PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE is a peculiar little film, a far cry from the ambitious and emotional melodrama from MAGNOLIA, but you can't blame Anderson for taking a bit of a breather after finishing what some believe to be his masterpiece. Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is a quiet introvert who, after a childhood of being emasculated by his seven sisters, has become a man of repressed emotions, prone to outbursts of rage and inexplicable bouts of depression. But his life begins to take a promising turn when he meets Lena Leonard (Emily Watson), a co-worker of one of his sisters who seems to have developed a crush on Barry and arranges for them to go out on a date. Despite his initial hesitation, Barry begins to believe that he has found a kindred spirit in Lena, both of them struggling with the loneliness that comes from feeling like an outsider to the rest of the world. Their newfound happiness is threatened when Barry, in a moment of weakness, calls up a phone sex line operator for some casual conversation, unaware that he is put himself in the crosshairs of a group of scam artists led by mattress store owner Dean Trumbell (Philip Seymour Hoffman).
For the first time in his career, Adam Sandler will keep you riveted to the screen, and it isn't because his character of Barry Egan is all that different from the goofball roles that have made him famous. Here, Sandler is a man who never grew up, handicapped by a childhood of torment that stunted his growth and kept him from developing healthy relationships with other people outside of his family life. Anderson takes the man child archetype that Sandler has made his own and transplants it to the real world, where he is a character with real flaws and real problems who finds strength through love. He is a character that audiences can root for and his journey towards self-respect is a poignant one, with a layer of dark humor thrown in to keep things from getting too serious. The somewhat bizarre subplot involving the phone sex line scam is used to help illustrate the change that Lena inspires in Barry over the course of the film, and Philip Seymour Hoffman makes for an excellent foil to his unlikely hero despite limited screen time.
PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE is not your typical romantic comedy, and nor should it be. With his unique talent for creating fascinating and flawed characters, Paul Thomas Anderson gives this movie heart, which is an uncommon trait in today's world of commercialized and cliched romantic comedies. And I guarantee you'll find yourself laughing on more than a few occasions.
For the first time in his career, Adam Sandler will keep you riveted to the screen, and it isn't because his character of Barry Egan is all that different from the goofball roles that have made him famous. Here, Sandler is a man who never grew up, handicapped by a childhood of torment that stunted his growth and kept him from developing healthy relationships with other people outside of his family life. Anderson takes the man child archetype that Sandler has made his own and transplants it to the real world, where he is a character with real flaws and real problems who finds strength through love. He is a character that audiences can root for and his journey towards self-respect is a poignant one, with a layer of dark humor thrown in to keep things from getting too serious. The somewhat bizarre subplot involving the phone sex line scam is used to help illustrate the change that Lena inspires in Barry over the course of the film, and Philip Seymour Hoffman makes for an excellent foil to his unlikely hero despite limited screen time.
PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE is not your typical romantic comedy, and nor should it be. With his unique talent for creating fascinating and flawed characters, Paul Thomas Anderson gives this movie heart, which is an uncommon trait in today's world of commercialized and cliched romantic comedies. And I guarantee you'll find yourself laughing on more than a few occasions.
In the early 1900's, Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a mineral prospector who, whilst digging for gold, ends up striking oil, prompting him to set up his own oil drilling business. When an accident at a drilling site kills one of his workers, Daniel discovers that the man left behind an infant son and decides to raise him as his own, re-naming him H.W. Plainview (Dillon Freasier). For the next nine years, with his adopted son at his side, Daniel uses his talents of persuasion to coerce the private owners of small-town properties into allowing him to drill their land - for a bargain price, of course. But Daniel appears to have met his match when Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), the son of one of these unsuspecting land owners, recognizes the true value of his family's land and attempts to take full advantage, brokering a deal with Daniel that will help pay for the construction of a new church where he will be the pastor. Daniel is forced to endure Eli and his religious aims in order to continue his work unabated, but it isn't long before the two men find themselves locked in a struggle for power that can only end when both of their lives are in shambles.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD is one of the most visually stunning films that I've ever seen, and the musical score creates a sense of dread and foreboding that works well with the visual stylings of P.T. Anderson. But the most memorable part of THERE WILL BE BLOOD is, without a doubt, the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis, who continues to lend credence to the growing belief that he is the best modern actor working in Hollywood. Notorious for his rigorous and unparalleled method acting techniques, Day-Lewis is one of those actors who doesn't pretend to be his characters, he becomes them, and his performances are spellbinding as a result. His work here, as man so obsessed with power that he is willing to destroy anything and anyone around him to ensure he never loses it, is remarkable, and his best scenes are with Paul Dano, who manages to hold his own as Eli Sunday, the ambitious young preacher who wishes to have an empire of his own, but one built on faith rather than oil. It is the escalating conflict between these two men that provides the framework for THERE WILL BE BLOOD, and their final scene together is one that you'll be thinking about long after the end credits have rolled.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD is a riveting film about greed, power, family, religion, and oil, and ranks right up there with MAGNOLIA as some of the best work that Paul Thomas Anderson has ever done. This isn't one of those movies that leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy, but it is certainly thought-provoking and the performances alone are worth the price of admission.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD is one of the most visually stunning films that I've ever seen, and the musical score creates a sense of dread and foreboding that works well with the visual stylings of P.T. Anderson. But the most memorable part of THERE WILL BE BLOOD is, without a doubt, the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis, who continues to lend credence to the growing belief that he is the best modern actor working in Hollywood. Notorious for his rigorous and unparalleled method acting techniques, Day-Lewis is one of those actors who doesn't pretend to be his characters, he becomes them, and his performances are spellbinding as a result. His work here, as man so obsessed with power that he is willing to destroy anything and anyone around him to ensure he never loses it, is remarkable, and his best scenes are with Paul Dano, who manages to hold his own as Eli Sunday, the ambitious young preacher who wishes to have an empire of his own, but one built on faith rather than oil. It is the escalating conflict between these two men that provides the framework for THERE WILL BE BLOOD, and their final scene together is one that you'll be thinking about long after the end credits have rolled.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD is a riveting film about greed, power, family, religion, and oil, and ranks right up there with MAGNOLIA as some of the best work that Paul Thomas Anderson has ever done. This isn't one of those movies that leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy, but it is certainly thought-provoking and the performances alone are worth the price of admission.
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