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| DIRECTED BY |
| Paul Thomas Anderson |
| STARRING |
| Adam Sandler |
| Emily Watson |
| Philip Seymour Hoffman |
| Luis Guzm�n |
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The talented young filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson has presented us with his most mature film to date; a truly modern day love story that never saturates itself with the standardized melodrama of practically every other film that deals with this theme. The melodrama that is present, however, seems to be completely appropriate; we�re never given the feeling that we�re watching a glorified exaggeration of events that would never actually happen.
The greatest accomplishment of this film is not just that its events and characters seem realistic, though. It�s Anderson�s ability to immerse his audience into the hectic reality of Barry Egan�s life while also conveying a fairy tale-like atmosphere over the whole story. Barry finds himself slowly unwinding within his own world � he tries to convince himself that his life is satisfying, although his occasional paroxysms of anger reveal the truth. The relentlessness of Barry�s sisters (all seven of them) also contribute greatly to his dehumanization, which is revealed very poignantly when we see Barry witness a horrible car crash to which he reacts quite stoically.
Nothing can be disparaged about the performances. Adam Sandler and Emily Watson have excellent �screen chemistry,� and they�re both simply enjoyable to watch. Thanks to the delightful score, the film has an overall whimsical feel to it and nothing seems formulaic. I especially enjoyed Anderson�s references to Godard and the French New Wave, properly reintroducing the long-forgotten �circle-zoom� technique.
The story avoids convolution while also leaving us with a number of plot elements to reflect upon, which is why I prefer this film over Anderson�s 1999 opus, �Magnolia.� Here, the emotional complexities of his few characters override the need for any sort of elaborate intertwining. All in all, this is a film that allows us to witness the strengthening of a previously weakened individual; watching �Punch-Drunk Love� is like being given a 95-minute injection of inspiration.
