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

[–] Drooch (5333) 4 years ago

It had good moments that keep me coming back to it every few years, but as a whole it’s hard to digest - it’s a weird mix of absurd comedy and extremely dark and twisted material.

I find Lynch works better in the shadows, full of mystery. This was hot and sweaty daylight with high energy

[–] Seperatrix (1086) 3 years ago

I enjoyed it more than you did but it's decidedly lower, much lower, on my list of Lynch films.

Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway, Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks. Yes indeed! Love them.

[–] seagal72 (1824) 3 years ago

I used to love this movie (upon original release) and have subsequently bought it on every format since (from VHS, Laserdisc, VCD, DVD & Blu-Ray) I've never been a huge fan of Lynch (outside of this, Blue Velvet &....gulp...'Dune')
However, when I watched 'Wild At Heart' last year (on Blu-Ray) for the first time in a decade....either the movie (or myself) have aged badly, as it didn't have the same magic it once had. Which saddened me a bit, because I'd always loved this movie (perhaps my tastes have either refined or eroded?) either way, the movie now felt pretentious, forced and fake-hip.
I guess I'll give it a few more years before rewatching it again.

I would suggest though, that to get the true 'Jist' of any directors work, that you watch his catologue in order of production (that way you can ascertain if they've progressed, and take other factors like timeframe, budgets, convenions and attitudes into consideration)

[–] Seperatrix (1086) 3 years ago

I have a friend, who at one time, said that Wild At Heart was her favorite film of all time. After reading your comment and how your opinion of the film has changed over the years, I want to catch up with my friend and see if another mind has been changed.

I do like the film, though not nearly as much as other Lynch films. Not even close.

[–] SandyR (7323) 3 years ago

Wrong.

[–] Jones70 (6195) 2 years ago

I think Dune and Lost Highway are his worst.

[–] rnmboon (376) 2 years ago

I love almost everything David Lynch has made including Dune but I definitely don't like Wild at Heart. It feels a bit superficial and it is actually a kind of boring. In a way it feels like a spoof of a David Lynch film.