Punch-Drunk Love

Starring: Adam Sandler, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Emily Watson, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Luis Guzman

Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson

RS: 4of 4 Stars Average User Rating: 4of 4 Stars

2002 Comedy

Embraced by critics and ignored by audiences, Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love gets a new life on DVD. A second look deepens the experience, thanks to an impeccably produced two-disc set. And first-timers, who skipped it out of a perceived allergy to the Waterboy side of Adam Sandler, will be knocked upside the head.

Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) blends the fierce humor and yearning in Sandler without spilling into silliness and sentiment. As salesman Barry Egan, Sandler is a shy misfit given to bursts of violence. Phone sex is as close as he comes to romance until he meets Lena (Emily Watson). Watching Barry lurch into passion gives the film a dizzying emotional spin. Hold on. The extras, including deleted scenes and a short film with Sandler and Watson, are intriguing without being necessary. Punch-Drunk Love, title aside, stands on its own. peter travers

PETER KENIS
(June 18, 2003)