Review Copyright Cassandra Henry, 2002

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"Sometimes I cry for no reason." -- Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) CASS' CLIP (WARNING: **spoilers below**) The opening scene in Punch-Drunk Loveis something you have to see to believe it. Punch-Drunk Love is all about Barry Egan's (Adam Sandler) messed up life. He is a quirky, thirty-something executive who sells novelty toilet plungers. Barry's current obsession is clipping coupons from Healthy Choice products so he can redeem frequent-flier miles on American Airlines. [Why, who knows because he's never been on a plane before, and doesn't exactly have any travel plans scheduled]. But Barry's his real problem stems from having seven overbearing and bossy sisters. Quite frankly, these condescending bullies need to have their asses kicked. One day each sister calls him at work to see if he's going to attend a birthday party for one of his sisters. As Barry politely tells they that he'll be at the party, one by one they lash out at him, cursing and belittle him. Even though being in their company makes him extremely uncomfortable, Barry shows up at the party. The moment he walks into the house they start in on him. They constantly poke and spew insults at him. "Remember Barry when you were little and how we used to call you gay boy?" Out of the blue, Barry explodes and kicks out the glass sliding door windows. And even though he has their undivided attention, they don't shut the hell up! Barry knows he needs some serious psychological help but he has no one to turn to. Barry's love interest just happens to be one of his sister's co-workers, Lena Leonard (Emily Watson). She's also a peculiar, yet likable character. Barry is unaware that his sister invited Lena to the party but Lena is impatient and tries to meet him before the party. She drops off her car to the mechanic next door to his office and asks Barry if he would watch her car until the mechanic's shop opens. Right away, Lena senses that Barry is painfully shy, so she makes the first move and asks Barry out to dinner. In a weird but sweet way, they immediately like one another. While at dinner, something snaps in Barry's brain so he excuses himself and goes to the restroom. There, he goes into a wild tirade and destroys the men's bathroom. Of course they are asked to leave the restaurant, but Lena doesn't question why. On the surface, their relationship seems doomed because Barry suffers with bouts of unrepressed rage and extreme melancholy. I'm not sure why Lena is drawn to him or is it because she's just that desperate. Lena tells Barry that she has a business trip in Hawaii. He lies and tells her that he has a meeting in Hawaii also so he can be with her. But when he discovers that it will take 6 to 8 weeks to redeem his frequent-flier miles, he goes a little nuts. Barry eventually makes it to Hawaii and he and Lena fall in love. There's another more sinister underlying subplot, which centers on Barry calling a phone sex line. This seemingly innocent phone call turns into Barry's worse nightmare, which potentially can destroy him emotionally and financially. This plot allows us to see Barry's fear and how this fear boils over into rage. Will Barry finally get the balls to take control of his life and confront his sisters that he demands respect or leave him the f*&^ alone? And, will love heal Barry's tortured soul? DA 411 First, let me apologize if my review seems disjointed, because I didn't quite understand what Punch-Drunk Love was all about. Second, I have never been a big Adam Sandler fan except for his comedic roles on Saturday Night Live. However, I absolutely loved Adam Sandler in this role. He makes a commanding performance as an anti-social misfit, suffering with bouts of uncontrolled rage and deep sadness. I'm sure there were numerous subliminal messages -- e.g., an abandoned harmonium, which is in the opening scene -- but this would require me to take a second look at the movie. I do wish I knew more about Barry's childhood, except the fact that his sisters called him "gay boy". I was curious to find out more about his parents and what impact did they have on him being so damaged as an individually. What similarities, if any, does the character Barry share with writer/director, Paul Thomas Anderson? And, what message is he sending us about the role of women have in shaping the lives of men? The manner in which this film was shot also illuminates Barry/Sandler's quirkiness. He wears one blue suit throughout the entire movie. But put against the backdrop of an empty warehouse with white walls or long narrow corridors, or in a crowd of people in Hawaii, the picture the director attempts to paint of Barry's character is a masterpiece. Finally, director Paul Thomas Anderson has already received the 2002 Best Director award from the Cannes Film Festival. I'm willing to bet that PDL will be nominated for an Oscar either for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay or Best Cinematography. CASS' CONCLUSION Punch-Drunk Love may not knock some viewers out, but Adam Sandler certainly made me fall in love with him. PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE:   back to top Copyright Cassandra Henry, 2002 EMAIL: cass@3blackchicks.com