Lost Highway

Starring: Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Robert Loggia, Robert Blake, Gary Busey, Lucy Butler, Giovanni Ribisi, Richard Pryor, Marilyn Manson, Henry Rollins
Directed by: David Lynch
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
1997

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Bill Pullman) and his wife (Patricia Arquette) receive a mysterious videotape on their front door, which leads them down a mind-bending path that they never expected.

Review:

Tim: Gah, this is one of the hardest reviews I've written in years. What did I think of Lost Highway? How did I feel watching this movie? I suppose you have to give David Lynch credit, his films are notoriously hard to pin down. I always want to be transparent, so I'll say I am still waffling on this film. My first instinct is that it's decent, but vastly overrated. The competing perspective is that it's actually a good movie. This might seem small to you, but the 6.5 vs. 7 debate is raging in me. Regardless where I end up by the conclusion of this review, it's obvious I liked this film less than many viewers.

Lynch is always going to be controversial and unexpected with this films. This film is similar in tone and subject to Mulholland Drive, but it was easy for me to see that film as especially strong. I thought about that movie long after it ended, intent on reading about it, contemplating my own interpretation, rolling the edges of it around in my mind. Lost Highway clearly isn't as effective as that film. I'm crystal clear on that. But, how do you rate a film that often bored me, but also showcased a completely unique, original vision? How do you categorize, rate someone like David Lynch? And, is his originality worth additional value? Does this movie deserve more credit because of what a departure it is from everything else? I admit, this is a well-made movie. Lynch set out to do something different and it accomplished that. Normally, that is praiseworthy. However, this film is unnecessarily long, unnecessarily convoluted. I've read a dozen interpretations of the story online and contrasted it with my own thoughts on Lynch's perspective and I didn't marvel at his brilliance. I thought the different interpretations were interesting and I liked hearing what he had to say about his own film, but it resulted in a big of a shrug. Cool for him, I'm glad he did that. I'm happy so many people enjoy dissecting this film, sharing their interpretations, arguing online. I have little interest in doing that myself- I didn't care enough about the film or its characters.

The cast is definitely an argument in favor of this being a good movie. Bill Pullman always makes an effective lead and it was quite interesting to see what he did with this role. Unfortunately, he's gone from the film for a large portion of it. I missed his presence. The story shifts the focus to Balthazar Getty and while Getty gives a good performance, I found him significantly less effective than Pullman. I wanted Pullman back, and the movie certainly drags a bit when we have to spend so much time with Getty. Patricia Arquette gives one of the best performances of her career. I've never been a huge fan of her, but her strong performance here broke some of those walls down. This couldn't have been an easy role for her to play, but she dives headfirst into this character and emerges as one of the most memorable parts of the film. Robert Loggia is excellent, too. I haven't seen him in a film in many years and this reminded me of what an underrated talent he was. Great actor and he draws your eye to him in every scene. It was nice seeing Gary Busey and Richard Pryor here, although I wish they had more to do. Their screen time is so limited. I admit I didn't even notice Giovanni Ribisi, not sure where he was in this film. It was also a weird moment when I said, "Wait, is that Marilyn Manson?" It was. Manson doesn't do anything and I'm not a fan anyway, but it was an interesting moment of recognition. I don't even want to talk about Robert Blake, that guy sucks. I'll admit his performance is sufficiently creepy. As a whole, I really did enjoy the cast.

I did find the film difficult to stay focused on. Lynch takes his time with this story. Although there are definitely thrilling, unforgettable moments, the in-between really bogs the story down. Lynch purposely keeps things quite vague, so you're left wondering what the heck is going on. As the film progresses, you start to pick up on the general direction Lynch is going in and certain themes emerge as obvious objectives for him to explore. I just never really felt all that intrigued by these. I knew enough of Lynch to understand I wasn't going to be fed too many answers. I recognize some people will love that journey and therefore, will be big fans of the film. I didn't love the journey, so I'm less enthusiastic about it.

I've taken a few pauses in writing this to think through the film from different angles. I think in the end, I have to be true to my experience watching this movie, which was less than good. I know a lot of people love this film and I get that. For me, though, this feels like a less effective approach to realizing Lynch's vision. He'd do this similar thing significantly better four years later with Mulholland Drive. I appreciate Lynch's unique take on this subject and I admit he directs an effective movie. However, he didn't pull me deeply enough into the mystery. That made a 2 hour, 14 minute film feel far too long. The idea of watching this movie again makes me yawn. Maybe I'd pick up slightly more appreciation for it, but I think I'd be equally as bored with the many low points throughout this film. All due respect to those who favor this movie, because I get it. However, unique and different doesn't automatically translate into effectiveness. For what it's worth, my opinion is that Lost Highway does some interesting things, but I think Lynch was still working out the specifics of how to tell a story this way. I think this is a decent movie with great moments, but ultimately, not a film I appreciated much.

Shoot, I don't think I've ever done this before. I just finished writing this and went on to update the rest of the site and something was nagging at me. This is why rating movies effectively is hard. I'm still clear, as I stated above, I didn't enjoy Lost Highway that much. However, I think I have to admit Lynch directed an effective movie. It was overly long, but it is a well-made movie. He did have a vision and he executed it. Int he world of movies, he did enough right here for this to be considered a "good" film. I didn't love it, but I can also acknowledge the strengths Lynch brought to the film. It's memorable. I think I have to admit this is a good movie, even though I wasn't a big fan. You don't have to like something to appreciate its strengths. The cast makes a huge difference in this case, and I'm reversing my early decision. This is a flawed film, but Lynch directs a good movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire