Punch-Drunk Love | |
---|---|
Directed by | Paul Thomas Anderson |
Written by | Paul Thomas Anderson |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Robert Elswit |
Edited by | Leslie Jones |
Music by | Jon Brion |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $25 million [1] |
Box office | $24.7 million [2] |
Punch-Drunk Love is a 2002 American absurdist romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It follows an entrepreneur with social anxiety who falls in love with his sister's co-worker. The film was produced by Revolution Studios and New Line Cinema, and distributed by Columbia Pictures.
After working on his third film Magnolia , Anderson planned to make his next film around 90 minutes, with Sandler in mind as the lead due to Anderson's love for him and his films. It features the video art of Jeremy Blake in the form of visual interludes.
The film received positive reviews from critics, with Sandler's performance receiving widespread acclaim. However, the film was a box office bomb, failing to recoup its $25 million production budget at the box office. Retrospectively, Punch-Drunk Love is viewed as a favorite film of several prominent film directors and actors, and was seen as a launchpad for Sandler to pursue dramatic or unconventional film roles outside of his usual mainstream comedies and is widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of the 2000s and the 21st century. [3] [4]
Barry Egan is a bachelor who owns a company that markets themed toilet plungers and other novelty items. He has seven overbearing sisters who regularly ridicule and emotionally abuse him, so he leads a lonely life punctuated by fits of rage and social anxiety. One day, he witnesses an inexplicable car accident, picks up an abandoned harmonium from the street, and meets Lena Leonard (a coworker of Elizabeth, one of his sisters). Lena had orchestrated the meeting after seeing him in Elizabeth's family picture at work.
Barry goes to his sister's birthday party, where they tease him about his sexuality, leading to a serious outburst in which he breaks sliding glass doors. Afterwards, he asks his brother-in-law to refer him to a therapist. Instead, Barry calls a phone sex line to cope with his loneliness. The phone sex operator tries to extort money from him and then sends four henchmen, who are brothers, to collect. This complicates his budding relationship with Lena, as well as his plan to exploit a loophole in a Healthy Choice promotion and amass a million frequent-flyer miles by purchasing large quantities of pudding.
When Lena leaves for Hawaii on a business trip, Barry decides to follow her, using his sister to find Lena, who is overjoyed to see him. As the two spend time together, Barry's sister calls Lena, complicating matters, but Lena lies about having contact with Barry. The romance develops further, leading to Barry's relief from his emotional isolation.
On the return trip, the four brothers ram Barry's car, mildly injuring Lena. After fighting the brothers off with a tire iron, Barry leaves Lena at the hospital and sets out to end the harassment. He calls the phone-sex line back and finds out the "supervisor" is the owner of a mattress store. Barry drives all the way to Provo, Utah, to confront the owner, Dean, face to face. At first, trying to intimidate Barry, Dean finds him more intimidating once he learns that Barry has come all the way from California. They both agree "that's that".
Barry returns home and goes to see Lena to explain why the accident happened. He begs for forgiveness, pledging his loyalty and to use his frequent-flier miles to accompany her on all future business trips after his pudding miles are processed. Lena confesses she was more upset at being left at the hospital, but forgives him and they embrace happily.
