Honest opinion from a non-fan: interesting **spoilers**

Rating: Null/10 (14 November 2001)

I'm not a big fan of David Lynch's. I haven't seen any of his movies; the only prior experience I've had with his work involves a couple episodes of Twin Peaks that still (over ten years later) creep me out fiercely. A friend asked me to go see this piece, and I was reluctant, so I read lots of reviews and summaries - at least I'd have an idea what I was getting into, that way.
So, I went into the theater knowing the movie would undergo some catastrophic changeover halfway through and that I should expect to be mystified, dazed, dazzled, and confused. I'm a pretty linear thinker, and I was definitely intrigued by the potential puzzle.
Let's just say I wasn't puzzled. Or confused. Or dazed, mystified, or dazzled.
Before I get into the details, I want to make it clear that I enjoyed the film a great deal. The style, while very similar to what I remember of Twin Peaks (quirky characters and scenes, fast-paced quick-change plot hopping, subtly eery use of color and staging, of sound and silence and music), seemed slightly more refined and mature - maybe the result of a less constrictive budget? The acting was generally decent; there were no jaw-dropping performances to either extreme, although there were a couple that were below the general level of the rest (potentially due to the fact that the scenes as written were unimpressive). The scripting was decent, as well, with several scenes that approached greatness.
Now to the meat - spoilers ahead!!!
Firstly, the changeover that appears to be the crux of the confusion for most people didn't confuse me. It seemed quite apparent that Diane (Betty) was waking from a dream; not only does this account for the somewhat broken story thus far, but it also explains some of the more surreal elements and characters. In the flashbacks shown after Diane wakes up, we glimpse so many minor things that were magnified in her dream, acting out - as dreams do - things we are unable to express or handle in waking life. Events, objects, and people that Diane bumps into while supporting the actual plotline (the old spurned-lover-hires-a-hitman story) become bit players in the dream, which is only a vehicle to introduce us to Diane and her problems. I would go into particulars, but there are too many (Lynch is nothing if not attentive to detail). You can find them yourself when you see the movie.
Overall, I found the movie to be interesting, and certainly worth seeing. The dream variant on Shakespeare's old play-within-a-play concept was a great way for Lynch to retell an old story his way. The political subtext I've seen mentioned a lot (evil, evil Hollywood) seemed less a statement about the evils of showbiz and more a metaphor for the way Diane felt as Camille's former lover ("This is the girl"). The ending, while certainly as trippy as I expected from Lynch, was not altogether unexpected.

One thing certainly worth mentioning (as others have noted) is the scene in Club Silencio. That scene is one of the more important ones in the movie, being the preface to Diane's waking. The concept of the club itself was intriguing, and I do have to join in the raving about the singer - she was fantastic, the song was unbelievably beautiful, and it was the perfect segueue from dream to reality.
That scene fairly sums up my opinion on the whole movie: a song I know and liked as-is sung in an unexpected way. See it, see for yourself.