The best film of 2001, and one of the decade's finest.

Rating: Null/10 (12 May 2002)

a good friend of mine -- a person with good taste who I harbour no ill will towards -- hated this movie, despite her obvious involvement in its story, because she said "there's no need to present information like that." on the contrary, sometimes there is a need to tell stories in an original manner, without a point A to B to C progression, and when a director can manage that as skillfully as David Lynch does with Mullholland Drive, a viewer should feel obligated to go with it. understandably, this is not everyone's cup of tea, but I believe certain things to be true, nonetheless.
1) the film is not boring. even those who have hated it have cited its engrossing construction and technique. their quibbles are with its meanings and resolutions. more on that later.
2) David Lynch is an intelligent, distinctive director. Love him or hate him, he's undeniably an original. Fans will enjoy his work because his name is attached to it. Haters will condemn it for reasons of same. He's an auteur. He's a brand name. He's a filmmaker of repute, an award-winner, and a Hollywood self-starter free from the reins of studio interference. he's not just some guy putting his fantasies onscreen, an important disctinction.
3) The film adds up. Maybe not on a first viewing. Maybe not to the degree of more narratively simplistic, plot-driven movies. Not even in the way that ostensibly "alternative" films like Memento or Fight Club "add up" -- with enough clear exposition to connect the dots for the viewer. There's nothing wrong with that kind of surprise wrap-up: that's just not Lynch's path here. Those who pay close attention may be the most frustrated; those who guess the meaning halfway through as a joke may be correct. But there is logic. It is not a random assemblage of memorable vignettes, although it does work that way, too. It's a tightly constructed, evocative work, and it can be figured out. It begs to be figured out, actually.
This last fact is the one in greatest debate. Some posters have already unravelled the film's plot and meaning -- good summaries, actually, and exactly what I arrived at after multiple viewings -- but that's not the measure of this film. As far as I'm concerned, it could make zero sense and still warrant praise based simply on its brilliantly atmospheric direction, the quality of its performances, the chill generated by its score or the nasty humour that unerlies even its most surreal moments. It would be a classic just for the way the camera prowls around corners and creates an expectation of real horror, just for Naomi Watts' audition scene, just for the performance of "Crying" by the Spanish nightclub singer.The other ten best films of 2001 put together fall short of the combined impact of these few moments, even if you think they make no sense. But to me, it does make sense, and not, as some negative writers have suggested in their messages, because I want it to. (I'm pretty sure I speak for the film's fans in explaining that difference.) I didn't put it together until the third time, and the four times I've watched it since only confirm my reading. I'm happy with it, I like it, and I really don't think that makes me a simpering art film snob or a condescending Lynchophile. I was entertained by a movie and wanted to keep watching it. Good for me, I guess, and good for the movie in question. It's no one person's place to hold the comments of others in contempt. The negative posts about this film are accurate to those who made them. I wish they'd enjoyed the film like I did, but they didn't...too bad. I hope they liked something else, but I'm not wrong, either. To me, Mullholland Drive is a movie that is definitely not like leaving the TV on: it challenges, frustrates and ultimately rewards. It's also so, so entertaining, so lush and sensual, so perfectly pitched in its film noir references, so funny, so original, so damned good, so Lynchian.
OK fine, I'll give a little hint as to what I think is going on, but only for people who've watched it, thought about it, and need a little push in the right direction. *** SPOILER *** Coco reallly IS Adam's mom. Which means the party at the end(?) really is happening, and everyone there is who they say they are at that point, including Diane, Camilla, Adam, and even the Cowboy. Then remember the second shot of the film (Diane's pillow in close-up) and the Cowboy's line after Rita/Camilla opens the blue box: "time to wake up now, pretty girl." Then pull a structural switch and place all that came before after that point. ****
Pretty cool, huh?