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Reviews Counted:98
Fresh:70
Rotten:28
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: Typical David Lynch fare: fans of the director will find Inland Empire seductive and deep. All others will consider the heady surrealism impenetrable and pointless.
Theatrical Release:09-03-2007
Synopsis: With INLAND EMPIRE, David Lynch--creator of such mind-bending works as ERASERHEAD and LOST HIGHWAY--delivers his most avant-garde, abstract, and impenetrable vision yet. A three-hour fever... [More]
Starring: Jeremy Irons, Laura Dern, Justin Theroux, Harry Dean Stanton
Director: David Lynch
Shot on digital video, it is problematic and, at close to three hours, overlong. But there are flashes of brilliance and just when the viewer becomes frustrated and ready to throw in the towel, Lynch makes a hairpin turn that rights the course and once ag
Though certain of his fans may stare mistakenly at his narrative threads, hoping for a pattern to emerge, wiser moviegoers know that Lynch just wants to pull the rug out from under them. Then he slips it back under their feet so he can pull it again.
Even though Inland Empire isn’t alluring enough to sit through multiple times, there’s a meaningful pattern beneath it. Sorting through what’s necessary and extraneous could pay off.
Bizarre and creepy, Lynch's new film bears thematic resemblance to Mulholland Drive: It's personal deconstructive work about Hollywood's two facets as dream factory and producer of nightmares--Hollywood as a storytelling machine (emphasis on both words)
... either vastly complex or simply chaotic ... two states that are not always easy to distinguish.... but I enjoyed the movie more the second time through ... always a good sign.
Every time I think about it, it becomes harder to get it out of my own head.
Inland Empire isn't just a brilliant motion picture; it's a work of staggering art.
She’s a wife in the suburbs. She’s a whore. She’s a damsel in distress. She’s everything but an actress.
The effect, after an hour or two, begins to resemble a very anxiety-fraught session of watching music videos on MTV.
...The film, which begins promisingly, disappears down so many rabbit holes (one of them involving actual rabbits) that eventually it just disappears for good.
Top CriticIt's all completely inscrutable, and if you're in the Lynch mob, perversely delightful.
If you know Lynch, you know the drill.
The thrill of Inland Empire lies, I think, in surrendering yourself to its epic weirdness, falling under its spell and allowing Lynch to gradually lead you back into the light.
David Lynch slingshots audiences to the dark side of the moon with a three-hour nightmare of a vision that single-handedly returns him to the forefront of filmmakers.
The way to watch it is to skip uneasily along its surface and steel yourself for those moments when Lynch pulls you into the vortex. More than any working filmmaker, he knows the dreamlike power of undertow.
Were it not for the great performances, this would be the worst movie of the year.
This time Lynch has really lost his bananas, and the grapefruits aren't looking too ripe either.
Inland Empire might be David Lynch's masterpiece -- or it might just be a total mess. Either way it's vintage Lynch and designed exclusively, it seems, for hardcore fans -- or perhaps solely for the director himself.
It's best to make peace with the film's essential and deliberate inscrutability... and to simply marvel at Dern's astonishing performance, which few actresses are likely to top anytime soon.
Not only is the storytelling murky, so is the picture quality. Video technology may have enabled the director to experiment with long takes and extreme close-ups, but it also yields a movie that's dull on several levels.
December 12, 2006:
2006 NYFCO Awards Announced!
It's that time of year again: Right before the fancy awards are doled out, all the different critics' groups chime in with their favorite flicks of the year. Here we have the... More...
December 09, 2006:
trailer and trailer review 
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December 07, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Apocalypto" Is Bloody Good; "Blood Diamond" Needs Polish; "Unaccompanied" Is Minor; "Holiday" Is So-So
This week at the movies, we've got declining civilizations ("Apocalypto," directed by Mel Gibson), conflict diamonds ("Blood Diamond," starring Leonardo... More...
November 14, 2006:
RTIndie: A News Wrap-Up, Plus David Lynch's Latest Antics
Faced with "Volver" performing well (again) and "Babel"'s expansion into wide release (big time), "The Queen" lost a bit of box office momentum... More...
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