That was the freakiest movie I've ever seen. I could not figure out a plot or any kind of timeline. It seems like there is a missing piece that might help me put it together. Can anyone help me out?

Go to rottentomatoes.com, and browse through the mullholland drive forum. There's alot of info and theories there. Also try these:

http://www.themodernword.com/mulholland_drive.html


http://community-2.webtv.net/@HH!C6!68!F4C13843A614/MulhollandDr/MulhollandDriveFan/index.html

Okay. Here is my take.

Most of the movie is a dream or vision that the young actress has. The tell-tale part, to me, is the dinner party near the end of the movie. If you notice, all the characters are there, even if just in passing (like the cowboy).

What I think is real: girl moves to Hollywood to be a star. Her parents don't want her to go. She hooks up with another actress and they become lovers. Girl becomes obsessed with the other actress. The other actress becomes a success and dumps the girl. The girl has her killed. Girl then goes crazy, kills herself, has this vision or dream as she is dying.

The dream is how she goes to Hollywood and everybody loves her. She is gonna be a star. But reality keeps creeping in, and the dream falls apart.

Thing I don't get: the scene with the bum out behind that resturant.

Fro

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"It is not possible for you to determine whether you are strong or weak, unless you are troubled when you are at peace."
- John Wycliffe

I haven't seen it in a while, but I'll explain as best I can.

The first half was all a dream of the blonde. She had come to LA to be an actress, but wasn't as good as she thought. When the brunette (her lover in real life) got a part in a movie over her and hooked up with the director, she paid the hitman $50000 to have her killed. The first half of the movie was a dream that the hit failed. The second half showed how she coped with all her demons/monsters - suicide.

Fro you are right on.

But lets back up a little bit and talk about the old couple that fly with her from her home town to LAX. They represent her dreams, aspirations, desires, longing and need to be a successful actress.

The deal with the monster is that it is a metaphor for her inner self (for lack of a better term) the monster deep in her/our subconscious. Once she pays for the hit she realizes that the "monster within her" lets go of all of her dreams, aspirations, desires to be a successful actress. At the end it isnt the old people that drive her to kill herself obviously, it is her failure to acheive those dreams, aspirations, desires that drive her to kill herself. She knows that when she hands the money over for the hit all of her dreams go out the door and she has not choice but to kill herslef. If you notice the hitman visually hands her a key once she pays him. The key opens the box that the monster has where little old people come out. The hitman does not physically hand her a key to release her desires but does so metaphorically because he accepts the hit and her career/life are over.

As far as the cowboy goes, he is the reasoning that keeps her whole dream sequence together. He tells the director that he HAS to hire a certain actress but never gives a valid reason. At the dinner party when she snaps to and realizes that there is an actual reason why the director wanted the other actress and that he really didnt HAVE to choose another actress
the cowboy walks out in the background and her dream world comes to an end. I hope that makes sense. I'll try to answer better if you are a little more specific...

I think the actual girlfriend she gets is the girl who she switched apartments with... I think she fantasizes that her relationship were with Rita.

Very possible. Although she was definitely hot for her, regardless of whether or not the feeling was ever returned.

test

"My advise on women, son, is not to give them nicknames like Jumbo or Boxcar,... and always get receipts. It makes you look like a businessman." -- H.S.

This was an email sent to me to explain the movie. Once you read this, you will not have to watch it:

What you will see is a pulp movie which somehow entertangles the lives
of two women who like to get on each other while one of them has
amnesia
and carries lots of cash in a hat box and a blue key which eventually
fits into a blue box. Their is a scary troll guy that hides behind
the
fast food trash dumpster and there are 2 grandparents with evil
smiles
that eventually are so miniature that they crawl under a doorway to
stalk a blonde women.

I think that's enough to get you started. Hopefully I have provided
you
with as much information as i did with David Lynch's Eraserhead.

I warn you not to watch this movie with your wives/girlfriends because they will
become very frustrated and probably kill you.

Out.

I watched it last night - WEIRD!!!

My questions:

1) Were the blonde nice girl (Betty) and the blonde actress that killed herself (Debby?) the same girl?

2) What was the purpose of Billy Ray Cyrus's role?

3) What did the blue box represent?

4) What the heck was the scene in Silencio, where the woman faints while lip-synching for?

5) How did the guy that had the vision of the troll out behing the diner fit in?

6) What the hell was I supposed to get from this movie?

1) Were the blonde nice girl (Betty) and the blonde actress that killed herself (Debby?) the same girl?
Yes
2) What was the purpose of Billy Ray Cyrus's role?
Very little.
3) What did the blue box represent?
When she opened the box, all her dream world disappeared. The real thing is the blue key. It was given by the hitman, and signified the point of no return.
4) What the heck was the scene in Silencio, where the woman faints while lip-synching for?
Showed that things were not as they seem. It was all a dream.
5) How did the guy that had the vision of the troll out behing the diner fit in?
He was afraid of what was back there. If you notice, in the meeting with the hitman, she was in the same seat. The Troll out back opened the box right at the end of the movie. So it was really her fear of what was about to happen.
6) What the hell was I supposed to get from this movie?
David Lynch can make strange movies with tons of symbolism. This one is mainly about regret and the impacts of tough decisions, IMO.