MovieChat Forums > Punch-Drunk Love (2002) Discussion > I absolutely adore this film, are there ...

I absolutely adore this film, are there any others like it?

posted 15 years ago by Pagoda_Littlejeans
64 replies | jump to latest

I would also like to add that I have seen all of P.T. Anderson's films, and Eternal Sunshine (which isn't exactly similar, but has the obscure love story feel).

So I'm wondering if there are any films that share similarities. E.g.: vibrant bright colors and lights; quirky characters (I've seen all of Wes Anderson's films also :p ); awkwardness; comedic tension.

You get the idea. I'm willing to branch out into any genre, so, any suggestions?

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] little_mi 14 years ago

I'm seconding The Science Of Sleep (perhaps because Jon Brion did the music for this as well but Punch Drunk Love really reminded me of it) and Happy Accidents - it's a really lovely little film, with some interesting music and stylistic elements.

I'd also throw Rocket Science into the mix - the execution isn't quite as idiosyncratic but the characters are all eccentrics, and it's similarly very funny and touching. Wonderful soundtrack too.

...this is a great thread, pretty much all these films are going on my list!

[–] tma2290 14 years ago

Definitely check out 3-Iron. It's incredible and very similar.

[–] burninor593 14 years ago

If you liked Punch Drunk then you should like Stranger Than Fiction.

[–] marctheshark101 14 years ago

coen brothers films.

not really similar but all very wierd with interesting quirky characters.

a serious man is one to watch for it.

[–] rsheppard-1 14 years ago

wow. some really strange recommendations have made it on here? i have no idea how some of these movies are even remotely similar to PDL, but i guess everyone takes away something different. anyway, i just finally saw a film I should have seen a long time ago, Last Tango in Paris. The overall feel of it is far darker than PDL, and where PDL is pervaded by a sort of levity and irony, Last Tango in Paris is constantly shifting in its irony and its theatricality, leaving the viewer disoriented and uncomfortable. But watching it, the influence it has had on PDL is undeniable. So i guess I'm not recommending it as a similar movie, but as an important influence, like Une Femme Est Une Femme.

there's no place you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.

[–] manu5689 13 years ago

you might want to try Kiss Me Deadly (1955), which deconstructs Film Noir the way Punch Drunk Love does romantic-comedies.

"It's hard for me to watch American Idol because I have perfect pitch."
-Jenna, 30 Rock

[–] melissa500 13 years ago

just saw Drive, and it gave me the same feeling. they are very different, but at their heart i believe they are both about being changed and strong from love.

[–] silentassasin1 13 years ago

You should check out Todd Solondz films, for me hes the best director of dark comedies. 'happiness' is the one probably most like punch drunk love, it has the same great dialogue and tension

[–] projectcyclops 12 years ago

'Happiness' is one film I really feel 'Punch-Drunk Love' owes a certain debt to. While PDL doesn't go to quite such bleak and unsettling places, it's maladjusted characters and dark sense of humour seem felt very similar indeed.

---

He left a note. He left a simple little note that said "I've gone out the window."

[–] sean60 12 years ago

i would definitely recommend Gigantic

similiar in a couple ways

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1176251/