Gina Marie
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Adam Sandler Crashes Art House Circuit
Sun May 19
By Joelle Diderich
CANNES, France (Reuters) - A comedy star crashed the rarefied world of art house film Sunday, and his name is Adam Sandler.
The accident-prone comic hero of not particularly clever U.S. hits including "Big Daddy" and "The Waterboy," Sandler performs a 180-degree turn in "Punch-Drunk Love," a romantic comedy.
With a twist from cult independent director Paul Thomas Anderson, "Punch Drunk Love" is battling for the coveted Palme d'Or at Cannes.
Sandler is emotionally wrenching as Barry Egan, a small business owner brow-beaten by his seven sisters and unable to fall in love until he meets Lena, a mysterious woman played by Emily Watson.
Critics showed up en masse to check out the newcomer.
Anderson, whose last movie was the three-hour lyrical opus "Magnolia," told a news conference he wanted to try his hand at a completely different genre. But he was in no mood for deep explanations.
"I love him. I absolutely think he's the greatest," said the director, who spotted Sandler on the U.S. comedy show "Saturday Night Live ."
"He really just made me laugh, and he walks very funny and his head is kind of funny, and his ear is a little bit funny. I haven't seen him naked but that might be funny," he said jokingly.
Sandler interjected: "Actually, just to be honest with you, naked is not so bad."
The movie also gives Watson a chance to break free from the tragic characters she has played in films like "Breaking the Waves" and "Hilary and Jackie."
"I said I didn't want to cry and I didn't want to die," she said. "It's very delicious being in a romantic film."
Although the message of "Punch-Drunk Love" is ultimately redeeming, it is a dark film that explores lonely characters adrift in a world of strip malls and soulless apartments.
Egan is a monument of barely suppressed rage, exploding in destructive fits at unexpected moments.
"I think he's a bit confused, he's a bit angry, and a lot of it has to do with how he grew up," said Anderson.
"It's about that feeling when you can't say something, and you just start to throw punches."
Sandler had reassuring words, however, for any of his fans expecting him to follow in the footsteps of fellow comedian Jim Carrey by attempting to become a serious thespian.
Sandler is currently working on a comedy about a man who orders a catalog bride from China -- a project that promises comic relief all around.
----------------------
Never have I put the words Adam Sandler and 'emotionally wrenching' together. And Emily Watson as his co-star
, and directed by Anderson.
I wonder when he'll win an Oscar
I'd like to see this movie...
At Cannes..Philip Seymour Hoffman is in it too
[This message has been edited by Gina Marie (edited 05-19-2002).]
Sun May 19
By Joelle Diderich
CANNES, France (Reuters) - A comedy star crashed the rarefied world of art house film Sunday, and his name is Adam Sandler.
The accident-prone comic hero of not particularly clever U.S. hits including "Big Daddy" and "The Waterboy," Sandler performs a 180-degree turn in "Punch-Drunk Love," a romantic comedy.
With a twist from cult independent director Paul Thomas Anderson, "Punch Drunk Love" is battling for the coveted Palme d'Or at Cannes.
Sandler is emotionally wrenching as Barry Egan, a small business owner brow-beaten by his seven sisters and unable to fall in love until he meets Lena, a mysterious woman played by Emily Watson.
Critics showed up en masse to check out the newcomer.
Anderson, whose last movie was the three-hour lyrical opus "Magnolia," told a news conference he wanted to try his hand at a completely different genre. But he was in no mood for deep explanations.
"I love him. I absolutely think he's the greatest," said the director, who spotted Sandler on the U.S. comedy show "Saturday Night Live ."
"He really just made me laugh, and he walks very funny and his head is kind of funny, and his ear is a little bit funny. I haven't seen him naked but that might be funny," he said jokingly.
Sandler interjected: "Actually, just to be honest with you, naked is not so bad."
The movie also gives Watson a chance to break free from the tragic characters she has played in films like "Breaking the Waves" and "Hilary and Jackie."
"I said I didn't want to cry and I didn't want to die," she said. "It's very delicious being in a romantic film."
Although the message of "Punch-Drunk Love" is ultimately redeeming, it is a dark film that explores lonely characters adrift in a world of strip malls and soulless apartments.
Egan is a monument of barely suppressed rage, exploding in destructive fits at unexpected moments.
"I think he's a bit confused, he's a bit angry, and a lot of it has to do with how he grew up," said Anderson.
"It's about that feeling when you can't say something, and you just start to throw punches."
Sandler had reassuring words, however, for any of his fans expecting him to follow in the footsteps of fellow comedian Jim Carrey by attempting to become a serious thespian.
Sandler is currently working on a comedy about a man who orders a catalog bride from China -- a project that promises comic relief all around.
----------------------
Never have I put the words Adam Sandler and 'emotionally wrenching' together. And Emily Watson as his co-star
I wonder when he'll win an Oscar
I'd like to see this movie...
At Cannes..Philip Seymour Hoffman is in it too
[This message has been edited by Gina Marie (edited 05-19-2002).]
