Opening

78% Fast & Furious 6 May 24
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—— Epic May 24
94% Before Midnight May 24
—— We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks May 24
—— Fill the Void May 24
—— A Green Story May 24
—— Alyce Kills May 24

Top Box Office

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37% Peeples $2.2M
8% The Big Wedding $1.1M

Coming Soon

—— After Earth May 31
—— Now You See Me May 31
88% The East May 31
100% The Kings of Summer May 31

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

tomatometer

79

Average Rating: 7.4/10
Reviews Counted: 183
Fresh: 144 | Rotten: 39

Odd, touching, and unique, Punch-Drunk Love is also delightfully funny, utilizing Adam Sandler's comic persona to explore the life of a lonely guy who finds love.

80

Average Rating: 7.4/10
Critic Reviews: 40
Fresh: 32 | Rotten: 8

Odd, touching, and unique, Punch-Drunk Love is also delightfully funny, utilizing Adam Sandler's comic persona to explore the life of a lonely guy who finds love.

audience

72

liked it
Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 125,093

My Rating

Movie Info

Adam Sandler and Emily Watson star in Punch-Drunk Love, an odd romantic comedy from gifted young director Paul Thomas Anderson. Sandler plays Barry Egan, a shy sad-sack with a great deal of repressed anger that occasionally bursts forth in sudden violent outrages, who falls in love with Lena Leonard (Emily Watson), a co-worker of one of Barry's seven sisters. After calling a phone-sex line, Barry is extorted by bad-guy Dean Trumbell (Anderson regular Philip Seymour Hoffman), who eventually sends

R,

Drama, Romance, Comedy

Paul Thomas Anderson

Jun 24, 2003

$17.8M

Columbia Pictures - Official Site External Icon

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Cast

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All Critics (192) | Top Critics (40) | Fresh (148) | Rotten (41) | DVD (44)

It's a romantic comedy on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

November 1, 2007 Full Review Source: Newsweek
Newsweek
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The film looks good and has its funny moments, but too often one senses Anderson straining to impress...

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
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It is quite a vision.

November 2, 2002 Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The journey toward redemption feels more like a cinematic experiment than a full-blown movie.

October 26, 2002 | Comment (1)
Denver Rocky Mountain News
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Despite its title, Punch-Drunk Love is never heavy-handed. The jabs it employs are short, carefully placed and dead-center.

October 25, 2002 Full Review Source: USA Today
USA Today
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In the end, Punch-Drunk Love is one of those films that I wanted to like much more than I actually did. Sometimes, that's enough.

October 25, 2002 Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee
Sacramento Bee
Top Critic IconTop Critic

There's certainly no questioning the technical ability on show, but unfortunately the end result is often more impressive than it is involving.

October 17, 2012 Full Review Source: Flix Capacitor
Flix Capacitor

Odd romantic journey for adults and older teens.

December 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media

While certainly sweet, Love is more compelling as a veiled threat, with Anderson jerking the audience around, wielding abrasive characters and hostile situations in a manner I've come to adore.

December 28, 2009 Full Review Source: Modamag.com
Modamag.com

Shots, such as when Sandler and Watson kiss in silhouette, are truly memorable -- but Punch-Drunk Love is never more than this: a series of chocolate-box moments, PT-style.

May 28, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4
Film4

...Punch-Drunk Love is (and always will be) the crowning achievement within Anderson's filmography.

January 3, 2008 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comments (3)
Reel Film Reviews

It's clear by now that whatever characterization skill Anderson showed in his lean, mean debut, 1997's Hard Eight, was a fluke.

September 22, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comments (12)
eFilmCritic.com

A trifle at 89 minutes with a genuine, heartfelt performance by Mr. Sandler, and not much else.

July 14, 2007 Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound
Big Picture Big Sound

Watson is simply radiant with her goofy and beautiful smile, while Sandler's psychotic nice-guy schtick makes for some really great moments.

June 21, 2007 Full Review Source: Film Scouts
Film Scouts

Paul Thomas Anderson used Sandler for a very specific purpose -to convey a sense of tough-luck awkwardness and smile-masking-frown frustration, and it worked perfectly.

January 4, 2006 Full Review Source: Bangitout.com | Comments (2)
Bangitout.com

Anderson is simply punch-drunk on the possibilities of cinema, and sophisticated film lovers will be more than willing to go wherever he goes -- yes, even to an Adam Sandler movie.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com
TheMovieReport.com

Audience Reviews for Punch-Drunk Love

A visually interesting and unconventional love story about a very awkward character coming into his own. I've tried, but I just don't think P.T. Anderson is my kind of film-maker - I recognize why the work he's doing is good, but I don't enjoy it all that much. Of course, all Anderson acolytes tell me that you have to watch his movies a few times before you really see how much he's doing, and how well. I'm open to revising my opinion someday... in the meantime, Sandler surprises here, and there is some wacky intrigue, but overall it comes of like the Coen brothers with an MFA. Not terrible, just not my cup of tea.
April 16, 2007
danperry17

Super Reviewer

It takes place in The Big Lebowski universe of logic. And I adore it.
July 31, 2012
Kevin Cookman

Super Reviewer

    1. Barry Egan: I have no buisness here, I came for you.
    – Submitted by Jacob M (9 months ago)
    1. Barry Egan: I have a love in my life, It makes me stronger than anything you can imagine.
    – Submitted by Lance T (10 months ago)

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Foreign Titles

  • Punch drunk love (FR)
  • Embriagado de amor (ES)
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