The comedian''s life can be a short one, especially for those who go the way of slapstick humor. Look at Chevy Chase, Leslie
Nielsen, or a name that definitely sticks out among the rest, Paulie Shore. Shore was a man who had a string of hits in the early nineties, but all good things come to an end, especially things involving screechy, annoying comedy. He hasn''t been seen since. Then there''s Adam Sandler, an SNL alumni who has become one of the most profitable actors in Hollywood, despite being considered one of the worst of them. His acting talent aside (no insult meant here; he is, after all, a comedian at heart), he has the great gift of being funny almost all of the time, especially towards the coveted younger audiences. His string of hits include
Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison and
Big Daddy, each one making more than the last. He was at the top of his game.
But something happened a little while back. Little Nicky, an $80 million comedy, tanked completely (and for good reason). The movie was absolutely horrible, but that shouldn''t matter; it starred Adam Sandler, and that should be enough to at least make some money. Sandler''s latest film, Mr. Deeds, made lots of money, but it didn''t deserve it; his form of comedy is growing old and he knows it. Perhaps it is this realization that all good things come to an end, or that Sandler doesn''t want to end up as another nobody five years from now, or that he just doesn''t want to be doing the same movies for the rest of his life, that he decided to branch out and take on a role written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia), co-starring Emily Watson and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Perhaps Sandler is more sophisticated and intelligent than the critics will admit to.
Punch-Drunk Love is a strange film from a director known for his strange movies (Magnolia''s most memorable scene is thousands of frogs falling from the sky), a 180-degree turn from anything Sandler has done before. Sandler plays a loser, but a loser unlike the roles he has played in his "own" movies; here he is a social coward, the owner of an entrepreneurial plunger company based out of a garage, the brother of seven sisters that notify him of just how pathetic he really is. He appears to be obsessive compulsive, depressed, and most noticeably prone to fits of rage. He is Barry Egan, and his life is about to get turned upside down.