Punch-Drunk Love (2002) on Netflix
Barry Egan, a novelty supplier in Los Angeles, is ridiculed by his seven sisters and threatened by phone sex scammers. Then he meets Lena Leonard, a co-worker of his sister Elizabeth.
- Netflix3.0/5
- IMDb7.3/10199,730 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes79%
Trailer
Plot summary
Barry Egan hates himself and hates his life. The only male among eight siblings, Barry is treated poorly by his overbearing sisters without them probably even realizing it. Despite owning his own business, he has gotten nowhere in life largely because of his insecurities. He leads a solitary life, which allows him to hide his violent outbursts that occur when he's frustrated. His solitude however allows him to think, he stumbling upon a scheme to travel the world on a pittance, travel which he has never done. Concurrently, he meets two people who pull him in two different directions. The first is Lena Leonard, a friend of his sister Elizabeth. Barry is slow to realize that Lena is attracted to him, he making her make all the first moves. Lena is eventually able to get Barry out of his shell, she who sticks around despite his obvious problems. His burgeoning relationship and thus new life with Lena is threatened by the second, "Georgia", who he contacted in an effort to alleviate his loneliness. Georgia and her "band of brothers" do whatever they can get get out of Barry what they want, no matter the price to Barry.
In these lists: Adam Sandler Movies: Where to Watch
Cast
- David Schrempfas Customer #1
- Seann Conwayas Customer #2
- Hazel Maillouxas Rhonda
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The Healthy Choice frequent-flyer miles subplot was based on the real story of David Phillips, who amassed over a million air miles by buying $3,000 worth of the company's pudding; Paul Thomas Anderson got approval from Phillips and Healthy Choice to adapt it.
- Filming and editing Punch-Drunk Love took over a year and a half: Paul Thomas Anderson scrapped the first two weeks of shooting, fearing he was making the same movie again, and the threat of 2001 Hollywood strikes sent Adam Sandler and Emily Watson off to other projects in between.
- Adam Sandler and Tom Cruise shared phone numbers when Sandler visited Saturday Night Live during a taping hosted by Cruise's then-wife Nicole Kidman; while filming Magnolia, Paul Thomas Anderson used a call with Cruise to reach Sandler and say he wanted to write a film for him, and Sandler agreed.
- Paul Thomas Anderson wrote Punch-Drunk Love with Adam Sandler and Emily Watson in mind, and had to convince producer JoAnne Sellar, who was "befuddled" by his desire to cast Sandler, that the comedian was right for the lead.
- Jon Brion composed the score while the film was being made rather than after rough footage was shot, experimenting with tones and noting what Anderson responded to; Anderson used vocal tempos he imagined for the score on set, shaping the pace of Adam Sandler's performance.
- Composer Jon Brion once found a harmonium with a hole in its bellows before going on tour with Aimee Mann and covered the hole with duct tape; that same situation is mirrored in the film.
- Punch-Drunk Love was cited as a favorite film by filmmakers Francis Ford Coppola, Bong Joon-ho, Guillermo del Toro and Barry Jenkins, among others, and served as a major visual influence for the 2024 Pixar film Inside Out 2.
