Paul Thomas Anderson’s filmography is one filled with greatness: “There Will Be Blood,” “The Master,” “Punch-Drunk Love,” “Magnolia,” “Phantom Thread,” “Boogie Nights.”
I never really thought that much about what PTA’s best movie might be until Christopher Nolan personally vouched for “There Will Be Blood” earlier this summer. It got me thinking … but I just couldn’t come up with a pick.
Guillermo del Toro seems to be in the “Punch-Drunk Love” camp. He recently mentioned it was his favorite PTA and went on to praise Jon Brion’s brilliant score, which he’s been playing “in a loop” for weeks now.
Several years ago, Del Toro had mentioned how he was inspired by “Punch-Drunk Love” when he made “The Shape of Water,” adding that he wrote his Oscar-winning film while Brion’s score was playing in the background.
“TAR” filmmaker Todd Field also recently praised Adam Sandler’s performance in the film, saying it was “one of the great screen performances of all-time.” All of this praise is music to my ears.
The 2002 pairing of PTA and Sandler resulted in a mesmerizer of romantic comedy, completely subverting the cliches that come with the genre and infusing an added dose of magical anarchy. The control of the direction, the mood that was being exuded, I love this film. “Punch Drunk-Love” was, and still is, an intoxicating experience.
“Punch-Drunk Love” competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2002. It finished 46th on our Best Films of the 2000s Critics Poll. I would have placed it a little higher than that — it’s a great, surreal, bizarre film that defied conventions. And yes, Sandler was sublime in the lead role.