After the success of Magnolia , Paul Thomas Anderson stated that he was determined to make his next film ninety minutes long, and stated that he wanted to cast Adam Sandler in this film. [5] After establishing his style with his previous films, he wanted to challenge himself within the parameters of a ninety-minute-long romantic comedy. [6] Anderson is a fan of Sandler's comedies, and said his love for his films became "obsession-level" after seeing and enjoying Sandler's 1999 film Big Daddy . [7] [8] He was determined to make a film with Sandler as a lead, saying, "He's always just made me laugh, he gets me, I wanted a piece of him." [6] He specifically wrote Punch-Drunk Love with Sandler and Emily Watson in mind. Anderson had to convince producer JoAnne Sellar, who was "befuddled" with his desire to cast Sandler, that he was the right person for the job. [9] Anderson took inspiration for Barry Egan's characterization from watching the Saturday Night Live: The Best of Adam Sandler compilation DVD, primarily with the skit "The Denise Show," [10] [8] saying,
"I saw this Best of Adam Sandler DVD from Saturday Night Live, and an amazing thing happened. There's this moment when he's doing this talk show called "The Denise Show," about his ex-girlfriend who's left him, and his father calls up and says, 'What are you doing; you're embarrassing the family.' And Adam goes into this fit of rage, screaming at his father, and honest to God I saw this moment where it appears as if the whites of his eyes turn black and they roll back in his head. It was like, he just lost his mind. I would play it back, over and over again, and you can see him kinda snap back to reality. The audience is laughing and it's almost like he finally started to hear them laughing a few seconds later." [8]
Anderson described the film as an "art-house Adam Sandler film," while film critic Roger Ebert felt Anderson "deconstructed the Adam Sandler movies and put them back together again in a new way at a different level." [8] In writing the elements of the Healthy Choice frequent-flier miles sub-plot line, Anderson was inspired by the real-life story of David Phillips, who successfully amassed over a million frequent flier miles from buying $3,000 worth of Healthy Choice's pudding. Anderson received approval from Phillips and Healthy Choice to adapt Phillips' story into the film. [11] A major source of inspiration for Punch-Drunk Love came from the films of Jacques Tati, while Barry's blue suit was inspired by musicals, such as The Band Wagon (1953) and Singin' in the Rain (1952). [12]
Filming and editing took place over a year and a half due to several reasons, such as Anderson scrapping the first two weeks of shooting over fears that he was "making the same movie" as his previous filmography, as well as the threat of Hollywood strikes in 2001, that led to Sandler and Watson filming other projects in between filming Punch-Drunk Love. Anderson declined more funding from Revolution Studios, as he was determined to keep the film under $30 million in terms of budget. [6]
Anderson brought in the visual artist Jeremy Blake to create what the New York Times called "trippy, fluid sequences of abstract art" to use as transitions in the film. [13]
Sandler shared phone numbers with Tom Cruise, when he visited Saturday Night Live during the taping of an episode hosted by Cruise's then-wife Nicole Kidman. While filming Magnolia, Anderson contacted Sandler through a phone call with Cruise and expressed his intention to write a film for him, and despite being unfamiliar with Anderson, Sandler gave his blessing. Sandler was intimidated upon first viewing Magnolia, leading him to be "fucking terrified" and doubt his ability to carry Anderson's next film. Anderson helped alleviate Sandler's fears upon personally delivering the script. [14] Sandler's casting was officially announced in November 2000; the unconventional pairing shocked reporters as Anderson was a rising filmmaker noted for his critically acclaimed films, while Sandler was known for negatively-reviewed mainstream comedies. [10] [15] Aside from the primary named cast, all on-screen actors are non-professionals, which Anderson found more interesting and less complicated. [6]
The score to Punch-Drunk Love was composed by Jon Brion. As with Magnolia, Brion and Anderson collaborated heavily for the production of the film's score. However, rather than scoring the film after rough footage had been shot, Brion made compositions while the film was being made. During the scoring process, Brion would experiment with tones and sounds, carefully making note of what Anderson would respond to. Anderson would create the vocal tempos he would envision in the score and use them on set, even to the extent of inspiring the pace of Sandler's performance.
The film's score features no harmonium in the score outside of the notes Sandler plays on it. [16] Brion introduced the instrument to Anderson during their work on Magnolia, however an article stating it was used heavily in the score is incorrect per Brion's account. [17] Many scenes between Sandler's character and the instrument were inspired by Brion. For instance, Brion once found a harmonium with a hole in its bellows, before going on tour with Aimee Mann. To fix the problem, he covered the hole with duct tape. The situation is mirrored in the film.
