Scale: 7/10 Should you see it? YES, BUT IT’S QUIRKY, NOT YOUR AVERAGE ADAM SANDLER How’s the writing? GOOD Any gaping holes in the plot? NO What stands out? Adam Sandler with more depth than he’s ever shown See it in the theater or wait to rent? GOOD DATE MOVIE
That’s your 20 seconds, but there’s more
This is an off-beat movie. Not the usually ha-ha little off-beat movie, but a comedy that covers over a drama that lingers just under the surface.
One of the little quirks is that Philip Seymour Hoffman and Emily Watson are in this movie together, and I just saw them together in Red Dragon. Emily Watson’s characters need some serious help in the dating department, because she’s dated a mass murderer in Red Dragon and a social phobic in Punch Drunk Love.
Yes it’s a bit odd, but it’s a good odd. It’s a well-written odd. Sandler, who I’ve never particularly liked, gives us a glimpse that he has far greater range than he has previously shown.
What is also interesting is to see the recent trend back towards shorter movies. For awhile it seemed that every movie had to be 2.5 hours at least (Dad calls it “Kevin Costner disease” after Dances with Wolves and several other long movies he made). Several movies lately have been 2 hours or less. (Of course the next Lord of the Rings is coming out soon, so the trend isn’t completely gone.)
Also saw a trailer for the new Bond movie which looks very good.
Punch Drunk Love @ IMDB, and at PDL @ MRQE
By the way, if you haven’t noticed already, I don’t talk a lot about the content/storyline, because I think it’s better to go into a movie ready to be surprised by where it takes you rather than having pre-conceived ideas. There are plenty of places to get a synopsis if you want one (Hollywood.com or IMDB come to mind)