Just Because You Can Be Original, Doesn't Mean You Should Be

Rating: 4/10 (17 August 2014)

If it weren't for Mulholland Dr.'s gimmicks, I don't think many would like it. The characters are flat, boring, and undefined. Its supposed to be a tragic tale, but I barely know anything about our main, so I'm not too concerned she shot herself. But Mulholland Dr amuses people because of its unique progression, its dream-like tone, and its mystery begging to be solved. But what's our reward for solving the puzzle?
Although Lynch's style makes everything open to interpretation, the majority of the film doesn't seem to have any importance to the universe's reality. Its a vision of what could have been, almost a satire of television shows. But it turns out the reality for our main character is far darker. So we spent most of the movie being fed a lie, the reality obfuscated for whatever reason. Even in the few minutes we are closer to the truth, the strange characters and events persist. While intriguing and unsettling, it made me feel like I was viewing Betty from the wrong end of binoculars. And no matter how good your film is acted, written, shot, or produced, without a solid cast, let alone a lead, I'm unimpressed.
Angry art snobs, desperate to defend their worshiped pieces, will complain that viewers want their messages on a silver platter. But they are too far up on their high horses to realize that artistic opinion is subjective, and if everything is art, than nothing is art. Not everything acclaimed needs to be respected by everyone. As a criticism of Hollywood, so much is lost to the bizarre structure. As a mystery, there is little reason for me to solve a puzzle where the pieces aren't even defined. Its a distraction, with a few good moments, but at the end of the day, this film didn't stick with me.