Punch-Drunk Love

2002 Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

You can go to places in the world with pudding.

A socially awkward and volatile small business owner meets the love of his life after being threatened by a gang of scammers.

Adam Sandler Emily Watson Philip Seymour Hoffman Luis Guzmán Mary Lynn Rajskub Robert Smigel Jason Andrews Don McManus David Schrempf Seann Conway Rico Bueno Hazel Mailloux Karen Kilgariff Julie Hermelin Salvador Curiel Jorge Barahona Ernesto Quintero Julius Steuer Lisa Spector Nicole Gelbard Mia Weinberg Karen Hermelin Larry Ring Kerry Gelbard Ashley Clark

Alternative Titles

パンチドランク・ラブ, Punch-Drunk Love - Ivre D'Amour

drama comedy romance

96 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Joe ★★★★★ 89

When I was 17 or 18 I was eating lunch at this place called New York Subs (now closed) and I ordered my sandwich and sat down in front of this man (who I later learned was my parents' dentist, incidentally) who was by himself waiting on his food. When the waitress came by to bring him his order, I heard her ask him about the crossword puzzle he was doing. "Yeah, I find it's a lot easier to do the longer words first, then you can kind of work your way out from there. But sometimes I just can't solve the longer ones, and the shorter ones can help with those." There was something about this exchange that was…
Review by Karsten Runquist ★★★★★ 15

HE NEEDS ME HE NEEDS ME HE NEEDS ME HE NEEDS ME NEEDS ME HE NEEDS MEEEEEEEEEE
Review by Adam Cook ★★★★★ 58

I always get strange looks when I tell people this is my favourite Paul Thomas Anderson film.
“But what about There Will Be Blood?”
“Have you not seen Boogie Nights?”
These are both sensible questions and brilliant films but it doesn’t change the fact Punch-Drunk Love is still his true masterpiece. It is his best film for numerous reasons - it is his best because it has a creative freedom rarely seen in his work, before or since. Anderson has become famous for making epic movies be they convoluted and complex ensemble dramas or films on a vast canvas. Punch-Drunk Love, on the other hand, is a small movie in every conceivable way be it cast size, narrative complexity and…
Review by brat pitt ★★★½ 22

the hushed, conspiratorial way that adam sandler raves about the pudding promotion seeming too good of a deal to be true is the same way i used to talk about moviepass (RIP) </3
Review by iana ★★★★★

“i have a love in my life. it makes me stronger than anything you can imagine.”
Review by Lucy ★★★★½ 11

yes GOD... ok paul does have the range
Review by karen h. ★★★★★ 7

is there any moment as warm and life-affirming as when the light in the phone booth turns on when lena finally picks up
Review by maria ★★★★ 28

wait wait wait... adam sandler... in a good movie??? and he can act??? THE AUDACITY!!!!!!!!!!
Review by SilentDawn ★★★★★ 9

93
(35mm)
There's such an energy to this thing. At once bouncy and smooth and mechanical and confrontational. Car crashes give way to music, violent outbursts lead to sweeping walks in the gleaming blue city side streets, and frantic sprints down faceless hallways culminate in a kiss. Still has one of the biggest 'wow' moments in a movie, as Barry calmly rejects the chaos around him with a simple "I don't know" before Jon Brion's musical score overtakes the theater space, colliding with the blooming mirage of shapes, colors, and stars. The fact that this isn't even in my top 5 favorite Paul Thomas Anderson films should tell you a little bit about just how much I love the guy.
"I don't know if there is anything wrong because I don't know how other people are."
Review by Karsten Runquist ★★★★★ 11

Listen. Fantastic Mr. Fox is my favorite film, right? But I say that because of how it hits me personally. That being said, Mr. Fox is my favorite, but this is the best film I've ever seen (does that make sense?) I can't believe it gets better every time. I have a million things to say about this movie and I'm gonna try to cover most of them in a video coming later this week.
<3
Review by David Sims ★★★★★ 7

