Punch-Drunk Love - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (Columbia Classics Vol.4)

It's not often I'm so fully engrossed in a film that I genuinely find myself lost in waves of emotions, oblivious to the world around me because I'm completely immersed in the story a filmmaker is telling. Paul Thomas Anderson's magnificently brilliant dark romcom Punch-Drunk Love is one such film, the last title in Sony's latest Columbia Classics box set themed around concepts of romance, complicated relationships and heartbreak — the various joys and anxieties that come with one of our most powerful emotions: Love. In being last of the set, Anderson's film is the perfect cherry on top as it touches on all those ideas while also diving head first, much like the plot's protagonist, into themes about emotional abuse (continuously browbeaten by seven overbearing sisters), vulnerability & honesty (admitting to calling a phone sex line to a partner), taking risks in finding love (when a Healthy Choice promotional deal fails, you fly to Hawaii anyways) and embracing life's little coincidences (a harmonium dropped at your feet). 

But central to these — the one ultimately driving the story — is the unwanted burden of lacking love in our lives, straining and robbing us of a healthy sense of confidence and denying us a positive opinion of ourselves. When we are introduced to Adam Sandler's pathetically lonely bachelor Barry Egan, the opening shot of him on the phone disputing the fine print of a coupon deal sees him sitting in the corner of a seemingly empty warehouse — a running motif representing his anxiety and photographed in strong, oppressive shades of blue to reflect Barry's melancholic outlook of himself. Lena Leonard (Emily Watson), a coworker of Barry's sister Elizabeth (Mary Lynn Rajskub), rushes into his life in predominantly passionate hues of red, shades not generally seen as complementary, compatible or in harmony according to color theory. 

And yet, working with cinematographer and long-time collaborator Robert Elswit (Bob Marley: One Love), we see these colors throughout their cringingly awkward journey grow and mature into a harmonious union, actually complementing one another with analogous shades of purple and magenta — reds that welcomingly bleed into the blues, leading to passion, strength and even rage, as love can sometimes ignite in people. Or as Barry puts it when confronting thuggish mattress store owner Dean Trumbell (a wonderfully memorable Philip Seymour Hoffman), "I have so much strength in me you have no idea. I have a love in my life. It makes me stronger than anything you can imagine." After the critical success of his outstanding drama epics Boogie Nights and Magnolia, Anderson challenged himself with the more traditional 90-minute runtime, and Punch-Drunk Love, structured around the typically formulaic romantic comedy, masterfully meets that challenge. (Movie Rating: 5/5)

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love to Ultra HD Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack with a flyer for a Digital Copy, which grants access to the 4K Dolby Vision HDR version with Dolby Atmos audio. A Region Free, triple-layered UHD100 disc containing only the film while a Region Free, BD50 copy with bonus features sits on the opposing panel. Both discs are housed inside a black, eco-elite vortex case with a glossy slipcover. At startup, the UHD disc goes straight to a static main screen with the usual options along the bottom while music plays in the background.

Currently, the package is only available with Sony's Columbia Classics Volume 4 6-film collection which also includes:

His Girl Friday

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 

Kramer vs. Kramer

Starman

Sleepless in Seattle

The romantic dark comedy flies into Ultra HD with an absurdly good-looking and winning HEVC H.265 encode, delivering a notable improvement over the Criterion Collection 2016 Blu-ray. The Dolby Vision HDR presentation is full of life and vibrancy, showering the screen in sumptuous primaries, from the richly saturated reds of Lena's dress to the deep, energetic blues of Barry's suit. As the story progresses, secondary hues grow fuller and more spirited than their HD SDR counterpart, and facial complexions appear healthy with lifelike textures and a peachy-rose tone in the entire cast. A pitch-perfect contrast balance supplies intensely dazzling whites and tight, resplendent specular highlights that add a crisp, sparkling glow in the hottest spots without washing over the finer details. Presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, black levels are inky and spot-on with excellent shadow delineation, providing the image with appreciable depth and a beautiful cinematic appeal. Although shot with a very light softness, fine lines and details are nonetheless razor-sharp, revealing the stitching and texture of the outfits, the small imperfections of Barry's warehouse and the small objects decorating the background. Awash in a fine layer of natural grain, the native 4K transfer is film-like and simply gorgeous. (Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 96/100)

Anderson's film has a unique and relatively quiet sound design with a central focus on dialogue and character interactions, so it's surprising to see Sony grant it with the Dolby Atmos treatment. Yet, the object-based mix is a surprisingly excellent complement to the outstanding video, displaying precise vocals and intonation and a broad, spacious soundstage. Occasionally, the noise of the city whether in L.A. or Hawaii lightly bleeds into the surrounds and overheads, further broadening the soundfield with a great sense of space, but the score and music do most of the legwork to engage viewers. Although it never pushes into the higher frequencies, the mid-range nonetheless exhibits superb clarity and distinction from start to finish, and the low-end supplies appreciable weight and presence to the visuals, making for a fantastic listen at home. (Dolby Atmos Audio Rating: 82/100)

The same set of bonus features are carried over from previous releases for this UHD edition and all are housed on the accompanying Blu-ray disc.

• John Brion Featurette (HD, 27 min)
• Blossoms and Blood (1080i/60, 12 min)
• Recording Session (1080i/60, 10 min)
• Scopitones (1080i/60, 7 min)
• Additional Artwork (1080i/60, 3 min) by Jeremy Blake
• Deleted Scenes (1080i/60, 11 min) 
• Trailers (HD)

Paul Thomas Anderson's eccentrically unconventional romcom Punch-Drunk Love is an off-kilter fairytale that finds pockets of joy and laughs in a dark chaotic world residing with bad-intentioned people. Starring Adam Sandler and Emily Watson, the dark comedy is frankly a masterclass in storytelling and filmmaking that effortlessly engrosses viewers in this bizarre story about emotional abuse, vulnerability, taking risks and embracing life's little coincidences. The film finds love on 4K Ultra HD showcasing a gorgeous Dolby Vision HDR presentation and a surprisingly satisfying Dolby Atmos soundtrack. With the same set of bonuses as before, this UHD edition is an excellent upgrade and is a Highly Recommended addition to the library.

All disc reviews at High-Def Digest are completed using the best consumer HD home theater products currently on the market. More about the gear used for this review.