, it puts me into a world of huh?

I know this film was supposed to come across as dramatic and artistic, but instead it was mostly rather boring. This was one movie in which fleshing out the background of the characters, and espcially that of Adam Sandler's character would have helped A LOT. Instead I was left feeling the characters weren't developed nearly enough. The actors were also part of the problem, I do not think they pulled their roles off very well. The relasionships in this film could have been interesting, even emotionally touching, but instead most of the characters were merely boring or outright annoying. The plot is rather predictable, which is more tolerable in a film that is action based, but this film was not. This film could also have benefited a lot from some more interesting scenery, and a better soundtrack. Despite the few dramatic scenes in this movie, it was overall very very dull.

How my ratings work:
5 - I really liked/loved it
4 - I liked it
3 - Could've been better/worth a look
2 - Just didn't live up to the potential
1 - Simply aweful

I think Adam Sandler can do drama. I've thought that since I watched the courtroom scene in Big Daddy. But this was just CRAP! There is nothing provocative about this movie, it doesn't even make sense. The acting is terrible, there is no chemistry between any of the actors (especially the leads Sandler and Emily Watson). You can't believe for a second that the sisters are related. The usually great Phillip Seymour Hoffman is awful. And, what is up with the tiny piano? That's the one part of the fillm that makes absolutley no sense. Sandler's character is just pathetic, and the way he lashes out, it's almost impossible to feel sorry for him. The diologue seems forced. Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the most overrated filmmakers in film history. People seem to think that if it doesn't make sense, but it has a known director, then it must be wonderful and provacative. IT'S NOT!!! Don't be stupid like other people, think and don't be fooled by this tripe.

This would have to be the WORST movie I have ever seen in my life and believe me when I tell you I have watched my share of turkeys in my lifetime. Adam Sandler plays Barry Egan, a Major League Geek who works at a wharehouse. What he actually does there is anybody's guess. Barry witnesses a car crash outside the wharehouse and doesn't even stop to check if the driver is allright and doesn't need Medical Assistance.Then Barry telephones a sex hotline and is looking for some company instead of an erotic fantasy. Barry also has a tendency to become vilolent whenever he is made aware of his shortcomings.Barry is so messed up that he could have easily gotten a job as one of my teachers in High School.Is this guy in dire need of Medication and Therapy or what?Some critics have hailed this movie as a "Masterpice " which totally confounds me. I think it is a "Masterpiece' that people actually invested their hard earned cash to finance the making of this trash. I give this movie 5 stars because thankfully it only lasted about 1 1/2 hours and I got a refund on my movie ticket and a date with the good loking Theatre Usherette!!!

Punch Drunk Love is a movie which when I first saw it, I was left scratching my head and feeling like someone had just jumped out of the closet and shaken me before leaving, but without scaring me. Adam Sandler stars in this bizarre romantic comedy (although it really doesn't fit in the genre, it works better almost as a psychological thriller of some romantic variety), and while most who don't understand the performance will rave about it, it really was somewhat forced in the first half. Sandler is really lit on fire in the ending portion of the film however, when his tendencies toward violence detach him completely for a few minutes, and the film plummets into a whirlwind of love and possibly insanity. You might not like it on the first run through, but it will probably never leave your mind. The film's characters are so full of strange energy, they feel like they are trying to contain their own mental instabilites. The plot of the film could only exist in a world created by a filmmaker like P.T. Anderson, as Sandler searches for a way to take a free flight away from sex talk phone line criminals, with the shy and strange woman who he loves, all because of a glitch in the computers at a grocery store. It might not strike you as romantic, but there is some true love in this movie, and it is worth watching.

I really didnt like Punch Drunk Love so much. It's definately not the worst film I've seen, but it could've been better. I got the point of the film, love conquers all. Very cheesy, but the film made the outcome too predictable.As for Adam Sandler, his Barry Egan character was just Sandler playing his typical brooding-dumb guy role (hence Mr Deeds, Waterboy etc.) As viewers we're supposed to feel sympathy for Barry, but his pointless rage-outbursts are merely amusing throughout the film. One good example is a bathroom scene (if you've seen the film you'll know what I'm talking about). Emily Watson & Luiz Guzman were okay in their respective roles. Most of the film deals w/ Barry's conflicts, one being of a useless subplot involving a phone-sex line ran out of a Mattress store (owned by Philip Seymour Hoffman).*****Is it just me, or was Hoffman really unconvincing as the villain of the film?.........PT Anderson's unique style was present in the film ( a plus).....I just did not love the film whatsoever..............hopefully my review helps future viewers of PUNCH DRUNK LOVE

I have to say, I'm a huge Adam Sandler fan, which is why I rented this movie. BIG MISTAKE. Not only was it his worst movie, but it was just TERRIBLE for any movie. The plot was not well developped... you didnt know where the characters were going, and seeing Sandler's character and his interactions, just made me feel uncomfortable watching it (sortof how seeing really nervous people makes you feel nervous yourself). Certainly don't buy it, and don't even waste $3 at the movie store renting it. If you want classic Sandler laughs, try Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, 50 1st Dates, or Little Nicky....