Blue Velvet

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Blue Velvet

R

1986

2h 0m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

174 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

College student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home after his father has a stroke. When he discovers a severed ear in an abandoned field, Beaumont teams up with detective's daughter Sandy Williams (Laura Dern) to solve the mystery. They believe beautiful lounge singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) may be connected with the case, and Beaumont finds himself becoming drawn into her dark, twisted world, where he encounters sexually depraved psychopath Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper).

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Critics Consensus

If audiences walk away from this subversive, surreal shocker not fully understanding the story, they might also walk away with a deeper perception of the potential of film storytelling.

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

Oct 2, 2026

5/5

...where David Lynch becomes David Lynch.

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Terri Minsky

New York Daily News

Sep 18, 2026

2/4

It plays like a very sick episode of "Leave it to Beaver."

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Joe Kane

New York Daily News

Sep 18, 2026

David Lynch's "Blue Velvet" is an imaginative bizarre, consistently unpredictable, blackly funny sleaze nightmare.

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Sep 28, 2026

3/4

A movie that seeped directly from its maker’s consciousness...

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Codie Allen

InSession Film

Sep 21, 2026

A+

Blue Velvet doesn’t answer those questions neatly. It probably shouldn’t. Forty years later, its greatest power is still in that contradiction: it is horrifying and beautiful, tender and cruel, funny and deeply disturbing, dreamlike and painfully real.

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Bill Brownstein

Montreal Gazette

Sep 18, 2026

This slickly stylized parody of small-town America is without question one of the most fascinating films to emerge from Hollywood in years.

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Andrew

Mar 16, 2025

Film doesn’t get any better. Absolute stunner!

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Bruce F

Mar 12, 2025

Masterpiece of modern cinema!

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Cognac

Mar 9, 2025

Its David Lynch. A lovely story to watch unfold, just dont get hung up on it making sense.

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Ben

Mar 9, 2025

IMO the best place to start with David Lynch’s filmography.

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Francine

Mar 6, 2025

One of my favorite David Lynch films. I was so lovely to watch this on the big screen. I hope our little Regency theater brings more Lynch films for throwback nights. The movie is a great dreamy noir with a fun soundtrack and gorgeous cinematography. Plenty of "ear"-iness. Disturbing and unsettling at times. All in the right ways.

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Mate P

@matepolcz Sep 29, 2026

Blue Velvet is my first David Lynch and I loved it! It has a story and plot, but I would absolutely call this a vibe film. The characters are interesting, but they don’t really have arcs. The story is engaging, I’m rarely this nervous watching a film at home. The directing is perfect. The cinematography, editing and soundtrack compliment each other and create the vibe I fell in love with. The lighting, the colours are impeccable. The cast is perfectly fitting and there’s obviously lots of talent there. The performances are spectacular. On an other note, is this where "okey-dokey" comes from in Fallout? Blue Velvet exceeds expectations.

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David Lynch

Director

Kyle MacLachlan

Jeffrey Beaumont

Isabella Rossellini

Dorothy Vallens

Dennis Hopper

Frank Booth

Laura Dern

Sandy Williams

Hope Lange

Mrs. Williams

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Synopsis

College student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home after his father has a stroke. When he discovers a severed ear in an abandoned field, Beaumont teams up with detective's daughter Sandy Williams (Laura Dern) to solve the mystery. They believe beautiful lounge singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) may be connected with the case, and Beaumont finds himself becoming drawn into her dark, twisted world, where he encounters sexually depraved psychopath Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper).

Director: David Lynch
Producer: Fred C. Caruso
Screenwriter: David Lynch
Distributor: MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Warner Home Vídeo, Paramount Pictures
Production Co: De Laurentiis
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 19, 1986, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 3, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.6M
Runtime: 2h 0m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround

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