Wild at Heart

Audience Reviews

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Albus G Mar 21, 2019 21/03/2019

Harry M Feb 11, 2019 Erotic entertainment although a slow burn. David Lynch's Wild at Heart (1990) is an insane road trip with surreal editing and strange occurrences galore. Unfortunately, Wild at Heart is so weird, it often delves too deep into oddity just for the sake of having quirky characters. It's a slow burn that is like a colorful noir, but can reach too far into the melodramatic, instead of the more serious drama it's striving for at times. The humor is unexpected and really catches you off guard, while the gripping serious drama moments can snap instantly into frightening. Lynch freely uses nudity and eroticism to tantalize viewers, which can be seductive and interesting, but constantly pushes your patience with seemingly random naked girls perhaps just to peak your interest. I just do not feel that the excessive nudity in Wild at Heart feels necessary or that it adds to the plot. Only Laura Dern's brave volume of nude scenes strike a chord and captivate with any deeper meaning. Lynch's direction is stunning and often intriguing. His sheer creative perspective choices are fascinating, even when Wild at Heart doesn't always work. The sleazy eroticism meet the surreal romance and quirky spasms of random entertainment all culminate for a genuinely wild experience watching Wild at Heart. The music ranges from exciting heavy metal passages to sweet romantic classical scoring. The metallic moments are unexpected, yet delightful, while Angelo Badalamenti's romantic score is so sweet that it wins you over. I actually like the sudden jolts of electric sound for shocking reveals edited into the film at decisive instances. Wild at Heart makes innovative use of its sound choices. The acting is Wild at Heart is intriguing all on its own. Laura Dern is phenomenal as the Southern belle Lula Pace Fortune with her sexual desire and alluringly sweet presence. She is charming and likable, while you feel a strong sympathy for her character Lula. Dern depicts trauma, love, and survival quite maturely for her age. Nicolas Cage is trying his best, while still melodramatic, he is likable. His Elvis impersonation is actually pretty convincing as the hard edged Sailor Ripley. He is a cool lead and an entertaining performer. I absolutely adored Harry Dean Stanton as Johnnie Farragut. He is quite endearing despite his shorter supporting role. You really feel bad for him immediately due to Stanton's sweet and docile performance. On the other hand, Willem Dafoe is unforgettable as the sleazy and crazy Bobby Peru. His wild persona and crazy eyes are fun to watch as Dafoe uses unsettling body language and sudden jumps of dialogue to engage you in terror at all times while his presence perverts the screen. I must mention Diane Ladd as Marietta Fortune. Her overbearing and wild antics grace the screen with a truly unhinged performance. She is unnerving every second she is shoved in front of you. I must admit that I did not care for one of the main supporting actors, namely, J. E. Freeman as Marcello Santos. He is creepy, but not as ghastly as Dafoe. He is unhinged, but not as mad as Ladd. He is a weaker villain that basically goes away suddenly with no arc or resolution, honestly. I also have to complain that despite their memorable roles and limited screen time, Crispin Glover and Isabella Rossellini gave riveting performances. Glover is so odd and eerie in Dern's story about Dell that I must commend Glover's skillful acting. Rossellini is gorgeous and sexy in her brief cameo as Perdita Durango, as she seduces you with her every word and glance. I just wish she had a bigger role in Wild at Heart. Overall, Wild at Heart is safely in the middle of David Lynch's filmography. It's not a great film by any means, but it had the potential to be one. Laura Dern and Nicolas Cage can be proud of possibly their career best performances. Likewise, Willem Dafoe and Harry Dean Stanton again prove their respective prowess as phenomenal character actors. In short, Wild at Heart is certainly entertaining, but not wild enough to make up for the slow pace and longer run time. See more

Leia L Nov 23, 2018 A wonderfully grotesque pantomime of violence and sex studded with some great dialogue, scuzzball locations and a rocking soundtrack. What's not to like? See more

Draco W Nov 23, 2018 "What you faggots want?" A few minutes later... "I want to apologize to you gentlemen for referring to you as homosexuals. I also want to thank you fellas; you taught me a valuable lesson in life. LUUUULAAAAA!?". Crazy and surreal with a tense performance from Willem Dafoe, but also mystic. Nicolas Cage singing "Love Me Tender" to Laura Dern was beautiful. See more

George R Nov 18, 2018 . . I watched all of it hoping it would get better but it never really did. No wonder its never on tv. One of those movies thats on really late at night cause its too rude. So many boob scenes See more

Kylo S Oct 24, 2018 I liked very much Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, but disliked Lost Highway and Inland Empire. Wild at Heart sits somewhere in the middle. Nicolas Cage/ Laura Dern memorable couple s. although they didnt really do that much other than fornicate and drive and encounter strange characters. See more

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Wild at Heart

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