I like Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA), I really do. But I think 'Hard Eight' and 'Boogie Nights' were his better films. 'Magnolia' just didn't do it for me. Sure, it had nice cinematography, some interesting scenes, but in the end it's a meandering, semi-pointless, over-wrought film.
'Punch-Drunk Love' (PDL) is not quite as bad as 'Magnolia' in the above regards, but it does have many similar qualities. The pacing is very difficult - you keep waiting for something to happen, but nothing does - and the plot points aren't enough to drive the action. The movie is disjointed and often monotonous - almost like hearing a church bell ring and ring and ring the same note until you want to kill yourself. This is not a superb or remarkable story, and that short-coming is accentuated by the tense feel of the film. Sometimes it is just hard to watch - not because its plot is hard to follow, but because the scenes just aren't that interesting. PTA's narrative leaves a lot to be desired.
The acting is okay. I've seen much praise for Adam Sandler's work in PDL, and I take exception to that. Although Sandler's acting in this film is different, it has not reached new heights. Different is not necessarily better. Sandler's acting just doesn't have the right power in certain scenes. When he gets angry in the final confrontation with Philip Seymour Hoffman's character, his lines are delivered in a thoroughly placid and unconvincing way. A man in love shouldn't seem so passionless.
Watson's acting in this film was neither good nor bad, just unremarkable. She actually looked somewhat attractive (as opposed to some of her other films), but her lines were few and her screen time with Sandler limited. A parrot might have delivered the same lines and it would have made little difference.
With a title like 'punch-drunk love,' one would expect some passion from the characters. Watson and Sandler have little, if any, chemistry - certainly not enough to make one believe these two are in love. The love-story as a whole is underdeveloped, despite the titular claims.
You don't really know where this movie is going to go while you're watching it; at first you might think Barry Eagon's mental problems are the main focus, then you have the phone-sex entanglement, and finally the love story. The truth is it goes to all those places but doesn't ever come full circle.
Already mentioned was the under-developed love story, and the same can be said about the phone-sex scam. Nothing ever really happens. Sandler is harrassed for a bit, has his money stolen and his car damaged with his girlfriend in it, and then he undergoes a change from meek to assertive. This transformation is underwhelming and leads nowhere.
The 'confrontation' between Sandler and Hoffman is anti-climactic and dull. There is no real tension in a scene between two guys on the verge throwing fists - and any guy who has been in a fight before knows that when you're face to face possibly about to take a swing or get hit yourself, the adrenaline is pumping. There is zero adrenaline in this scene. The end result is a flat-line.
Hoffman was also praised a good bit on here, which I find strange. He was in the film only briefly, and be honest - if that was a B-list actor, or any other actor for that matter, you wouldn't have noticed.
Basically, after watching this movie, you should be thinking "So what?" This is a dull half-baked story that leads nowhere and is delivered poorly - all wrapped up in some decent and sometimes great camera work. But it takes more than creative sets and shots to make a movie - it takes a plot, it takes emotion, it takes a driving force, and a connection to the audience. This movie does not have any of that. While artistic and unique in many respects, 'PDL' is an empty film with no pulse.
I hate Hollywood-type movies - you won't see me in line for tickets to Terminator 3 or the ridiculously-titled '2 Fast 2 Furious.' I like movies that make you think. I like movies that are different, that don't cram everything down your throat. I like subtlety and appreciation of the aesthetic. This film tries for that, it tries to win with style, but it lacks substance. You need both to make a meaningful movie.
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