2 of 8

Steven D. Greydanus, in a mixed review, says, "If you see one Adam Sandler movie in your life, Punch-Drunk Love would be the one to see. Here, for perhaps the first time, a Sandler film shows us where the character's neuroses come from."

Mainstream critics praise the film as unconventional, unpredictable, and worthy of multiple viewings. Roger Ebert says, "I feel liberated in films where I have absolutely no idea what will happen next. Lena and Barry are odd enough that anything could happen in their relationship." 

Andrew Sarris (New York Observer) says, "Punch-Drunk Love … turns out to be one of the most initially mystifying movies I have ever seen, which is to say I was completely in the dark about what was happening for the first half-hour or so, and then very pleasantly surprised thereafter. Mr. Anderson has found a way to fashion a passionate romance out of the materials of postmodern chaos."

Charles Taylor (Salon.com) raves about the star: "Sandler's performance isn't a stunt. He does something very difficult, working as an actor to articulate Barry's painful lack of articulation. It's an amazing performance."

Jeffrey Wells (Hollywood Elsewhere) defends the film's confusing tactics. "A lot of us complain about movies being too formulaic and hitting the same old beats, and then something like Punch-Drunk Love comes along and we say it's too caught up in itself, or overly curious or unfamiliar. Unusual, convention-defying films can feel frustrating because we can't figure what bag they belong in. We should probably try to be more … accepting about such films, or at least think them over a bit more before rendering judgment."

Punch-Drunk Love played in limited release this week, and opens across the country Friday.

Why does America have a higher murder rate than any other industrial nation? More specifically—why do we shoot each other so frequently? Those are the questions that drive Michael Moore's occasionally insightful, often infuriatingly simple-minded documentary Bowling for Columbine.

Many readers of this column are probably going to avoid anything made by Michael Moore. Moore is famous, after all, for his left-wing rants, aggressive campaigns against big business, diatribes against the President's policies, and brusque interviewing techniques. But in this film, Moore puts an elbow in the ribs of both conservatives and liberals. Sure, there are rants a-plenty. But no other film out there will stimulate discussion on these relevant cultural issues better than this one. By the film's end, he's raised more questions than he's answered. They are excellent questions.

It's also entertaining, at times hilarious, and full of surprising revelations. Many viewers will find their opinions challenged regarding the causes of America's gun-violence epidemic. One by one, Moore shoots down the popular explanations. Some say, "Too many guns result in too much violence." Moore, a member of the NRA, discovers otherwise, learning that other nations have similarly widespread gun ownership, but far fewer shootings. Others say, "Our culture is saturated with violent music, violent video games, and violent movies." That's true, but nations that rarely see gun violence are obsessed with America's violent media exports.

Moore zeroes in on a specifically American problem—a rising condition of fear and distrust in its general populace. Isn't it interesting that as violent crime has decreased over the last few years, news media coverage of violent crime has risen 600 percent? When the news spends most of its time reporting criminals-at-large, epidemics, wars, and dangerous possibilities, how does this affect the way we view our neighbors? And what does this all have to do with Columbine? You may not agree with many of Moore's opinions—I'll admit, some of his claims made me roll my eyes. But I encourage you to give his high-spirited documentary a chance. It will provide fuel for challenging discussions. It's one of the year's most important and entertaining films.

next page... |  2 of 8

share this page

October (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46