Adam Sieracki Unlike the simply ghastly 'Marker', this CanCon film is saved by the two leads' considerable acting talents and uneasy chemistry. Bennet's Electra complex is really uncomfortable viewing. The topless lesbian boxing angle was a bit much, though. The inclusion of this silliness, as in so many 'indie' (i.e., Canadian government grant-funded) movies doesn't qualify it to be pornography, even as it earns a 'WARNING--NUDITY' label. I'm not sure if the nudity was intended to titillate would-be male viewers, but anyone expecting a lesbian 'Fight Club' will be sadly disappointed. Aside from Sonja Bennet, the nude bodies are less than young, nubile and toned...

smweaver911 I was impressed and delighted that CityTv aired this movie on a Saturday night in a relatively prime time slot - a welcome change from the usual Hollywood schlock that dominates the airwaves. This movie courageously, if not deeply, explores some interesting family dynamics, thankfully not the usual ones. Instead of the usual predictable, boring,stifled family life anecdotes, Punch gives us a glimpse into REAL people with REAL - and interesting -problems - not the usual TV and Hollwyood fare that doesn't reflect any families I know! EXCELLENT MOVIE! The writing, directing and acting was absolutely top quality on all counts: I don't think anyone missed a beat - first class acting throughout - making these interesting characters totally believable. Thankfully, the women were all strong, interesting and compelling - the topless boxing was a welcome change from the plastic (and I mean that literally) "beauty" queens that bare - or don't quite bare - their breasts. This is part of what makes this an important movie - women come in all shapes and sizes and thanks to this movie for reminding us of this. If you want plastic tits, boys, you can find them almost anywhere(unfortunately)... 'Punch'is real and totally rocks. Every character has issues that they are actually working through, in different kinds of ways, and the exploration of the relationships between these characters demonstrates how we learn from others in relationships. Very cool. Unusual to encounter, although Canadian films seem to be good at this overall. UNFORTUNATELY, the narration gimmick was a real distraction! What was that about? I'd love to see it 'sans' narration - whatever the intent of the narrative technique was, it din't work. Too bad, apart from that, this was an outstanding film.

cajunduby 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.

timberck The other review is very generous. Talk about unrealistic characters in unrealistic situations. This is like one of those cheesy blue movies, or a soap opera, but given some "deep" subject matter to make it seem more serious. If you want to see a bunch of aimless characters wander through a script fraught with confusion and convenient plot turns trying to find characters that they never do find, then this is the move for you. It's too bad because there is some good talent in this film, but wasted on this one! How do scripts like this get approval from all those people listed in the credits? It's an embarrassment for a Canadian film. Go see Les Invasions Barbares and The Grand Seduction instead.