Punch-Drunk Love

I saw this flick last night and it was the best movie I've seen this year. I went with a friend of mine and we got popcorn and one of these cherry slurpee type things. The concession guy like overflowed it and there was cherry ice all over the outside of the cup. He reaches reach under the counter and pulls out some papertowels. I figured he was going to wipe down the sides of the cup but he just wiped down the counter and pushed the cup toward me all drippy. I was like... thanks. Wishful thinking. I got napkins and cleaned it myself. 

We had to sit like three rows from the front which kind of sucked cause the screen was huge but I got used to it pretty quick. I'd rather sit too close then too far back because even though I wear glasses I can't see that well cause my prescription is weak.  

Anyway, I did a successful media block out of this movie. I knew Adam Sandler was in it and I assumed he played a drunk for some reason. He doesn't. He plays a freakazoid shy quirkman. Someone prone to violent outburst with an outsider weirdness about him. Not only is he an outsider in the world but you get the feeling he's an outsider in his own frickin head. I had some concerns about Sandler doing the whole 'crossover' thing. That all of a sudden he'd be in this 'serious' role and the whole time you're expecting him to go 'The price is wrong, bitch!' but this particular character was a perfect role for him because it allowed him to be Adam Sandler. And he was great. He deserves an Oscar nomination.

The movie is directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (boogie nights, magnolia) and he is one of those guys that's annoyingly talented. The movie opens up with weirdness and you can't get a read on what's going on nor what the vibe is. As it starts to settle into it's rhythm it just works and I appreciated that from beginning to end you never get a full idea on what the hell is going on or where it's going. But it just goes. It unfolds into a surprisingly touching lovey dove story that got me a bit welly at one point (shut up). The plot holds together fine. The acting is great across the board with brit Emily Watson being the love interest. I like her. I'm gonna write her a letter. The side characters are strong with Phillip Seymour Hoffman adding juicy goodness to this flick. At times it did drag a little and some of the dialogue got long winded but other than that I had no real issues. It was so refreshing to see a film that was original across the board and completely without a need for flashy flash effects and crap to tell a story. It was display of tremendous freedom  within a relatively simple story.  And it was weird. And it was very funny. And sweet. I dug it.

Three Good Things About this Movie
- It had great colors and music.
- Sandler mumbling about his craziness was always excellent.
- No opening credits at all. I thought that was a cool move.

Three Bad Things About this Movie
- Something happens at the very beginning that is never really explained. I didn't understand what or why. No biggie tho.
- We could have used a bit more behind the scenes of the love interest chick.
- Occasionally some of the Sandler actions or reactions things seemed out of character stretchy.

But this movie is a must see and on a big screen cause the bigness is good with the colors and all the zimzang. And it really made me happy for Adam Sandler as I am a fan. I'm not sure where else he can go outside of the comedy roles because this character is a spin off of em in a way. But it makes me more curious about him in general and way more curious for that great frickin showoff Anderson.

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