This is a Resurfaced review written in 2002 or earlier. For more information, please visit this link: Resurfaced Reviews.

Mulholland Dr.

Rating

Director

David Lynch

Screenplay

David Lynch

Length

2h 27m

Starring

Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller, Mark Pellegrino, Robert Forster, Brent Briscoe, Dan Hedaya, Angeloa Badalamenti, Monty Montgomery, Lee Grant, James Karen, Chad Everett, Richard Green, Rebekah Del Rio, Melissa George, Geno Silva, Billy Ray Cyrus

MPAA Rating

R

Review

A dream, a harsh reality, a complex film that delves into the emotional entrapments of a young starlet coming to Hollywood to make something of herself; director David Lynch brings an unusual world to the screen in “Mulholland Dr.”

A young starlet (Naomi Watts) has arrived in Hollywood and wants to be a success. There, she meets Rita (Laura Harring) who’s been involved in a car accident and has lost all of her memory. Together, they embark on a quest to reestablish her identity. During that quest, the starlet auditions for a part where she delivers a knockout performance that earns her high praise and potential agents.

Running parallel to the search is a tale of a director (Justin Theroux) who has been forced to hire an actress of the Mafia’s choosing, a moll whose talent isn’t readily apparent, but who stands a chance of beating out the starlet for the role.

As the film progresses, the dream-like images continuously bombard the audience forcing them to analyze whether what they’re seeing is a dream, reality or a combination of both. While most critics will call it a dream, my first inclination was that these were Rita’s thoughts and emotions as she struggles with her amnesia. Either option could work, but Lynch loves to examine dreams in his films and television programs.

Originally, “Mulholland Dr.” was a pilot for a TV series, like his previous “Twin Peaks” series. Instead, it was altered slightly and made into a feature film with some adequate performances and a rambling plot.

While attempting to be introspective, Lynch has created an ultimately confusing piece of fiction. It meanders through nearly two hours of questionable content and perplexing events.

The performances range from good to uneven. Watts certainly gives a believable performance, if not a bit too starry-eyed. Theroux is much more brooding and effective as the talented artist. On the other side, Harring is stiff and unrealized, more two-dimensional than a character of her importance should be.

The music is pretty standard for Lynch productions with veteran Angela Badalamenti at the helm, resurrecting his creepy tones from “Twin Peaks,” but without the penache.

The cinematography by Peter Deming helps keep up the appearance of reality while creating enough mystical presence to keep the potential dream theme active. Likewise, Jack Fisk keeps pace with his exuberant production design.

“Mulholland Dr.” tries very hard to get its point across, but director Lynch keeps his heavy hand on the camera preventing the audience from truly grasping his thoughts and emotions. While labored observance and a critical eye will help most studious filmgoers understand its complex themes; average audiences will feel bewildered and ambivalent to a film that deserves more attention than it will get.

Lynch has a knack for creating weird circumstances to go with odd situations and “Mulholland Dr.” is certainly a good example of this. His “Twin Peaks” went from slightly unusual to completely bizarre in its two-season run. It barely touched on the dream state and its ability to manipulate the mind’s reality, but this film takes that perception further and presents it in a way that’s both haunting and moody.

“Mulholland Dr.” certainly will appeal to critics, but general audiences will either love or hate it. The film never manages to blend its self-induced consciousness with a reality easily understood by the average viewer and ends up more confusing at its end than it was from the beginning.

Review Written

April 15, 2002