10 Completely Unexpected Films By Famous Directors

5. Punch-Drunk Love - Paul Thomas Anderson's Adam Sandler Comedy

After Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood, The Master and Inherent Vice, it's fair to say that Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the greatest - if not the greatest - American filmmaker working today. His films are mature, character-driven, technically immaculate, often visually-stunning pieces of work. So what the hell was he thinking when he made an Adam Sandler comedy?

First announced at a press conference whilst promoting Magnolia at the Cannes Film Festival, journalists actually laughed off Anderson's claim that his next film would be a rom-com starring Sandler, because, given the enormous gap in quality between the two men's films, that is a genuinely hilarious joke. Turns out Anderson was entirely serious, and the result was one of Anderson's best movies, not to mention Sandler's best ever film by a fair distance.

Punch-Drunk Love may be unlike anything else Anderson has so far made, but it is characteristically hypnotic and well-made, plus it has an enigmatic sort of symbolism and depth that's unlike any other film.