Mulholland Drive (2001)

Director David Lynch delivers another gem with Mulholland Drive. This is arguably his best work, effectively melding the saturated Americana color tones of Blue Velvet, the quirky humor of Twin Peaks, and the brooding soul-examination of Lost Highway. Mulholland Drive is an examination of love and jealousy, and is at times a biting commentary on the world of Hollywood.

Be forewarned: if you have no prior familiarity with the work of David Lynch, DO NOT see this movie. Lynch is an acquired taste, and this is arguably his most sophisticated creation to date. If you're interested in getting to know the world of David Lynch, you need to start small and work your way up. Check out the Twin Peaks series and Blue Velvet, then when you've got those mastered, you can graduate to Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive.

Lynch is a master of, shall we say, "unconventional" storytelling. Like Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive is not a straight-forward Hollywood fable with clear winners and losers. It is a puzzle, an intricately woven web of fantasy and reality. It is a dream captured on film. It is an abstract sculpture crafted of celluloid. It requires intense examination of both the film and the viewer's own soul before its full meaning will even begin to become clear.

Mulholland Drive continues this tradition perfectly. Its opening is mysterious, yet soon brightens to match the demeanor of the naive character Betty, played by Naomi Watts. At first I found her character's cheery nature to be irritating and poorly played, but as the film progressed and Watts displayed her true ability, I realized that the earlier happy-overkill was probably deliberate. Laura Harring is excellent as Rita, the fearful amnesiac, and Justin Theroux brings well-placed humor to his role as the struggling filmmaker Adam.

Longtime fans will enjoy the contributions of Lynch regulars like composer Angelo Badalamenti and Michael J. Anderson, the backwards-talking "Man From Another Place" from Twin Peaks. Also watch for cameos by Billy Ray Cyrus and Aussie hottie Melissa George.

Mulholland Drive should probably be avoided by viewers who like cliched plots and tidy endings, but those who appreciate the abstract art of David Lynch will be greatly pleased by this latest offering.