This post is part of the Modern Classics series, spotlighting movies released since 2000 that have already earned a place among the all-time greats.
Released in October 2002, Punch Drunk Love was the third film from writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) and a surprising curveball from Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy). The movie follows the frazzled, awkward love story of Barry and Lena—involving plungers, pudding, and three blonde brothers.
Key Moment
Early on in the movie, Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) attends a birthday party with his seven sisters. The constant ribbing from his sisters (after one sister asks if he’s “using that dandruff shampoo” another sister walks up and asks “is that rice in your hair?”) leads to an unexpected, hilarious, and shattering outburst from Barry.
Killer Line
“I’m lookin’ at your face and I just wanna smash it. I just wanna fuckin’ smash it with a sledgehammer and squeeze it. You’re so pretty.”
Standout Player
At the time of its release, Sandler got most of the buzz for breaking out of his comic persona (we’ve since discovered this guy is actually a pretty great actor). But it’s Emily Mortimer who really makes this thing sing. We don’t get to dig into her character as much as we do Sandler’s (99% of the movie is locked on him) but Mortimer gives Lena a completely lived-in feel. Most importantly, she makes us believe that Lena would be drawn to someone as off-kilter as Barry.
Why It’s a Classic
What Paul Thomas Anderson does with Punch Drunk Love cannot be overstated. He takes a fairly simple story and turns it into something magical. While Anderson already had two five-star films under his belt at this point (1997’s Boogie Nights and 2000’s Magnolia), this is the movie where he officially leveled up.
One needs only look at Anderson’s pre-Punch Drunk Love resume compared to his post-Punch Drunk Love resume. The movies that came before (Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia), while great and confidently made, all fall into similar buckets thematically and stylistically (often getting him compared to Altman and Scorsese). The movies that came after (There Will Be Blood, The Master, Inherent Vice, Phantom Thread, Licorice Pizza, One Battle After Another) are much more eclectic with an expansive palette. It’s an artist finding his voice through his inspirations versus being a voice all his own.
As a writer, Anderson jams every nook and cranny of Punch Drunk Love with odd, revealing details—from Barry’s blue suit to the interactions between Barry and his sisters to Barry’s pursuit of the Healthy Choice pudding loophole to the low-rent phone sex scam Barry gets tangled up in. There’s a scene when Barry and Lena are on a date and he tells her about a radio DJ he listens to that’s a great example of Anderson’s ear for organic dialogue.
Along with writing the role of Barry specifically for Sandler—and actually getting Sandler to take the role (aided by none other than Tom Cruise)—Anderson both plays with what Sandler does so well in his early comedies (charm and rage) and brings out new dimensions in him. I find the way Sandler moves in this movie particularly fascinating. Take note of the way he backs up in certain moments. Or the unforgettable little tap dance he does when buying a boatload of pudding in the grocery store.
And it’s not just Sandler, Anderson gets top-tier performances from everyone in the cast. Even Luis Guzman in a nothing role he must have just taken as a favor to Anderson makes it into something. You feel his character’s loyalty and history with Barry though it’s never spoken. Same with Mary Lynn Rajskub as one of Barry’s sisters. She’s funny, annoying, and protective in different moments (often in the same conversation), which is true to how siblings interact.
But it’s Anderson’s directorial choices that are most impressive here. He throws the kitchen sink at this movie to make the mundane, relatively small story feel momentous—as though the stakes couldn’t possibly be higher (and for Barry, that’s true).
We get constantly moving cameras; sudden, almost-jump-scare audio jolts; vibrant use of color, including swirling color art interludes; moments where characters glide and spin as if they were in a musical; a needle drop from Olive Oil in the 1980 Popeye movie; a chase sequence that feels pulled from both silent films and Looney Tunes; and several highly influential jittery, constant-motion, drumming, banging, and bubbling work sequences that externalize Barry’s internal anxiety. All of that stuff is what elevates this movie from pretty great to otherworldly.
Anderson brings so much flash without it every feeling flashy. Where most directors call attention to themselves in pursuit of a unique shot or camera move, Punch Drunk Love never has that feel; you’re always in the flow of the story.
Take the key sequence where Lena and Barry’s sister Elizabeth stop in at Barry’s work and ask him to come to breakfast. Drenched in anxiety, Barry says he can’t go. That seems to be the end of the Barry-Lena connection. Then, in one of the rare instances where we leave Barry, Anderson’s camera follows Lena out to her car. She puts the key in the lock and pauses. Gazes over her shoulder to see if Barry’s sister is gone, a thoughtful look in her eyes. Quick cut to her marching back into the office where she boldly asks Barry out.
It’s a significant and decisive move that tells us everything we need to know about Lena and where she’s at in her life. It’s also indicative of what makes Punch Drunk Love so intoxicating… and why Paul Thomas Anderson is one of our best working directors.
Quick Takes
I’ll never forget seeing this movie in the theater. It was opening weekend. I went to see it with my sister (appropriately). The theater was packed with people who couldn’t wait to see the latest Adam Sandler movie… and then they saw THIS. There were moments in the theater where I could hear a pin drop. I was continually laughing throughout and I was the only person making a sound, which made me seem like a maniac. When I walked out, I heard multiple audience members (including my sister) complain about how terrible it was. Based on Sandler and the title, mainstream audiences not familiar with the work of PTA were expecting something MUCH different. Makes sense why it only made $18 million at the U.S. box office.
It’s impossible to watch the work sequences in this movie and not think of the Safdie brothers. The influence is crystal clear—especially when thinking about Uncut Gems, which also starred Sandler—and they’ve discussed it frequently (Benny Safdie just recently talked about the movie on this episode of Director’s Take: A Sony Picture’s Podcast). When you then think about how many of today’s filmmakers have been inspired by the Safdie’s anxiety-inducing style, it’s possible Punch Drunk Love ends up being one of the most influential movies of the first half of this century.
Along with this gut-busting Mattress Man commercial (an extra from Punch Drunk Love that you should watch immediately), Philip Seymour Hoffman appeared in four movies released in 2002: Love Liza, Punch Drunk Love, Red Dragon, and 25th Hour. Two of those movies are modern classics. You already know one is Punch Drunk Love. I’ll let you guess what the other one is.
I've somehow never seen this movie but you've reminded me to add it to my watchlist for reviews! Great post here!