Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Essentially an unlikely-love-story rom-com, Punch-Drunk Love is considerably less ambitious in scope than Anderson's ensemble works Boogie Nights (1997) and Magnolia (1999). Though nicely filmed, and not without its moments, there are several things wrong with it.

For instance, the intrusive, immensely irritating soundtrack aims for 'quirky' with relentless rhythmic clicks, whirrs and beeps; and there's clumsy, pointless usage of one of Olive Oyl's songs from Altman's Popeye. This is representative of the film as a whole, which strives to be unusual and clever, but more often than not just ends up annoying; and incorporates elements (from 1960's comedy pastiche to arty surrealism) that never quite gel.

Also, since it's very rare to see Sandler in a film that doesn't just consist of infantile, throwaway gags, it's difficult to avoid the feeling that his potential for something a bit more substantial is wasted here on a fairly unremarkable role. As in films like Happy Gilmore (1996), his character still gets comically enraged and smashes things up; it's just that here he does it in a more restrained manner with a slightly more morose look on his face.