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Punch Drunk Love

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 17; suggested age 16.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Odd romantic journey for adults and older teens.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–17

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Most characters white
  • Violence:

    Violence and peril
  • Sex:

    Sexual references, including phone sex
  • Language:

    Very strong language, including call to sex line
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Social drinking
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Punch Drunk Love

Parents need to know that this movie has a good deal of mature material, including very strong language, sexual references and situations including a call to a telephone sex line, and violence. Parents of Adam Sandler fans should know that this is very different from his other movies and should exercise caution in allowing teenagers to see it.

Read our full review by Nell Minow

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the use of symbols in the movie. Why is the word "love" spelled out in the abrasions on Barry's knuckles? Compare that to Robert Mitchum's famous portrayal of a con man posing as a preacher in "Night of the Hunter," with "love" tattooed across the knuckles of one hand and "hate" tattooed across the other.

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Illinois
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 5.0

    Hmm, whether you can watch might be questionable.

    My 12 year old cousin and I went and saw this one. We were expecting another hilarious movie but it was quite deep. It is a good thing that I can be very mature and so can my cousin. My friends hated it but I thought it was classic (oh yea, my cousin really liked it too).

  2. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it 4.0

    Not the usual Sandler flick

    This is a dark, strange movie that is hard to describe. It's an odd, slightly twisted love story that makes you think -- not the typical date movie! The subject matter makes it best for mature older teens and adults only--the language and sex are too much for younger teens. There is a HUGE plug for Healthy Choice products in the film, in the context of a promotion that the main character is trying to take advantage of.

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