The film began a limited domestic release on October 11, 2002, grossing $118,539 from five theaters. It went on to gross $17.8 million in the United States, and an international total of $6.8 million, for a worldwide box office total of $24.6 million. [2]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Punch-Drunk Love holds an approval rating of 79% based on 197 reviews, with an average rating of 7.40/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Odd, touching, and unique, Punch-Drunk Love is also delightfully funny, utilizing Adam Sandler's comic persona to explore the life of a lonely guy who finds love." [18] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [19] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D+" on an A+ to F scale. [20]
Writing for Rolling Stone , Peter Travers felt the pairing of Anderson and Sandler was "parallel lines that meet triumphantly in a mesmerizer that stays true to both of their anarchic spirits," and praised the cast's performances, ultimately calling the film's effect "intoxicating." [21] Angie Errigo of Empire complimented Anderson's direction as "simply captivating and exquisitely controlled, with a restless mood and no end of fascinating, beautifully-orchestrated oddness," and said, "One of the joys of this film...is that you really have no idea what's going to happen next." [22] Daniel Fierman of Entertainment Weekly thought the film was a "meditation on true love, the ways in which we are all bizarre, the magic of the perfect match, and the preposterously unlikely nature of the whole enterprise." [23] The Los Angeles Times ' Kenneth Turan stated that the film was "a comedy of discomfort and rage that turns unexpectedly sweet and pure." [24] Writing for Variety , Todd McCarthy said that "there is no mistaking the exceeding creativity that has gone into nearly every shot, transition, narrative choice and musical selection," and praised Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, and Philip Seymour Hoffman's performances. He also opined that "Sandler fans will probably take it as a lightweight, but agreeable enough, outing with slightly weird elements to it, while Anderson partisans could split between those who will revel in the thrill of his ongoing creative inventions and others who may find this light lifting between heavy workouts." [25] Charles Taylor of Salon.com described the film as a "manic-depressive romantic comedy that aspires to the soul of a musical," and complimented Anderson's direction, Christopher Scarabosio's sound design, and Jon Brion's score. He believed that Anderson properly utilized the "threat of sudden, bellowing, red-faced rage" of Sandler's known comic persona in the film. [26]
David Ansen of Newsweek described the film as "a romantic comedy on the verge of a nervous breakdown," praising the film's unpredictability and cinematography, but felt Lena was underwritten, concluding that it was "an emotional jigsaw puzzle that's missing a couple of crucial pieces." [27] Giving the film three stars out of five, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian felt the story was "deeply unconvincing" and "a short cut to an entirely unearned emotional resolution that doesn't begin to illuminate the jagged and disturbing - and gripping - ideas that swirl around the beginning of this film," and felt the film's core romance was "the most bafflingly unreal love story you can imagine." [28]
Sandler's lead performance received acclaim. Giving the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praised Sandler's performance in his review, saying, "Sandler, liberated from the constraints of formula, reveals unexpected depths as an actor. Watching this film, you can imagine him in Dennis Hopper roles. He has darkness, obsession and power. He can't go on making those moronic comedies forever, can he?" [29] Errigo called the film "an anti-Adam Sandler movie that proves to be a highly defining moment for the actor" and called Sandler's performance "astonishing." She also felt Watson was "relishing a calming character who is on an even keel." [22] Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman said Sandler was "utterly winning to watch" and added that "he has become a tender and arresting presence, like a fusion of Chaplin’s Little Tramp, Woody Allen, and Edward Scissorhands." [30] Desson Thomson of The Washington Post proclaimed that Sandler gave "the performance of his life" in the film. [31]
Sandler went on to win Best Actor at the Gijón International Film Festival for his performance and was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Anderson won the award for Best Director at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and the film was nominated for the Palme d'Or. [32] The film was nominated for the Grand Prix of the Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics.
