Punch-Drunk Love
Barry Egan (ADAM SANDLER) is a plunger salesman who works with Lance (LUIS GUZMçN) and others in a nondescript warehouse somewhere in Southern California. An emotionally unstable man, Barry is prone to sudden violent outbursts, particularly when harassed by or in the company of any of his seven overbearing sisters, including Elizabeth (MARY LYNN RAJSKUB).
When not plying his trade, he spends his time working on a harmonium that was dropped off at the end of the alley where he works. He's also found a loophole in a frequent flier promotion and thus is buying a great deal of various products, including pudding, that he can redeem for a million frequent flier miles.
A lonely man, Barry decides one night to call up a phone sex service. After giving his personal information to the operator, he receives a phone call from the sultry "Georgia." All presumably ends well, but the next morning she calls back, stating she needs financial help and asks for $750. He says he can't help her, but she insists and starts harassing him over the phone both at home and at work.
It's at the latter where he earlier briefly met Lena Leonard (EMILY WATSON), and now Elizabeth has brought her back in hopes of fixing them up together. They start dating but aren't sure of each other, and Barry's somewhat distracted by Georgia and the fact that her boss, Dean Trumbell (PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN),
has sent a brotherly quartet to get the money from him.
I absolutely loved this movie. It's a romantic comedy like you've never seen before. It goes against the grain of any formula Hollywood has developed for love. It brings out a whole new side of Sandler, one of compassion and sincerity. This film leaves the sappy romance at home and instead, Mr. Anderson tells it how it is. Their are so many subtleties within the film, and each one is just another mark of Anderson's genius. Please, go out and see this film. There will be plenty of you who will hate it. But there will be even more of you who will fall in love with it. Love can change the perspective of anyone, even a plunger salesman with a pudding obsession.

***1/2