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Inland Empire

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Inland Empire (2006)

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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.

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

Runtime: 2 hrs 59 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Dec 6, 2006 Limited

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.

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Release:

Aug 14, 2007

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Reviews for Inland Empire

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
04/14/07
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
11/24/07
Sydney Morning Herald
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
03/03/07
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
08/23/07
John Thomason
John Thomason
Orlando Weekly
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Some die-hard fans will no doubt like it, but most likely INLAND EMPIRE (yes - all capitals) will only be remembered as the second orthographically peculiar title after Mullholland Dr.

Full Review Source: european-films.net | comment Comment
09/08/06
Boyd van Hoeij
Boyd van Hoeij
european-films.net

...The film, which begins promisingly, disappears down so many rabbit holes (one of them involving actual rabbits) that eventually it just disappears for good.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
12/15/06
Carina Chocano
Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's also too long and too reminiscent of Lynch's other work. But die-hard fans will find things to like.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
05/25/07
Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
Sacramento Bee

This time Lynch has really lost his bananas, and the grapefruits aren't looking too ripe either.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
12/06/06
Chris Cabin
Chris Cabin
Filmcritic.com

Lynch's brilliant and bizarre films have often come to us as a puzzle wrapped in an enigma, but his latest is enshrouded with two layers of 'who cares?'

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
02/15/07
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

The effect, after an hour or two, begins to resemble a very anxiety-fraught session of watching music videos on MTV.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
12/15/06
Dana Stevens
Dana Stevens
Slate

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

Were it not for the great performances, this would be the worst movie of the year.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
12/08/06
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

A three-hour practical joke without a punchline, at once maddeningly obscure and infinitely boring.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment 1 Comment
04/14/07
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

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
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

...ideal for those who thought [David Lynch's] Mulholland Drive was too simple and straightforward...

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
06/04/07
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

... the avant-gardism feels less born of Lynch's bizarre brain than there to prop up his reputation.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
01/26/07
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)
 
 
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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
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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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