I love reading movie trivia on IMDb. Some flicks have gobs of trivia but even just a few interesting facts are fun. So here’s a new feature that looks at my favorite bits of trivia from various films! First up: since it’s P.T. AnderJune here at French Toast Sunday, we’ll be examining some trivia from Punch Drunk Love, Anderson’s film about Barry (Adam Sandler), a love lorn man with rage issues. Enjoy!
-
“During the scene where Barry is at the supermarket looking for the cheapest Healthy Choice food item, he is being followed by an out-of-focus character in a red outfit. It’s Emily Watson’s character, before they’ve been introduced.”
I love this. I’m not sure if the implication is that Lena (Watson’s character) was following Barry or not, but it’s still a nice notion. Small world!
-
“Unusually, Jon Brion composed music for the film while filming was taking place, experimenting with tones and sounds, making particular note of what director Paul Thomas Anderson was responding to. Brion’s score would then be played on set, helping to influence the tone of the film.”
Punch Drunk Love has such a unique sound. This little bit of trivia helps explain why. Obviously, most films’ soundtracks come after the filming is done, but composer Jon Brion composed on the fly for a much more interesting soundtrack.
-
“Barry’s seven sisters are played by one actress – Mary Lynn Rajskub – and six nonprofessionals, four of whom were close relations.”
One of my favorite elements of the film comes from Barry’s interactions with his sisters. It seems genuine (Sandler has two sisters in real life), but that’s probably mostly due to the fact that four of the women are related.
-
“When Barry begins to tell Lance about the extortion scheme he has become a victim of, at one point Adam Sandler suddenly stares at the pudding on his desk. Just before he looks, an electronic voice on the film’s sound-track faintly says, “Come here, Barry.””
I clearly need to rewatch this flick because I don’t even remember this happening. Maybe it’s just supposed to be someone on an intercom or something?
-
“When Barry says, “Business is very food,” it was actually only a typo that the director decided to keep. In the movie Popeye (1980) there’s a song called ‘Everything is Food’ (though not included on the sound-track album) by Harry Nilsson. The song ‘He Needs Me’, by Harry Nilsson, which is featured prominently in ‘Punch-Drunk Love’, is originally from the Popeye sound-track. This is a strange coincidence because while Barry used the word “food” in place of “good” as an accidental slip of the tongue which originated from an error in the script, in Popeye the word “food” was used in place of “good” as an intended play on words.”
Another bizarre bit of trivia. I actually really like the use of “He Needs Me”. It adds a little goofy quirkiness to the film (as if it needed it). Also, props to Anderson for keeping the typo.
Thanks for tuning in! Read more Punch Drunk Love trivia here and share your favorites!
