RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Inland Empire
Inland Empire

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Inland Empire (2006)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
71 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

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.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for language, some violence and sexuality/nudity.

Runtime: 2 hrs 59 mins

Genre: Dramas

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... 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 nightmare of a motion picture, INLAND EMPIRE takes the basic structure of Lynch's 2001 masterpiece, MULHOLLAND DRIVE, and spins it even further out of control. A blonde actress (Laura Dern) is preparing for her biggest role yet, but when she finds herself falling for her co-star (Justin Theroux), she realizes that her life is beginning to mimic the fictional film that they're shooting. Adding to her confusion is the revelation that the current film is a remake of a doomed Polish production, 47, which was never finished due to an unspeakable tragedy. And that's the only the beginning. Soon, a seemingly endless onslaught of indescribably bizarre situations flashes across the screen: a sitcom featuring humans in bunny suits, a parallel story set in a wintry Poland, a houseful of dancing streetwalkers, screwdrivers in stomachs, menacing Polish carnies, and much, much more. By the time the film's electrifying closing-credit sequence arrives, even diehard Lynch fans will be gasping for air. What most glaringly differentiates INLAND EMPIRE from Lynch's previous work is the format on which it was shot. This is the first time that he has chosen to shoot on digital video, as opposed to film, and while the decision is jarring at first, the grainy imagery nonetheless casts a creepy, haunting spell. Laura Dern's multi-fractured performance is downright heroic. She gives the film the human grounding that it so desperately needs. Not for the fragile or timid, INLAND EMPIRE is a full-blown assault to the senses. [More]

Starring: Jeremy Irons, Laura Dern, Justin Theroux, Harry Dean Stanton

Starring: Jeremy Irons, Laura Dern, Justin Theroux, Harry Dean Stanton, Scott Coffey, Ian Abercrombie, Terry Crews, Grace Zabriskie, Julia Ormond, William H. Macy, Naomi Watts, Nastassja Kinski, Diane Ladd, Mary Steenburgen

Director: David Lynch

Director: David Lynch
Screenwriter: David Lynch
Producer: David Lynch, Mary Sweeney
Studio: 518 Media Inc.

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Laura Dern
    >
    David Lynch
    >
1 - 2 of 2

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Inland Empire

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

What is Inland Empire -- which Lynch is understandably distributing himself -- about? What is it trying to say? If you figure that out, let me know.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
12/06/06
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post

The film is a detailed analysis of Nikki's creative process, of her struggle towards that transcendent point where her art... only connects.

Full Review Source: House Next Door | comment Comment
12/06/06
Keith Uhlich
Keith Uhlich
House Next Door

...I prefer my Lynch artistically shackled by the restraints of a film camera.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
12/05/06
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

I can't totally recommend Inland Empire. But something tells me I'd be a fool to totally dismiss it.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
12/05/06
Gene Seymour
Gene Seymour
Newsday

David Lynch's extraordinary, savagely uncompromised new film is as cracked as Mad magazine, though generally more difficult to parse.

comment Comment
12/05/06
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's an experience. Either you give yourself over to it or you don't. And if you do, don't miss the end credits.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
12/05/06
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice

Lynch serves up enough irrationally disturbing images for 100 classic Asian horror films, and the bedraggled Dern is so overflowingly open that you can’t dismiss the movie as an arty exercise.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
12/04/06
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
New York Magazine

A great big puzzle movie that even Lynch appears not to have figured out.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
11/30/06
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor

Inland Empire is so locked up in David Lynch's brain that it never burrows its way into ours.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
11/29/06
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

My advice, in the face of such hallucinatory brilliance, is that you hang on.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment 3 Comments
11/23/06
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

The intimacy and immediacy of digital video has allowed Lynch to make his most personal film yet, and the result is one of the richest and most rewarding moviegoing experiences of 2006.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
11/11/06
Jim Hemphill
Jim Hemphill
Reel.com

An interminable bore.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment 7 Comments
10/30/06
Ray Bennett
Ray Bennett
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It feels Lynchian to the point of self-parody.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
10/28/06
George Wu
George Wu
culturevulture.net

Inland Empire may mesmerize those for whom the helmer can do no wrong, but the unconvinced and the occasional admirer will find it dull as dishwater and equally murky.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 1 Comment
10/28/06
Jay Weissberg
Jay Weissberg
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Lynch's epic about the movie biz and identity seems less a depiction of the dark recesses of the human mind than an actual product of it.

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
10/19/06
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

My favorite film of the [New York Film Festival] and the year... Lynch's most challenging work since Eraserhead is a viscerally unrivaled love letter to the transformative powers of cinema that can't be controlled nor comprehended.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
10/16/06
Aaron Hillis
Aaron Hillis
Premiere Magazine

David Lynch has been working on his latest film, Inland Empire for years, and it feels like he has included every minute of the footage he shot.

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
10/07/06
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

An invitation to give up all the stories you tell yourself about logic, time, and understandable characters and enter the Lynchian world of mysteries where the refreshing password is "don't know."

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
10/07/06
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Despite its moments of inspired terror and mystery, this isn't a cult hit in the making like Mulholland Drive, or a contrarian critic's delight like Lost Highway. It's an opaque and baffling work, difficult to follow and difficult to like.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
10/06/06
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com

In Inland Empire, more than ever, Lynch wishes to establish a connection between a world that is astonishingly familiar and deceptively immediate and one that is utterly, horribly alien.

Full Review Source: Not Coming to a Theater Near You | comment Comment
10/04/06
Leo Goldsmith
Leo Goldsmith
Not Coming to a Theater Near You
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
all

Latest News for Inland Empire

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 Opens in new window
More...

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...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
15% 15% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia

Your first look at the swashbuckler.

Vampires

Vampires

We rank cinema's bloodsuckers.

Avatar

Avatar

The full trailer for Cameron's epic.

2012

2012

12 facts about Emmerich's disaster flick.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
9
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
106
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
  • Forbes Names Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors Source: Forbes
20
  • Chris Weitz Says He's (Almost) Done with Directing Source: Film School Rejects
26
  • Spider-Man 4 Casting Rumors Multiply Like Rabbits Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
51
  • McTeigue Says Superman Is "In a Weird Place" Source: MTV
204
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
162
  • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
129
  • Tomatometer Watch: Will Twilight's New Moon Dazzle?
97
  • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
74
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
53
  • Five Favorite Films with Werner Herzog
50
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
36
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
31
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
3
  • Ho, ho, ho! It's RT's Great Big Gift Guide!
0
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
3
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
8
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
19
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
6
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
16
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Inland Empire at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Inland Empire at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.