Wild at Heart

Rating:
Summary: Lynch's Weakest Movie
Review: The first of three major romance-shockers from three major filmmakers, "Wild at Heart" might have served as the basis of and inspiration for both "True Romance" and "Natural Born Killers." Focusing not on the media frenzy or the personal relationship between the two leads, "Wild" distinguishes itself both as the strongest film in the set of three, and as director David Lynch's weakest project to date.

The story opens with Sailor Ripley (played by Nicholas Cage and his best Elvis accent) killing a would-be assassin with his bare hands while his girlfriend Lula (Laura Dern) and her mother (Laura Dern's real mother Diane Ladd) look on. Sixteen months later, Sailor gets out of prison and heads to pick up Lula, against her mother's protests. It becomes clear that Lula's mother doesn't care for Sailor, and the person he killed may have been hired by her to keep Sailor away from Lula by any means necessary. Sailor and Lula both recognize the danger of staying in Louisiana, and depart first for New Orleans and then California on a roadtrip that leads to a series of unrelated (maybe) events that reveals both the depth of their feelings for each other and the depravity of the world around them. They dodge Voodoo assassins, psychopaths in all forms, dying automobile accident victims, and fishmarket signs with rude slang written across them, eventually leading to the inevitable conclusion.

Lynch takes an interesting approach to character development here. Sailor, Lula, and Lula's mother all begin the film as stereotypes (tough guy, trailer-park girl, and overbearing psycho) and eventually flesh themselves out as full characters, even losing their mockeries of Southern accents along the way. Each has a disturbing past somehow linked with the others, providing the film with some truly shocking moments, and each character's motivations are explored fully, which makes the film's impact all the greater.

The problem is, for a Lynch movie, "Wild at Heart" has very little impact. Most of the shocking scenes seem overdone and, while they at least lend something to the character development (as they did not in "Natural Born Killers"), they ultimately detract from the film by sacrificing subtlety for overt offensiveness. One of the things that made "Blue Velvet" so effective was that Lynch found a way to communicate his point, and all of its nuances and complexities, without resorting to the "see, look at THIS!" approach to filmmaking. "Wild at Heart" takes the latter approach, which weakens what could have been a great film. Still, it's Lynch, and has a lavish attention to detail unrivaled in most movies of any time, and has quite a bit going for it otherwise, but "Wild" is yet another movie that did not realize its full potential, although it could not have been done nearly as well by any other director.

Final Grade: B-

Rating:
Summary: Not Lynch's Best, But Not Bad
Review: It seemed that during the mid-90's, movies about outlaw lovers on the run was becomming a cliche. There was TRUE ROMANCE, then came NATURAL BORN KILLERS(both written by Quentin Tarantino!) But before those came David Lynch's WILD AT HEART, perhaps the most bizarre of any of these films.

It is the tale of Sailor and Lula, two star-crossed lovers who hit the road for sunny California in search of a new life. But all is not well, for Lula's witchlike mother does not take much to Sailor, and sends several hitman after them.

Filled with beautfully shot set pieces and several oddball characters(A pair of Voodoo assassins, Willem Dafoe as a brown toothed thug, and Crispin Glover as the weirdo cousin) this uncharacteristically rambunctious effort by Lynch is a wild ride that will leave you breathless. The big problem is that it takes a little while to get going, but once it does, it never lets up.

I can't wait for them to release this diddy on DVD. I know Lynch isn't big on "extra features"(he'll never do a commentary and he doesn't believe in chapter stops), I just want to see this baby in all its widescreen glory!

Rating:
Summary: David Lynch and Nick Cage at Their Best
Review: This movie is about as disturbing as you will see-par for the course for David Lynch. But it is also much funnier than the rest of his movies. To get a good sense of Cage's character, when asked how old he was when he stared smoking, his reply was "I guess I was about four." The story digresses, disecting the hideose side of America's underworld-much the same theme that was at the heart of Blue Velvet. The acting was incredible and David Lynch always seems to pull in great actors, even for the smallest roles. A couple, on the run from the law and some real shady characters, travel across America to search for a home of peace and excitement. I have often suspected that Terintino's True Romance was inspired from this movie-who knows? The score was intense, mixing heavy slamming grunge slash rock and jazz to create a mood of anticipation and intensity. There were also movements of soap opera themes provoking squinty eyes and wet cheeks. Lynch at his best.

