Punch-Drunk Love (2006)

Synopsis: Barry Egen (Adam Sandler) is a nice guy. He owns a small business and is pretty good with people. The only problem is that he's afraid of everyone including himself! His seven sisters all own him in a way or another and he just can't seem to reach out of his shell. Because of his oppressed past, he bursts out from time to time scaring people away and scares himself from meeting other people. Eveything changes when he calls up a fake sex hot line which then threatens him for his money. At the same time, he falls in love with Lena Leonard (Emily Watson) who is quite mysterious herself. Having the strength of love, Barry must confront his fears of people and unleash his powers deep within him.

Should You Watch It? This is a really quirky film. A lot of people would hate it because it's pretty slow and it can be argued that nothing really ever happens. It's advertised like a romantic comedy and according to the premise it is, but the movie realy plays out like a light black comedy. The music is very interesting and it does spin the movie in a different way but to me, the bouncy neo-serial music took away from the story and really made sequences hard to watch. But then it has Adam Sandler in it so it's pretty good by default.

Things to Watch Out For: This film is pretty much driven by Barry and it's about his arc. So pay close attention to his little physical twitches and the way he says stuff. Very interesting but subtle. There are a couple of real nice scenes and angles in the grocery store which is a contrast to the usual bland settings this film takes place in.

Things You Don't Expect: Other than the fact that Adam Sandler doesn't do a lot of screaming in this movie, there really isn't anything extra ordinary. Again the music takes a bit of time to get used to, but right away you know what kinda film it is and you should expect everything to be a bit off.

Final Comments:
Story: 6.0
Direction: 6.5
Acting: 8.5
Cinematography: 7.5
Music/Sound: Fail