WHAT I LIKED: Even in the schlockiest of films, it's hard to take your eyes off Adam Sandler's vacant stare and ridiculously tenacious determination. But when a spiralling slew of obstacles are placed in front of him, that simple, dogged quality can make for a brilliantly dramatic film.
Most recently we've seen that pay off in 'Uncut Gems,' but back in 2002, Paul Thomas Anderson had a stab at it with the brilliant 'Punch Drunk Love.' In it, Sandler plays Barry, a struggling salesman with seven sisters who constantly pester him to get a girlfriend and taunt him about his childhood breakdowns. His work warehouse is a hive of stupid ideas and accidents, and he ends up being chased by a criminal gang (headed by a hilarious Philip Seymour Hoffman) after his details are stolen by a prostitute over the phone, all of which serve as obstacles to his success as a businessman, and, crucially, his new relationship with a woman called Lena (Emily Watson).
Of course, being a Sandler character, as things get worse for him, he just keeps going without standing up for himself or sharing his burdens, and that makes for a brilliantly tense experience which is only exacerbated by Paul Thomas Anderson's snappy, chaotic writing and Jon Brion's busy Golden-age score. But equally, it makes the conclusion in which Barry actually does stand up for himself extremely rewarding, as all of that tension is released for a pretty triumphant final act.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: It would certainly have been more rewarding if the romance was more believable. As it is, we can see why Barry likes Lena, but you can't say the same for the other way round.
VERDICT: The original Anxiety-Adam movie, 'Punch Drunk Love,' utilises Sandler's talents to make an extremely stressful, chaotic, but ultimately triumphant character movie.