Rating:
Summary: Dear Tom Keogh,
Review: Wild at Heart is, indeed, a film with some startling images. Any David Lynch fan will tell you that you should expect no less from him. In this film, Lynch is showing a subtle form of humor, he is referencing the Wizard of Oz (I'll not dare say "remake," he is rewriting it in his own fashion), and he is creating film as art in his typical fashion. You see, you actually have to pay attention to Lynch's movies in order to fully understand them. You likely have to watch them more than once to get his points. That's all part of the fun. If you bother to pay attention to the details of the movie, then you will understand that his thoughts are not all over the place at all, but are telling you a story, in Lynchian fashion. He doesn't take you by the little hand and lead you through a smarmy Hollywood film about life and love then whisk you off to a nice, rosy conclusion with a sunset and cutesy music. Don't expect the point to Wild at Heart to come easily. If that is what you want, may I suggest "Dumb and Dumber." David Lynch combines film with art and Wild at Heart is no exception. If you want a movie to present a simple story line and to conclude with a pretty red bow, then skip this one. But if you want to watch an outstanding David Lynch movie, then Wild at Heart will not disappoint. This is a fantastic movie.

Rating:
Summary: Low-tech Lynching
Review: This falls into the category of David Lynch films that his fans feel obligated to praise simply because it's a David Lynch film. Take it from me (a Lynch admirer) -- this film is wretched. It mixes all the shrill grotesquerie and misogynism that mark most of his efforts, but without the redeeming quirky beauty that typically prevails. A lot of compelling actors -- Cage, Dern, Rossellini, Dafoe -- are completely wasted here. Those who insist on watching this flick might want to consider first becoming so themselves. p.s. Mulholland Dr. rocks!

Rating:
Summary: if you're truly wild at heart, then you must .....
Review: i first saw this film in theatres back in 1990 and i couldn't get the film outta my head. at that time, i knew very little about david lynch or his unique style. needless to say, i fell heart and soul for this maniac film and knew i would probably want to watch it over and over. nicolas cage gives perhaps his best performance prior to the wonderful leaving las vegas and i still think this film was very overlooked by everyone with the exception of true lynch fans. while this is probably his easiest film to date that the mainstream cinema could DIGEST, wild at heart is still very much avantguard as it is excessive in the language, violence, and sex departments. what makes this film so digestible is the ironic humor which surrounds the plot like a second skin. while still not a film for everyone, there is much to like about this david lynch treat. i particularly love the scene where nicolas cage is visited by the good which played by then unknown sheryl lee who advises him that the wild at heart must follow their dreams. shouldn't we all follow our dreams no matter how crazy or chaotic things may be?

Rating:
Summary: The Delicate Barbarian
Review: Wild at Heart will not let down any of LynchÂ's followers. Through two hours of heavy rock and Elvis we travel with Sailor and Lula through the deep south of the US encountering the most sinister personalities that are now a classical in Lynchs movies.

Lynch makes the spectator go through hell and back to portray a beautiful and credible love story which is enhanced by the chemistry shown by the two stars of the movie: Nick Cage and Laura Dern. The film has great moments and as is typical in Lynch little tribute to his favourite film makers. i. e.: Diane Ladds scene in the bathroom with the lipstick on her face. All in all a must see for any Lynch sympathizer or fan.

Rating:
Summary: the gang's all here, the gang's all SICK
Review: If you've seen it, you know... this is the stuff////
After seeing Blue Velvet, pop this one in!
U can't miss it !!!! Cage as the Elvis wanna-be, Dern as the
Dorothy wanna-be, Dern's MOM as the sickie witch, Harry Dean Stanton waitin to get his ala "I can't stop her Johnny, I'm behind you with this big old gun here..." , Willem Dafoe kickin ass, even Nance (Eraserhead) as "Double Eyed Spool" ("My Dog Barks Some") Now be forewarned //// you gotta be a little touched in the head to enjoy this one (like my old friend JOE R.)
and this aint for the kiddies, but chances are, if you like this, you'll never have kids anyway (ha ha)
If Eraserhead wowed you, Twin Peaks confused you, Dune (probably disappointed you, let's face it), Blue Velvet shocked your ass, this is the trippy flick for you --- turn up the volume on the DVD !!!!!!!1

Rating:
Summary: ... just like the country
Review: This movie is weird, I'll grant that - but its frenetic energy made it impossible not to watch! I saw this in the theater twice the one week it was open: the first time, I wasn't sure what I had just seen. The second time I was hooked! This movie provides a VERY delicious plate of wild imagery and a kind of romanticism rarely seen with this kind of ernest - with a visceral backdrop of blood, fire & cockroaches. The story concerns a young couple living in a world of lies and illusions & only their passionate love for each-other provides the strength to carry on! What more do you need? I highly recommend the original novel by Barry Gifford - a marvelous writer of the southern tradition (Arise, and Walk, Night People & Baby Cat-Face). A movie for the adventerous, for lonely dreamers & for those who are truly wild at heart...

Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: I will admit that I am a huge Lynch fan so I may be biased but this is his most normal movie. If you haven't seen any of his movies watch this one first. Although there are some bad reviews of this movie on amazon you have to remember that Lynch is not for everyone. It seems that most of the bad responses come from folks who need to watch a "normal" movie. It is a shame they can not open there mind.