Sandler shines in this unexpected gem
They say that every one has a book in them. If that is true then I reckon every movie star has at least one good film in them and Punch-Drunk Love is Adam Sandler's one good film. I remember listening to UK film critic Mark Kermode before he planned to watch Sandler's horrendously double-acted Jack and Jill, he stated that as low as Sandler has sunk of late he still goes into each of his new releases remembering that Sandler was in Punch-Drunk Love. This gives him hope, for a short time anyway.
Punch-Drunk Love tells that story of Barry Egan (Sandler) a slightly beleaguered small businessman who has been so mollycoddled and henpecked by his seven sisters that he seems to have developed borderline psychiatric issues as well as an occasional fearsome rage. Egan clearly craves peace, happiness and above all else stability to the chaos that he feels he lives in. Early one morning whilst opening his toilet plunger business help arrives from two quarters; firstly a mysterious harmonium is delivered outside his premises followed swiftly by an inquisitive woman named Lena Leonard (Emily Watson) who appears keen to make his acquaintance . Through both Egan learns to channel his inner rage towards a more productive outcome.
I have not seen any of Paul Thomas Anderson's previous work but anyone that can conjure up this kind of performance out of Adam Sadler deserves some critical attention. Sandler is simply outstanding in this career high role. Through him you feel Egan's unease, his confusion, his sadness and indeed his feelings of love. Sometimes these feelings come through in such deep measures that it felt quite overpowering; I simply cannot remember being quite so invested in an on-screen character before. Sandler's performance was so unexpected that it reminded me of Jim Carrey's in Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Mind.
Emily Watson as Lena is equally impressive as she carefully, respectfully and at times apprehensively tip toes her way into Egan's life. She is clearly carrying some baggage of her own as well which is never really explored, but you get the strong feeling she understands what's going on in Egan's head. The chemistry between them is evident and they seem to flow off each other well. In one particular scene where Lena channels Egan's aggressive side into a more intimate setting, you can clearly see the influence this film had on Sarah Polly's recent drama Take This Waltz. In fact these two films would work well as a double bill.
There are some entertaining cameos thrown in for good measure, with the lead credit given to Philip Seymour Hoffman. Here he stars as as the owner of a mattress store which doubles as a sex phone line centre called by Egan during a moment of introspection, which leads to unexpected consequences. Out of Egan's seven sisters we only really spend time with Elisabeth, played by 24's Mary Lynn Rajskub, who is convincing but perhaps a little too CTU, however my favourite cameo has to go to Robert Smigel as Walter the Dentist. A conversation between Egan and Walter had me laughing out loud and reaching for the rewind button to watch it again.
Anderson's direction is short, snappy and incredibly visually attractive. Colour is every where and each frame is beautifully shot. Anderson uses the screen to demonstrate Egan's confusion and in one particularly telling scene, he shows Egan running through the maze of corridors trying to find Lena's apartment. This is a powerful and effective demonstration of Egan's state of mind. I suspect that on return viewings (which are inevitable) I will discover more hidden gems which passed me by on this first viewing.
Whilst I was expecting this film to be good, I was still surprised at just how good it was. Sandler is a revelation, I wonder if he knows just how good he and this film was? I really hope he does.
Review by Will Malone
Punch-Drunk Love tells that story of Barry Egan (Sandler) a slightly beleaguered small businessman who has been so mollycoddled and henpecked by his seven sisters that he seems to have developed borderline psychiatric issues as well as an occasional fearsome rage. Egan clearly craves peace, happiness and above all else stability to the chaos that he feels he lives in. Early one morning whilst opening his toilet plunger business help arrives from two quarters; firstly a mysterious harmonium is delivered outside his premises followed swiftly by an inquisitive woman named Lena Leonard (Emily Watson) who appears keen to make his acquaintance . Through both Egan learns to channel his inner rage towards a more productive outcome.
I have not seen any of Paul Thomas Anderson's previous work but anyone that can conjure up this kind of performance out of Adam Sadler deserves some critical attention. Sandler is simply outstanding in this career high role. Through him you feel Egan's unease, his confusion, his sadness and indeed his feelings of love. Sometimes these feelings come through in such deep measures that it felt quite overpowering; I simply cannot remember being quite so invested in an on-screen character before. Sandler's performance was so unexpected that it reminded me of Jim Carrey's in Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Mind.
Emily Watson as Lena is equally impressive as she carefully, respectfully and at times apprehensively tip toes her way into Egan's life. She is clearly carrying some baggage of her own as well which is never really explored, but you get the strong feeling she understands what's going on in Egan's head. The chemistry between them is evident and they seem to flow off each other well. In one particular scene where Lena channels Egan's aggressive side into a more intimate setting, you can clearly see the influence this film had on Sarah Polly's recent drama Take This Waltz. In fact these two films would work well as a double bill.
There are some entertaining cameos thrown in for good measure, with the lead credit given to Philip Seymour Hoffman. Here he stars as as the owner of a mattress store which doubles as a sex phone line centre called by Egan during a moment of introspection, which leads to unexpected consequences. Out of Egan's seven sisters we only really spend time with Elisabeth, played by 24's Mary Lynn Rajskub, who is convincing but perhaps a little too CTU, however my favourite cameo has to go to Robert Smigel as Walter the Dentist. A conversation between Egan and Walter had me laughing out loud and reaching for the rewind button to watch it again.
Anderson's direction is short, snappy and incredibly visually attractive. Colour is every where and each frame is beautifully shot. Anderson uses the screen to demonstrate Egan's confusion and in one particularly telling scene, he shows Egan running through the maze of corridors trying to find Lena's apartment. This is a powerful and effective demonstration of Egan's state of mind. I suspect that on return viewings (which are inevitable) I will discover more hidden gems which passed me by on this first viewing.
Whilst I was expecting this film to be good, I was still surprised at just how good it was. Sandler is a revelation, I wonder if he knows just how good he and this film was? I really hope he does.
Review by Will Malone
- Will_Malone
- 7 de set. de 2012