Award | Category | Subject | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
American Cinema Editors | Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical | Leslie Jones | Nominated | [33] |
Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Paul Thomas Anderson | Nominated | [34] |
Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics | Grand Prix | Nominated | [35] | |
Cannes Film Festival | Palme d'Or | Nominated | [36] | |
Best Director | Paul Thomas Anderson | Won | ||
Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Best Picture | Won | [37] | |
Best Director | Paul Thomas Anderson | Won | ||
Best Original Screenplay | Won | |||
Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Director | Nominated | [38] | |
Best Screenplay | Nominated | |||
Best Score | Jon Brion | Nominated | ||
Chlotrudis Awards | Best Movie | Nominated | [39] | |
Best Director | Paul Thomas Anderson | Nominated | ||
Best Actor | Adam Sandler | Nominated | ||
Audience Award – Best Movie | Won | |||
Audience Award – Best Director | Paul Thomas Anderson | Won | ||
Audience Award – Best Actor | Adam Sandler | Won | ||
Gijón International Film Festival | Best Feature | Nominated | [40] | |
Best Actor | Adam Sandler | Won | ||
Best Screenplay | Paul Thomas Anderson | Won | ||
Gold Derby Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Nominated | [41] | |
Golden Globe Award | Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Adam Sandler | Nominated | [42] |
Golden Schmoes Awards | Best Screenplay | Paul Thomas Anderson | Nominated | [43] |
Best Breakthrough Performance | Adam Sandler | Nominated | ||
Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Film | Luis Guzmán | Won | [44] |
International Online Cinema Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Paul Thomas Anderson | Nominated | [45] |
Las Vegas Film Critics Society | Best Picture | Nominated | [46] | |
Best Director | Paul Thomas Anderson | Nominated | ||
Best Screenplay | Nominated | |||
Motovun Film Festival | Propeller of Motovun | Won | [47] | |
MTV Movie Awards | Best Kiss | Adam Sandler & Emily Watson | Nominated | [48] |
National Society of Film Critics | Best Cinematography | Robert Elswit | Nominated | [49] |
Online Film & Television Association | Best Original Screenplay | Paul Thomas Anderson | Nominated | [50] |
Online Film Critics Society | Top Ten Films | 7th Place | [51] | |
Best Original Screenplay | Paul Thomas Anderson | Nominated | ||
Best Original Score | Jon Brion | Nominated | ||
Phoenix Film Critics Society | Best Screenplay | Paul Thomas Anderson | Nominated | [52] |
Best Original Score | Jon Brion | Nominated | ||
Best Use of Previously Published or Recorded Music | Nominated | |||
Satellite Awards | Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical | Nominated | [53] | |
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical | Adam Sandler | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical | Philip Seymour Hoffman | Nominated | ||
Seattle Film Critics Society | Best Music | Jon Brion | Nominated | [54] |
Stinkers Bad Movies Awards | Most Intrusive Musical Score | Nominated | [55] | |
Toronto Film Critics Association | Best Film | Nominated | [56] | |
Best Director | Paul Thomas Anderson | Won | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Emily Watson | Won | ||
Best Screenplay | Paul Thomas Anderson | Nominated | ||
Vancouver Film Critics Circle | Best Supporting Actress | Emily Watson | Nominated | [57] |
Village Voice Film Poll | Best Film | 6th Place | [58] | |
Best Director | Paul Thomas Anderson | 2nd Place |
The film was released on VHS and DVD by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment on June 24, 2003.
