No need for plot and character, if you've got enough style.

Rating: 9/10 (16 April 2002)

---Contains Spoilers---
Much time and energy on this site has gone into efforts to reconstruct the plot and timeline of this film from its shattered fragments. Some have even proposed solutions to the puzzle that ALMOST fit. But not quite. As just one example, in the first portion of the film, Diane is dead and Adam is still married. In the second portion, Adam's divorce is finalized, but Diane is still alive. It is simply impossible to piece the shards of narrative together, and that (of course) is precisely the point of "Mulholland Drive". David Lynch doesn't merely rearrange the timeline of the story, as happens in such films as "Pulp Fiction" or "Memento", he completely destroys the continuity of the characters. This is a much more jarring disruption of the story, which apparently sends many viewers running headlong for the exits, but makes this flick pretty darn enjoyable for geeks such as myself.
By completely stripping away such artificial details as plot and character, Lynch puts the emphasis on the basic truth contained within the film. Watching the movie in real-time we see the following: Naïve, bright-eyed ingenue comes to Hollywood hoping to be in the movies... she is sexually used, betrayed, manipulated by unseen powers, cheated out of parts by a less-talented actress who sleeps with the director... she ends up jaded, bitter, and insane. We learn that Hollywood is full of freaks, ghouls, murderers, loose women, directors who compromise their idealism under pressure, bizarre and powerful men who manipulate the movie industry, etc. Our heroine falls in love with an exotic amnesiac and tries to help her uncover her mysterious identity, but the woman turns out to be a conniving bitch. Tragedy ensues. Roll credits.
In the hands of a typical director, this basic story would result in a cheap, formulaic commercial movie. The story isn't particularly interesting... it's been told a thousand times before. Why should we care? We all know that plot and character are contrived concepts designed to hook viewers into digesting familiar stories... and to care enough about the ending to sit still for 2 hours and ultimately recommend the movie to their friends. So Lynch comes to the process in a different manner. He manipulates plot and character to build suspense, and then dispenses with them when they are no longer necessary. This allows him to tell the old story in a new, interesting way. It provides a medium for a bunch of really cool camera shots of Hollywood at night, creepy music, steamy sex scenes, surprising twists, and oddball side characters. Abstraction and surrealism have been used in literature and visual art for a very long time, and it's surprising how few filmmakers dabble in these techniques. Some people enjoy it, some don't. Considering how the entertainment industry strives relentlessly to reach the maximum possible audience with every single production, I find it quite refreshing to see that there are still movie directors who would rather make half their audience angry than worry about maximizing their profits.
I personally consider this to be an outstanding film. Naomi Watts gives an outstanding performance in a complex double role. The score is bone-chillingly perfect. The scenery and mood are captivating. The weird parts are blissfully bizarre. In other words... it's David Lynch at his Lynchian best.