Punch-Drunk Love

As Seen On DVD

When the film had finished, I tried to answer one question, from a story point of view: why was this film made? Now, I may be old fashioned, but I want the story of a film to be about something. Some have stated that it should be the most important story of the characters' lives, which may be a little harsh, but there is an essence of truth to it. This film doesn't feel like that.

The story is a slender tale of a man (Adam Sandler) doing a vaguely-defined job in a strange way, with anger issues and too many sisters who gets into some trouble over a absurd incident with a phone sex call and then falls in love with a girl (Emily Watson). That's the whole film, basically. Sandler is more watchable than normal, Watson is excellent as always in an underwritten role, Philip Seymour Hoffman is barely in it, which is always a shame, and Luis Guzman is wasted in a flimsy supporting role. Anderson directs the film with a nice visual touch, a consistency of palette that permeates the scene, creating an atmosphere but there is no emotional connection at all.

All I felt after watching this short (only 85 minutes) story was "So what?", which is not what a film maker should be aiming for. There are no sub plots, no characters to really care about, and it seems that it was made because the script had been written and people had said yes. I should point out that, just because I am a fan of Kevin Smith's films, I am not a PT Anderson hater. I didn't particularly enjoy Magnolia (too long and unengaging) and I was rather bored during Hard Eight, even if it did look rather good, although I enjoyed most of Boogie Nights (the last part, set in the 80s, left me cold, but that might be just me). I just don't think I'm on the same wavelength as he is, so it is possible I might be missing something that his fans could point out to me. Otherwise, I won't be making an effort to see his next film.

Rating: DA