The Love Punch

Punch-Drunk Love is a 2002 American absurdist romantic comedy drama film, produced, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Adam Sandler stars as an entrepreneur with social anxiety who falls in love with his sister's co-worker, played by Emily Watson. The supporting cast includes Philip Seymour Hoffman and Luis Guzmán. After working on his third film Magnolia, Anderson planned to make his next film around 90 minutes, with Sandler in mind as the lead due to Anderson's love for him and his films. It features the video art of Jeremy Blake in the form of visual interludes. Punch-Drunk Love was produced by Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios, New Line Cinema and Ghoulardi Film Company, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It premiered at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2002 before being released theatrically in the United States on November 1, 2002. Despite its box-office disappointment, grossing $24.7 million against its $25 million production budget, Punch-Drunk Love received positive reviews from critics, with Sandler's performance receiving widespread acclaim, making a launchpad for Sandler to pursue dramatic or unconventional film roles outside of his usual mainstream comedies. A favorite of several prominent filmmakers and actors, it has been included in lists of the greatest movies of the 21st century.