A Treat For David Lynch Fans

Rating: Null/10 (11 October 2001)

Honestly, I didn't know exactly what to expect with Mulholland Drive, which was made around the same time as David Lynch's completely approachable and uncharacteristic non-bizarre The Straight Story. Shot originally as a pilot for a mini-series, and then re-worked and expanded when it was rejected by ABC, Mulholland Drive is a wonderfully strange and quirky film which combines some of the best of David Lynch's style.
At first you could call Mulholland Drive a Twin Peaks in LA, as it has the same style of dialogue, feels very approachable, and, aside from some bizarre turns and twists, has a pretty defined story. Then everything changes. You can't go see a David Lynch movie without being totally prepared to walk out scratching your head. Mulholland Drive is certainly no exception. If found myself at a complete loss to understand what exactly happens in the 'third act' of Mulholland Drive - it's strange, disjointed and pretty bizarre. I felt like someone had switched movies and we went from Twin Peaks in LA to Lost Highway 2! But that's part of David Lynch's charm, the ability to constantly challenge his audiences, and turn everything we see on its head.
As a whole I really liked Mulholland Drive. The characters are extremely interesting and the story is compelling enough to carry us through Lynch's bizarro third act. If you're a David Lynch fan I highly recommend Mulholland Drive; if not, Twin Peaks finally comes to DVD in December, so I'd recommend cutting your teeth on that before giving Mulholland Drive a try [Geoffrey Kleinman DVDTalk.com]