I hate Adam Sandler. His brand of in your face, crooked-mouth-loud-yelling physical comedy was a bit too over done for my taste. It always seemed like he was trying too hard. So, when I came across this movie I was, at first, very quick to dismiss it as a "run of the mill" Adam Sandler rom-com. But after further investigation I found that the director of this little gem was none other then Paul Thomas Anderson, director of such cinema greats as Magnolia, Boogie Nights, and There Will Be Blood. I was 100% baffled as to why Paul Thomas Anderson, the Orson Welles of our time, would pick such a low-brow actor to be in his film...?
Then I watched the movie.
It all became completely clear. Not only is this movie Adam Sandler's crowning achievement of acting, but it is, in my opinion, one of the best films of the 2000's.
There are a lot of things that stand out in this film; Adam Sandler's performance, the odd script structure, the cinematography, the third act (which I guess ties in with the script structure, but I have to address it alone).
First, and probably the most prominent thing about this fantastic film is Sandler's acting. He plays a very complex, socially awkward character that seems so easy and second nature for him to portray. I was blown away at the development of his character, and the acting maturity that was being expressed by an actor who's past resume include a hockey player turned pro golfer and a rich annoying high school drop out. Sandler convinces the audience that he actually is an actor worth seeing in this movie with an electrifying presence that will glue your eyes to the screen.
Secondly, the script is probably the best original work Paul Thomas Anderson has done, arguably second only to Magnolia. As far as writer/directors go, I think only Tarantino and the Coen Brothers rival him. This film stands as a true testament to how creative and original he really is. The mixture of moods are so well concocted and conveyed. It first starts out as a character study and then slides over to being an acute thriller and then (in its third act) gently sets in as a romantic comedy, just as it is advertised. The ride this film takes you on is STELLAR.
Lastly, the cinematography is very well executed. The use of a very dirty, gritty film stock is left very obvious to the viewer. With the grainy, "cinema romance" feel to the rough screen texture. The color blue is left as a highlight on screen, almost as a metaphor to how blue emotionally Adam Sander's character feels for the better half of the movie. Jazzy, quasi-hippy montages of color erupt in one scene almost as an outward portrayal of what tone the movie is feeling. As if the celluloid itself was trying to express an emotion to connect with the viewer.
This film, at face value, may seem like another Hollywood romantic comedy where the guy gets the girl at the end. This is just simply not the case.
This piece of pure cinema is both a delight and a labor to watch. Labor in the sense that it will get the brain juices flowing as you try to understand how on earth Adam Sandler got to be THAT good at acting. See it. You'll love it.
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