I’ll be honest. I wasn’t a fan of Adam Sandler. I never really found him that funny. His style just didn’t appeal to me. When I saw him in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love, however, I saw a completely different side of him as he took on the lead role of Barry Egan in a very unique rom-com. The kind of film that only Anderson could deliver.

Released as part of Sony Pictures’ Columbia Classics 4K HD Ultra Collection, Volume 4, this was the film that put the world on notice that Sandler could do a whole lot more than goofy characters, and he could do it with passion.

Barry has seven sisters, he hates himself, his life, and he his love life is non-existent, turning towards phone-sex as a release. Things start to look up when he is introduced to Lena (Emily Watson) and a romance begins to blossom. But when the phone-sex thing starts to cause some serious problems by attempting to extort him, Barry runs afoul of the man who runs it, Dean Trumbell (Philip Seymour Hoffman), it could ruin the first real shot at happiness he’s ever had.

It’s a wonderful, critically acclaimed film, and has a great supporting cast that includes Luis Guzman and Mary Lynn Rajskub but Sandler is actually exemplary in this film, really putting himself out there, and showing a range and ability that his comedies usually won’t let him do.

Anderson’s style and use of image looks beautiful in 4K, there’s a vibrancy to the image that recalls the musicals of yesteryear, and the 4K image really helps bring that look to life. It’s a beautiful looking film and makes fantastic use of colour and shadow, all of which look stunning in 4K, ensuring a truly cinematic experience each time the film is viewed.

The accompanying Blu-ray has a lot of fun extras. Of course, there are the theatrical trailers, a look at the recording session with compose Jon Brion. Brion also gets an insightful half-hour doc on how the music evolved for the film, where it came from, the feelings the music and look of the film are designed to evoke.

Also included are twelve scopitones, which are made for jukeboxes that also have a 16mm component, a couple of deleted scenes, some additional artwork, and a featurette called ‘Blossoms and Blood.’ All of the extras feel like an extension of the film, using Anderson’s unique style.

This is a spectacular and unique film, and one that rounds out the Columbia Classics Ultra HD Collection Volume 4 brilliantly. Over the course of six films this collection delves into aspects of love, all presented beautifully in pristine 4K, and makes this ongoing series from Sony a must for cinephiles.

Volume 4 of the Columbia Classics is available now.