The Criterion Collection released the film on Blu-ray in November 2016 with a restored HD transfer, the first time the company had done so for Anderson and Sandler. It has behind-the-scenes featurette about a recording session for the film's soundtrack, a Cannes press conference and deleted scenes. [59]
Punch-Drunk Love came in at #33 in The A.V. Club's "Top 50 films of the '00s", [3] while Time Out listed the film as one of the best films of the 21st century. [4] Filmmakers Francis Ford Coppola, Lee Unkrich, Judd Apatow, Kleber Mendonça, Miranda July, Bong Joon-ho, David Gordon Green, Guillermo del Toro, Jason Reitman, Isabel Sandoval, Barry Jenkins and Taika Waititi, and actors Brad Pitt, Bill Nighy, Owen Wilson, Javier Bardem, Daniel Day-Lewis, Austin Butler, Timothée Chalamet, and Andrew Scott have cited it as one of their favorite films. [60] [61] [62] The film was a major visual influence for the 2024 Pixar film Inside Out 2 . [63]
When asked about Punch-Drunk Love following its twentieth anniversary in 2022, Sandler said that the film that enabled him to pursue films different from his usual roles, while sharing that it helped forge a close friendship between him and Anderson. [64] The two reunited in their first project since Punch-Drunk Love when Anderson helped film segments of Sandler's Netflix comedy special 100% Fresh (2018). [65]
Critics agreed that Punch-Drunk Love remained as one of Sandler's best acting performances, and was a launchpad for Sandler to take on dramatic roles or opportunities outside of his usual mainstream comedies. In a retrospective review following its 2017 release on Netflix, GQ 's Miranda Popkey called the film "Adam Sandler's finest performance and P.T. Anderson's most underrated work," describing it as "a paean to love as a source of unfathomable power." [66] Far Out 's Arun Starkey described Punch-Drunk Love as Sandler's "first true foray into auteur cinema" and "the first indicator of his prowess as an actor and shows that if he is given a good enough script that isn't shackled by the tropes of a mainstream genre, he can actually do very well at carrying a three-dimensional character onto the big screen." [67] Alan Dorich of Comic Book Resources shared that the film's critical success "changed the course of Sandler's career forever" and "opened new opportunities that enhanced his legacy as a performer," leading to other dramatic roles in films such as Men, Women & Children (2014), The Meyerowitz Stories (2017), and Uncut Gems (2019). [68]
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor and comedian. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, his accolades include nominations for three Grammy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2023, Sandler was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Magnolia is a 1999 American drama film written, directed and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. It stars an ensemble cast, including Jeremy Blackman, Tom Cruise, Melinda Dillon, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ricky Jay, William H. Macy, Alfred Molina, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Jason Robards and Melora Walters. The film is an epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley. The script was inspired by the music of Aimee Mann, who contributed several songs to its soundtrack.
Paul Thomas Anderson, also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. His accolades include a BAFTA Award, and nominations for eleven Academy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. He has also won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and both the Silver and Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
The Wedding Singer is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore and Christine Taylor, and tells the story of a wedding singer in 1985 who falls in love with a waitress. The film was released on February 13, 1998. Produced on a budget of US$18 million, it grossed $123 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics. It is often ranked as one of Sandler's best comedies.
Eight Crazy Nights, also known as Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights, is a 2002 American adult animated Hanukkah musical comedy-drama film directed by Seth Kearsley, written by Adam Sandler, Allen Covert, Brooks Arthur and Brad Issacs, and produced by Sandler, Covert and Jack Giarraputo. It stars Sandler in his first voice-acting role, alongside future wife Jackie Titone, Austin Stout, Rob Schneider, Kevin Nealon, Norm Crosby and Jon Lovitz. The film is animated in the style of television holiday specials and centers on Jewish characters alongside Hanukkah.
Luis Guzmán is a Puerto Rican actor. His career spans over 40 years and includes a number of films and television series. He has appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson's films Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999) and Punch-Drunk Love (2002), and Steven Soderbergh's films Out of Sight (1998), The Limey (1999) and Traffic (2000). His other film credits include Q & A (1990), The Hard Way (1991), Carlito's Way (1993), and Keanu (2016). For his role in The Limey, he received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male.
Billy Madison is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis. It stars Adam Sandler in the title role, Bradley Whitford, Bridgette Wilson, Norm Macdonald, Darren McGavin, Mark Beltzman, and Larry Hankin. The film was written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy and produced by Robert Simonds, and was Macdonald's feature film debut. It made around $26.4 million worldwide and debuted at number one at the box office.
