3) Adam Sandler In Punch-Drunk Love
If it weren’t for Paul Thomas Anderson, we wouldn’t have a single film to point to whenever someone accuses Adam Sandler of having done nothing of worth for cinema. Sandler’s career – and his performances across them – really has been that bad. Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love, in which the actor plays a lovelorn salesman with emotional issues, is however, a great shining jewel in Sandler’s crappy crown.
Sandler as ever brings the apoplectic rage as Barry Egan, but he also bears layers he hasn’t been brave enough to display in his glut of comedies. Egan is a man suffering from crippling loneliness and dealing with issues of deep self-loathing – and shockingly, Sandler nails the emotional complexity. It’s unlikely that he will as long as he keeps making megabucks with his cliched comedies, but the evidence suggests Sandler should do more offbeat, character-driven rom-coms like this.