MULHOLLAND DR.
Released: October 19, 2001
Like other "smart" films before it like "Memento", David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" is not designed for the cellphone toting dork out to kill time seeing an easy to digest movie at the gun toting thug ridden suburban mall multiplex. Having said that, "Mulholland Drive" has got to be probably the most intentionally weird movies of the year. It's not even in the same world as "Memento" and nor does Lynch want it to be connected to anything in reality. And that's precisely the key to understanding this movie. Well, sort of understand it at least. I was "with" the movie for the first two thirds then it took a turn and the reality we were manipulated into thinking was real may not be real at all. Is it a dream within a dream within a dream? Only Lynch knows for sure. Here is what we do know: Betty Elms, fresh off the plane from Deep River, Ontario now in Hollywood, finds herself temporarily diverted from her earnest, sparkling hopes for movie stardom by the unexpected appearance of Rita (Laura Elena Harring), the amnesia-stricken survivor of a traumatic car accident. Out of the plum goodness of her heart, surely made of solid gold, Betty guides Rita on her quest for self-discovery. This path gradually leads them to dark revelations that shake the foundations of their unexpectedly fragile reality. How Betty and Rita become intertwined I'll leave for you to discover. The movie begins with a bang and never lets up. Since it's a David Lynch film you know it's going to be a feast for your eyes and your mind. If you're prepared to be seduced and challenged then give "Mulholland Drive" a try. If you thought "Pearl Harbor" was a great movie, you'll want to avoid "Mulholland Drive"...
146 Minutes
Universal