Kevin George Knipfing, known professionally as Kevin James, is an American comedian and actor. He began his career by performing stand-up comedy at clubs on Long Island in the 1980s. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Doug Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens (1998–2007), for which he received the nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2006.
Noah Baumbach is an American filmmaker. He is known for making light comedies set in New York City and his works are inspired by filmmakers such as Woody Allen and Whit Stillman. His frequent collaborators include Wes Anderson, Adam Driver and his wife, Greta Gerwig.
Jon Brion is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and the Grays before becoming an established producer and film score composer.
Spanglish is a 2004 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by James L. Brooks, and starring Adam Sandler, Téa Leoni, Paz Vega and Cloris Leachman.
Judd Apatow is an American director, producer, screenwriter and comedian, best known for his work in comedy films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Funny People (2009), This Is 40 (2012), Trainwreck (2015), The King of Staten Island (2020), and The Bubble (2022).
Happy Madison Productions, Inc. is an American film and television production company founded in 1999 by Adam Sandler, which is best known for its comedy films. Happy Madison takes its name from the films Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, and distributed by Universal Pictures.
Click is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe, both of whom produced with Jack Giarraputo, Neal H. Moritz, and Adam Sandler, who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Walken, Henry Winkler, David Hasselhoff, Julie Kavner, and Sean Astin. The film is based on "The Magic Thread", a folk tale included in The Book of Virtues. Sandler plays Michael Newman, a workaholic family man who acquires a magical universal remote that enables him to control reality. Kate Beckinsale stars as his wife Donna and Christopher Walken as Morty, the eccentric stranger who gives Michael the remote.
Imagine Me & You is a 2005 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Ol Parker and starring Piper Perabo and Lena Headey with Matthew Goode, Celia Imrie, and Anthony Head. It centers on the relationship between Rachel (Perabo) and Luce (Headey), who meet on Rachel's wedding day.
Funny People is a 2009 American black comedy-drama film written and directed by Judd Apatow, co-produced by Apatow Productions and Madison 23 Productions, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann, with Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman in supporting roles. The film follows a famous comedian who is diagnosed with a terminal disease and tries to fix the relationships in his life while befriending an aspiring comedian.
Barry Egan may refer to:
Jack and Jill is a 2011 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan from a script by Steve Koren and Adam Sandler. Released on November 11, 2011 by Columbia Pictures, the film stars Sandler in a dual role as the titular twin siblings, as well as Katie Holmes and Al Pacino. It tells the story of an advertisement executive who dreads the visit of his unemployed twin sister during Thanksgiving and overstays into Hanukkah at the time when he is instructed to get Al Pacino to appear in a Dunkin' Donuts commercial.
Paul Thomas Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has directed nine feature-length films, five short films, twenty three music videos, one documentary, one television episode as a guest segment director, and one theatrical play. He made his directorial debut with the mockumentary short film The Dirk Diggler Story (1988), at the age of 18, about a pornographic actor in the 1970s. Anderson followed it five years later with another short film, Cigarettes & Coffee (1993). Anderson wrote and directed the crime film Hard Eight (1996), starring Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson. The film was well received. Using the basis of The Dirk Diggler Story, Anderson wrote and directed an expansion of the film, Boogie Nights (1997). It stars Mark Wahlberg as an actor in the Golden Age of Porn from the 1970s to the 1980s. The film received acclaim from critics and was a commercial success; at the 70th Academy Awards ceremony, the film was nominated for three Academy Awards, including for Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay.
Hustle is a 2022 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Jeremiah Zagar, written by Taylor Materne and Will Fetters, and co-produced by and starring Adam Sandler as a down-on-his-luck National Basketball Association (NBA) scout who discovers a raw but talented basketball player in Spain and tries to prepare him for the NBA draft. The film also stars Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, Robert Duvall, Heidi Gardner, and current NBA player Anthony Edwards. LeBron James produced the film through his SpringHill Company banner.
Production Budget: $25,000,000