Runtime: 125 minutes
Directed by: David Lynch
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, Diane Ladd,
From: PolyGram
The Wizard of Oz, fire, putting lipstick all over your face, buffalo hunting, Nicolas Cage doing an Elvis impersonation... yep, must be a David Lynch movie.
This played late last night on TCM Underground and as I know people who love this, I figured it was time to check this out, soon after revisiting Blue Velvet. “Wild” is a good descriptive term to use here... and not just for all the sex and topless women present. The plot sounds simple enough: Sailor and Lulu are two young adults who have a red-hot passionate love for one another, but Lulu's mentally unstable mom does not approve so she asks several shady characters to retrieve her as the star-crossed lovers decide to drive to California on a whim. Of course, it's much more complicated than that and MANY peculiar characters are seen throughout.
In addition, several themes are shown throughout. The color red is a common motif until circumstances change and it fades away. Fire is shown in the opening credits and through the use of copious flashbacks, the purpose of that is revealed. Apparently, Lynch is a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz, thus it is a prevalent theme throughout. In hindsight, perhaps I shouldn't be gobsmacked that he would love a tale featuring flying monkeys, killer trees, poppy fields and houses falling on people.
Anyhow, it's no surprise to me that then & now, opinion is divided on this movie. Some are not fans of the story or how it's presented; a fair criticism although it was not an issue with me. I was greatly entertained by this bizarre fable where things are romanticized at first before reality hits and our couple get a dose of reality... so to speak. They experience death and tragedy, along with someone that is terrifying not just for his awful teeth (Willem Dafoe as Bobby Peru).
A great cast-whether or not they are Lynch regulars-definitely helps. Nicolas Cage-who acts like Elvis throughout and usually wears a snakeskin jacket-was of course unforgettable; I am amazed I haven't seen several moments from this film in .gif form anywhere, especially on Twitter. Laura Dern was great too, and not just for her 80's hair/outfits. Her and Cage made for quite the duo. Diane Ladd as her mother was quite crazy; for those not in the know, they are real life mother and daughter. But the best aspect for me was the tremendous score and soundtrack. Eclectic and varied-everything from speed metal to Koko Taylor-it always fit the different settings, whether it be North Carolina, New Orleans or jerkwater towns in Texas.
For certain, this was more romantic than what I was expecting from the director. It has quite the ending also; I was not expecting that to be so earnest either. One aspect that thankfully has not aged poorly was when Sailor used a certain homophobic slur; he was immediately punished for that action and that literally made him apologize for his usage of such a word. As for Wild at Heart as a whole, I was happy it was a journey I enjoyed being on, not too surreal or illogical for my tastes.
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