Punch-Drunk Love (Superbit Deluxe, 2002)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Written and Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzman

Features:

• 12 Scopitones
  
• 3 Theatrical Trailers
  
• "Blossoms & Blood": A 12-minute short piece featuring music by Jon Brion and directed by P.T. Anderson with Adam Sandler and Emily Watson
  
• Deleted Scenes
  
• Mattress Man Commercial
  
• Additional Artwork by Jeremy Blake
  

Barry Egan (Sandler) is guy who has more than a few problems in his life. First of all, the only thing in his life is his business. As if that wasn't bad enough, all of his sisters (and there are seven of them) hound him incessantly about the fact that he doesn't have a love in his life, and then when they try to set him up in a position where he could possibly meet someone, they ridicule him for being a freak until he loses all control and breaks something, thus making a complete fool of himself in front of them. Finally, Fate steps in and delivers his angel in the form of Lena Leonard (Watson), but not before he has gotten mixed up with a phone sex organization run by a man named Dean Trumbell (Hoffman). So, at the same time that he's trying desperately to get his life started with Lena, he's being hunted by a bunch of thugs sent by Trumbell. When you add into the mix that he has absolutely no social graces of any kind, it really ups the ante for Mr. Egan.

Make no mistake, this movie is all about being avant garde cinema. If you expect to watch this movie without having to think about it, you are going to be disappointed. Now that you've got that warning, you should also be warned that Sandler's character is an incredibly sympathetic. The phone calls with his sisters at the beginning are enough to make you want to just give him a big hug and smack the ever loving crap out of every single one of them. I can also pinpoint for you the moment when I knew this film was a good film: the moment that Sandler and Watson are looking at each other after a particular incident they shared, the look in each of their eyes says more than any dialogue ever could have said. Sandler and Watson's performances are first rate, and their relationship is one of the most believable that I've seen on screen in a long time. It is anything but conventional, but it is real. Hoffman's performance is good, but not his best; parts of his performance feel slightly pushed, and other moments he seemed to be playing at being the bad guy rather than simply going after Sandler in their scenes together. The thing I love most about this movie is the stark realism of the moments mixed in with the absurdist themes of the film.

This is a Superbit Deluxe DVD set. The movies that are released in this format normally do without the special features because they up the quality of the video and audio transfers of the film in DVD format. The upgrade in quality leaves little or no space on the DVD for the special features. With the Superbit Deluxe sets, they add a second disc into the mix that contains all of the special features, so you get the best of both worlds.

So, the second disc of this set contains some of the most bizarre bonus material that I have ever seen. First of all, there is no commentary track with this set, a side effect of the Superbit moniker. It's a shame, because with a movie like this, being bizarre like it is, it would have been nice to hear Anderson giving his take on the whole shebang. It affords you the opportunity to either feel good about having "gotten" something or learning more about what you didn't "get".

The first feature that they do offer on the disc is something called "Blossoms & Blood". What it boils down to is a twelve-minute short film which feels like an alternate cutting of the film with an altered score. There is very little dialogue spoken, but it's a neat edit. Again, you need to be really open when you watch this short, because its all about your interpretation of it; which is part of its appeal. Next you have the "12 Scopitones". These are an edit of the vibrant colored segues that the film offers edited together. A friend of mine described these as "bad acid trippy transistions" and that's about the best description that I've heard. Anyway, they are presented here in all of their glory.

There are two deleted scenes which, upon viewing, make it obvious as to why they wound up in this category. They really would have added nothing to film had they remained in the final cut. There is a really funny fake commercial starring Philip Seymour Hoffman that will literally take your breath away. You have to see it to understand why. There is also additional artwork by Jeremy Blake that was not used in the film. So, if you are into the whole artsy-fartsy scene, this DVD will really appeal to you, but don't look for a great deal of insight into the making, writing, directing, or acting of the film. It's mostly more art-house type stuff.

So, if you are the type of person who loved the movie, you will definitely want to pick this one up. If you don't need any help from the directors or cast as to their intentions on this thing, you will enjoy this DVD set. Otherwise, wait for a commentary-filled disc to help you out.