So much for me being a film critic. I hated Mulholland Drive.
Two plus hours of masturbation, lesbianism, detached dream sequences and film noir that makes an incoherent jumble of an utterly incomprehensible and unpenetrable movie. To be fair (and honest about what a pig I am), the lesbianism was the high point of the movie.
The only somewhat coherent explanation is that this was a two part dream sequence- which is a pretty lame tool any lesser skilled director could employ with much greater effect. That the movies clues are so obscure and disjointed doesn’t make the film good- it just shows Lynch is trying so damn hard to be ‘different’ that he can’t even use a cheap apparatus like a dream sequence with any reasonable success.
If I were Ebert or Roper, I wouldn’t give this a thumbs down. I would give it the finger. And I generally like David Lynch.
This was a serious mess, despite Naomi Watt’s talented performance. If I had paid for this in a theatre, I would be demaning a refund and an explanation why I should ever invest my money and time in another Lynch movie.
And don’t tell me I didn’t get the movie. At some point, it is ok to say that some art isn’t simply ‘beyond’ the average viewer. Some art is, quite simply, crap. This is example one in an exhibit of obtuse bullshit. I am with this Amazon reviewer:
Terrible… In fact its beyond terrible. I would give it negative stars if i could. I want those two hours of my life back. This clown had an opportunity to make a potentially good film but bombed it by trying to be clever. Its only redeeming factor was the Naomi Watts nudity. Beyond that, this film is a complete waste of time. Anyone who thought this was good needs their head examined. And go shove your snooty “your not smart enough to appreciate it” attitude. I got it. It didnt need to be so compicated, that was what made it bad. This guy went out of his way to be difficult so he could come off as “brilliant”. You know, if i drive ten miles out of my way to go to my next door neighbors house, its considered idiocy for my waste of time, resources, and energy. In fact, id probably get whacked upside the head by any reasonable-thinking person for doing something so pointless. That is the same for this film. We only have so much time on this earth, you shouldnt waste it watching this movie. Go watch paint dry instead.
andy
I don’t hate most movies I watch – but that’s one I *HATED*. Piece of crap, waste of my life….
Patrick wahl
I saw it a couple of years ago and thought it bordered on brilliant. In a word, its the dream versus the reality. Tells a familiar story maybe but in a way that makes it fresh and brings out how tragically awry this girls life goes from what she wanted. Your comments seem contradictory – you say incomprehensible and unpenetrable, and then say you got it, which is it?
Harley
Well, okay. But it’s also worth noting that this project began as a TV pilot, believe it or not. ABC passed. Lynch turned a fairly straightforward narrative into a dream movie. And while it may not be to everyone’s taste, I’d suggest that other than a pretty neat piece of resource management, it’s not a bad movie either. And that has nothing to do with smart or gettting it. It’s just about what you like. Or don’t.
And trust me. David doesn’t go out of his or anyone else’s way in order to come off as brilliant. He just does what he does because it feels right to him.
Cheers.
HH
This was good Lynch IMO (as was “Straight Story”). The tone and pacing was masterful… yes it was a dream but I thought Lynch pulled it off. If you want bad Lynch, go rent “Lost Highway” (or better, don’t)… though that one is certainly good at disturbing the hell out of you, more so now thanks to Robert Blake.
Patrick wahl
Lost Highway is one I definitely did not get, and made me hesitant to watch Mullholland Drive, but glad I did.
Justin O.
Movie feels like it’s an actual attack on Hollywood through one persons story of life and death believing in the immediate stardom centered within the supposedly glamorous life. Every moment meant something in the film as would a constant analytical person facing the warped society and life consistent with that in the hole of Hollywood. Facing your fears with a mask is almost what this movie was like.