MovieChat Forums > Wild at Heart (1990) Discussion > One of Lynch's Worst

One of Lynch's Worst

posted 9 years ago by andrewc_33
16 replies | jump to latest

As someone who has been intrigued with the Lynch style of filmaking I have tried to watch as many of his films as I could- my favorites are Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway, and Blue Velvet. I also was a fan of Twin Peaks. I like how he takes the road less traveled and really experiments ideas and constructs. But Wild at Heart was atrocious! This film was not only boring as hell but I found Laura Dern and Nicholas Cage intolerable and they came across as high school drama students trying to make a homemade film for class.Terrible acting from these two leads and I hated their characters. I'm glad I left this movie for last because if this was the first Lynch film I saw I probably would not have bothered with the rest. Seriously what was he thinking here? The film just dragged its heels pointlessly, it could have been condensed into a half hour for the message it was trying to get across. Only bright spot was Willem Dafoe. I would easily say this is his worst film, but I still have to watch Dune and the Straight Story and I hear Dune is pretty bad as well

[–] cary137 9 years ago

Interesting. This is one of my favorite Lynch movies. I saw it a few years after it came out. This is one of only two movies I like with Cage in it. Raising Arizona would be the second. I normally think he is over the top and terrible. It worked in this movie. I thought the chemistry between the two characters was great but you start to realise as the movie goes on that they have a pretty superficial relationship. I think that is intended though. I don't know how the movie holds up though. I haven't seen it in over 10 years. I haven't seen the Straight Story or Inland Empire but Dune is one of my favorites. I know it is a mess but I saw it as a kid and it was mesmerizing back then. If you didn't see it in the 80's or early 90's I would say don't bother. It's not going to hold up.

[–] eeriebass 8 years ago

Wow, my sentiments exactly. I LOVE Lynch, his films are typically fascinating. Your point about "it could have been condensed into a half hour" is so spot on. Their road trip they go on just drags so much, everyone goes on about the gratuitous sex like it's some shock thing, but to me it was filler. I just wanted it to end.

Things don't start getting interesting until they get to Big Tuna and Bobby Peru enters, but even then, Dafoe seems like he's just Frank Booth Jr.

Normally, even in the Lynch stuff I don't really like, I appreciate it. Wild at Heart, is just disappointing. They can't all be zingers, I guess.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] PsychiatricPezDispenser 8 years ago

I have extremely mixed feelings about this film. But I tend to go in with very specific expectations about Lynch films and come out with the opposite opinion. I didn't watch FWWM for a long time because I thought it would ruin the series for me... turned out to be my all time favorite film and made me enjoy the series 100 times more. Blue Velvet - thought I'd love it and think it was profound... hated it upon the first viewing. Have come to appreciate it for the excellent performances and the aesthetic (still don't care for the story). Inland Empire - expected to hate it and while it's not my kind of movie I enjoyed parts of it and didn't regret watching it. I just watched Wild at Heart and I had no idea what to expect. I figured I'd either love it or hate it and I'm somewhere in the middle. The performances were eh, 99% of it was visual and auditory murder, and the story was cliche and dragged on forever. It's on paper a terrible movie and somehow I still sort of like it in a completely unironic way.

[–] JellyFish19 8 years ago

Agree. I'm not sure what the hell did I just watched, it seems more like a parody of Lynch films. I'm glad he got more serious and darker from this movie on.

[–] Errington_92 8 years ago

it seems more like a parody of Lynch films. I'm glad he got more serious and darker from this movie on.

I feel that Wild at Heart is meant to be serious in expressing individuality and not denying love (which has many connotations for the characters) as The Good Witch tells Sailor. Though this may get lost in translation in how the protagonists are represented and Wild at Heart's more surreal moments.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.

[–] chakobsa 8 years ago

I saw it back in 1990 when it first came out.
I was a huge fan of Dune and liked Blue Velvet.
And for me Wild at Heart is Lynch's best film.
Bobby Peru. Marcelles Santos. Juana Durango. Dropshadow. Mr. Reindeer.
Just an awesome film.
But Twin Peaks is his best work.

Australia, Celebrating 25 Years of Electricity.

[–] duongdogg 7 years ago

Yeah it was very straight forward compared to his other movies. Not the typical lynch movie, still good though.

[–] steffeeric 7 years ago

I agree completely. Usually I am all for Lynch and his surreal style but this movie just bored me. Willem Dafoe was creepy but that alone doesn't make it worth watching. The only other positive was seeing many familiar faces from Twin Peaks.