PTA Marathon Part IV of IV, 2nd Viewing
If Paul Thomas Anderson’s decision to institute paranoid timing within the sound effects of external events couldn’t shock your interior concentration then maybe you’ll never know what it’s like to be someone as distracted with imagination as a Barry-Egan-type can be—or maybe that in of itself is your shared reality and you choose not to face it? It’s insane how whimsical and divine Paul makes Egan’s daydreaming appear when compared to how aggressive and pointless the surface-level events of Punch-Drunk Love pan out as to him. The amount of plausibly relatable anxiety that Paul is able to rack up into one cynically comedic movie is godly!
I admire how Paul illustrates Egan’s workplace as almost some extraterrestrial ship like we aren’t supposed to be there. When the garage doors are open, the brightness from outside is often raised to such heights that what exists outside of our job building is like an unknown holiness. The f***ing illustrious, multi-colored lens flares that Paul uses further exemplifies how delusional our life outside of contentment is in the supposedly “free-world.” The score is the biggest teller though, making everything occurring in your day-to-day job seem as if it is indeed an impulsive place of hell. This is the introvert’s way of reason…
Whether it be from buying grocery foods with commercial promotions to feel like a validated winner, Punch-Drunk Love has something in it for anybody to relate to. I guarantee there’s never once been an individual out there who hasn’t misplaced critical hatred towards themselves before. I’ve noticed some minor flaws here and there with the film that I had ignored initially, but still, this is a short 95 minutes that’s somehow condensed to feel like an even shorter 10 minutes. And, Adam Sandler: precision perfectionist?
Verdict Change: A+ —> A
My Favorite Romances, Paul Thomas Anderson Ranked
“Punch-Drunk Love” is now available to stream on Vudu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, Hulu, and HBO Now.
Burning the Celluloid 
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