THAT'S THAT
Review by PopcornIdeology ★★★★★ 7

INT. THERAPIST ROOM - DAY
THERAPIST, (mid-40s), scruffy beard, thick glasses, plaid shirt with rolled sleeves, sits alone in his tranquil office, sipping coffee and perusing nondescript papers in his lap. On his right is a large window lighting up his profile, and similarly revealing various dusty psychology and philosophy books safely tucked away on his bookshelf for display. Hanging on the wall, illuminated by the light, is a PhD certificate from Harvard. All of a sudden, PP, (early twenties), crusty Adidas jacket, stained jeans, slightly crooked hat, and barely perceivable limp, busts through the door, knocking over a vase in the process.
THERAPIST
PP, what are you doing here? We don’t have our session till next Tuesday!
PP sits…

Recent reviews

Review by Quintin 📽 Philipson ★★★★½ 5

Normal people:
"The Notebook is the best love story every shown in film."
Me:
"Punch Drunk Love is the best love story in film. Who needs the Notebook when you got anxiety baby!"
Physical Collection
PTA Ranking
Greatest Films of All Time
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This re-watch was for a podcast I did with my fiance and Siegel where we ranked all the PTA films. You can listen to that podcast below to hear us discuss all things PTA:
Ranked: PTA Films Podcast
Review by Kevin Linklater ★★★★½

This is really good, it makes me want to cry though and I don't appreciate it.
Review by StrudelNoCream ★★★★½

Why did I wait 15 years to watch this? Maybe it was Adam Sandler in a dramatic role that scared me.
But I needn't have worried. I can safely say he delivered one of the best acting performances I've ever seen.
Rarely have I seen such authenticity, such a heartfelt and sympathetic performance -Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge is the first comparison that jumps to mind.
And PSH was great and Emily Watson was great and the music and the colour scheme...
Don't wait so long to watch it like I did - go see it, right now.
Review by Moviemaan ★★★★★

Im in love with this film
Review by Thomas Hwang ★★★★

An intense, beautiful colorful film that captures all sorts of emotions. One moment you can be happy and content with the place in the world you’re in, the next you can be crying without a clear reason why, wanting to talk to someone about how you feel but worried that the shrill complaining makes you vulnerable to mockery. This is how Barry Egan goes through life and the story surrounding him is equally sad but moving. The movie is the definition of small, whether it’s the low stakes, simple narrative and surprisingly brief runtime for a director like Paul Thomas Anderson.
The film is still able to capture so many emotions, especially the color pallete, using bright, booming colors like…
Review by Zegan ★★★★½ 2

Film PTA pertama yang kutonton, dan ternyata langsung jatuh cinta sama karyanya yang satu ini, jadi tertarik untuk liat karya-karyanya yang lain, keseluruhan filmnya pokoknya keren banget, gayanya sangat berbeda dan sangat tidak biasa tapi keren parah, dimulai dari musiknya yang kece abis, lalu sinematografi dan visualnya yang bikin mata terpana, dan kemudian teknik pengambilan gambar dan pergerakan kameranya yang sangat artistik, tapi saya agak sedikit punya masalah sama jalan ceritanya, kok agak tidak begitu connect sama jalan ceritanya, tapi walau pada akhirnya bisa sedikit paham sama kesimpulan keseluruhan filmnya, akting Adam Sandler ternyata bagus juga, padahal kalau dengar namanya yang terlintas di benakku dia termasuk aktor mediocre, tapi di sini dia mampu membuktikan kalau dia adalah aktor yang pantas dapat penghargaan Oscar.
Review by buczaq ★★★½

Po tytule myślałem, że to historia typu Sandler się boksuje, ale miłość ponad wszystko i już się nie boksuje. Film, który nie ma prawa być dobry, a jest świetny
Review by eneroselas ★★★★

Pero qué ansiedad, viejo.
Review by Aiden Van Dyke ★★★★

I remember last time watching this I wasn’t in the right mood and I was falling asleep. On second watch I enjoyed this a whole lot better. Sander shows that with right direction he can be a great serious actor. Directing is fabulous and the story is really compelling. Quirky yet personable.
Review by Nohemi ★★★★

this movie always reminds me of how i stole a mattress when i was 17
Review by Lola ★★★ 1

The first two PTAs I watched were magnolia and boogie nights so whenever I watch a PTA film which isn’t a long 3 hour meaty and emotionally draining film it seems like a short film which goes nowhere so this film was tainted in my mind as being uneventful and short. Lovely score though
Review by Akashkumar ★★★★

" Sometimes I cry a lot for no reason