Punch (2002)

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

It is a performances centric movie

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

I believe that this was a well acted movie. It did have a thin plot but it didn't need to go any deeper. Ariel is a bitter and some what disturbed teenager whose mother killed her self when she (Ariel) was 5. So her father (Sam) was forced to raise her on his own. With him being so passive with his parenting and Ariel being scarred for life (read above) she clings to her father because inside she blames her self for her mothers suicide. So Mary comes along and Ariel doesn't want to compete for her fathers attention, so she does everything possible to chase Mary away (to the point of punching her). For the rest of the plot you can read the last comment that was placed. I found this movie to be slow and slightly powerful. I recommend this movie to individuals that enjoy movies' of this sort. And I would also like to add that Meredith McGeachie from the "L" word series on Showtime plays a very likable character and really helps this movie standout.

It's easy to over-look the real issues in the film Punch when it contains such outrageous plot element as female topless boxing, but that would be a mistake. The film is more about the relationship between father and daughter, about dealing with loss, anger, and reclaiming one's emotional self.The script is well-written and the performances are real. There is a real risk of it turning into melodrama but director Guy Bennett does a good job preventing that by keeping the characters and situations real.The film deals with many complex issues but does not ruin it by trying to provide us with answers to everything but simply presents them and leaving the rest to the audience. That takes guts... as it does when one makes a film with female topless boxing and wishes to be taken seriously.

Despite the topless female boxing (which was tough to watch, not sexy - sorry!), this might be more of a women's film than a boy flick. I think it is about people progressing on the path to healthy and happiness. It's a Canadian movie (defnitely not Hollywood!), so no-one achieves nirvana by the end of this interesting 90-minute ride.The acting is stand-out. The writing is crisp. And in a dark way, it is funny.I like this movie. And it is safe to take your boyfrined, because there is indeed the topless boxing.

This film is essentially about the relationship with between a single father and his daughter. But there's a very clunky other element to it - topless female boxing. It's supposed to be a 'hook' to get people to see the film, but frankly it would be much much better left out completely since it just doesn't work alongside the father daughter relationship theme and is a long way past the wrong side of grotesque.The conflicts and alliances that exist between the father, daughter, father's girlfriend and her sister are portayed effectively, often highlighting the success of calmly resolving an issue instead of being aggressive and violent. The film reminded me of Almodovar's work in its handling of complicated relationships in unique situations, although sometimes I felt it wasn't showing me anything I hadn't seen before (topless female boxing aside).The acting is excellent, particularly that of Sonja Bennett and Meredith McGeachie who portray their respective characters with complexity and emotion, but without going overboard.Overall, it's a well constructed film with a lot of issues that walk out of the cinema with you and it's probably a shame that most people won't see it.