Paul Thomas Anderson

Punch-Drunk Love

Punch-Drunk Love

Chaos lurks in every corner of this giddily off-kilter foray into romantic comedy by Paul Thomas Anderson. Struggling to cope with his erratic temper, novelty-toilet-plunger salesman Barry Egan (Adam Sandler, demonstrating remarkable versatility in his first dramatic role) spends his days collecting frequent-flyer-mile coupons and dodging the insults of his seven sisters. The promise of a new life emerges when Barry inadvertently attracts the affection of a mysterious woman named Lena (Emily Watson), but their budding relationship is threatened when he falls prey to the swindling operator of a phone sex line and her deranged boss (played with maniacal brio by Philip Seymour Hoffman). Fueled by the careening momentum of a baroque-futurist score by Jon Brion, the Cannes-award-winning Punch-Drunk Love channels the spirit of classic Hollywood and the whimsy of Jacques Tati into an idiosyncratic ode to the delirium of new romance.

Film Info

  • United States
  • 2002
  • 95 minutes
  • Color
  • 2.39:1
  • English
  • Spine #843

Director-Approved Blu-ray Special Edition Features

  • Restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director Paul Thomas Anderson, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • Blossoms & Blood, a short 2002 piece by Anderson featuring Adam Sandler and Emily Watson, along with music by Jon Brion
  • New interview with Brion
  • New piece featuring behind-the-scenes footage of a recording session for the film’s soundtrack
  • New conversation between curators Michael Connor and Lia Gangitano about the art of Jeremy Blake, used in the film
  • Additional artwork by Blake
  • Cannes Film Festival press conference from 2002
  • NBC News interview from 2000 with David Phillips, the “pudding guy”
  • Twelve Scopitones
  • Deleted scenes
  • Mattress Man commercial
  • Trailers
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by filmmaker, author, and artist Miranda July

New cover by Dustin Stanton

Purchase Options

Director-Approved Blu-ray Special Edition Features

  • Restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director Paul Thomas Anderson, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • Blossoms & Blood, a short 2002 piece by Anderson featuring Adam Sandler and Emily Watson, along with music by Jon Brion
  • New interview with Brion
  • New piece featuring behind-the-scenes footage of a recording session for the film’s soundtrack
  • New conversation between curators Michael Connor and Lia Gangitano about the art of Jeremy Blake, used in the film
  • Additional artwork by Blake
  • Cannes Film Festival press conference from 2002
  • NBC News interview from 2000 with David Phillips, the “pudding guy”
  • Twelve Scopitones
  • Deleted scenes
  • Mattress Man commercial
  • Trailers
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by filmmaker, author, and artist Miranda July

New cover by Dustin Stanton

Punch-Drunk Love
Cast
Adam Sandler
Barry Egan
Emily Watson
Lena Leonard
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Dean Trumbell
Luis Guzmán
Lance
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Elizabeth
Lisa Spector
Sister
Julie Hermelin
Sister
Karen Hermelin
Sister
Hazel Mailloux
Sister
Nicole Gelbard
Sister
Mia Weinberg
Sister
David Stevens
Brother
Jimmy Stevens
Brother
Nathan Stevens
Brother
Mike D. Stevens
Brother
Ashley Clark
Phone sex sister
Robert Smigel
Walter the dentist
Credits
Director
Paul Thomas Anderson
Written by
Paul Thomas Anderson
Produced by
Joanne Sellar
Produced by
Daniel Lupi
Produced by
Paul Thomas Anderson
Director of photography
Robert Elswit
Production designer
William Arnold
Music by
Jon Brion
Editor
Leslie Jones
Costume designer
Mark Bridges
Artwork
Jeremy Blake
Casting
Cassandra Kulukundis

Current

Jon Brion on Creating the Rhythms of Punch-Drunk Love
Jon Brion on Creating the Rhythms of Punch-Drunk Love

For his first foray into romantic comedy, Paul Thomas Anderson worked closely with Jon Brion on a score that combines melodic orchestration with startling dissonance.

Punch-Drunk Love: A Delegate Speaks
Punch-Drunk Love: A Delegate Speaks

The joy of new love collides with the anxieties of everyday life in Paul Thomas Anderson’s off-kilter foray into romantic comedy.

By Miranda July

Isabel Sandoval’s Top 10
Isabel Sandoval’s Top 10

The director of the acclaimed new film Lingua Franca chooses a selection of movies she loves, including ones that have inspired her to break the rules of genre and narrative.

Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Top 10
Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Top 10

The director of Aquarius and Bacurau shares his favorite Criterion releases, paying special attention to unorthodox studio productions and underappreciated masterpieces.

Dennis Lim’s Top 10
Dennis Lim’s Top 10

In the spirit of a double-feature series at Film at Lincoln Center currently underway, the venerable institution’s director of programming has put together ten pairings that highlight thematic and stylistic parallels throughout our collection.

Steven Yeun’s Top 10
Steven Yeun’s Top 10

An international star who has delivered acclaimed performances in The Walking Dead, Okja, and Burning, Steven Yeun tells us about the “wise grace” of Tokyo Story, the brutality of RoboCop, and other Criterion favorites.

New UK Releases for November 2016
New UK Releases for November 2016
This month, we’ve brought two new Criterion editions to the United Kingdom: Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams, a visually sumptuous showcase of the Japanese master at the height of his imaginative powers, and Punch-Drunk Love, Paul Thomas Anderson’s deli…