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Mulholland Drive

Mulholland Drive

An actress longing to be a star. A woman searching for herself. Both worlds will collide... on Mulholland Drive.

2001147 minRMidcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Director
David Lynch
Starring
Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller

Blonde Betty Elms has only just arrived in Hollywood to become a movie star when she meets an enigmatic brunette with amnesia. Meanwhile, as the two set off to solve the second woman's identity, filmmaker Adam Kesher runs into ominous trouble while casting his latest project.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Mulholland Drive?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Mulholland Drive to rent or buy on Prime Video, and on no subscription service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Mulholland Drive?

Mulholland Drive earns 16 badges, led by Stood the test of time and Top 5% of films.

Show 8 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content
  • Cast

Reception

Is Mulholland Drive worth watching?

Mulholland Drive's Midcredits score is the 97th percentile of all films, from 1.9M ratings across 6 sources. 83% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

97th percentile

Better received than 97% of films

97th percentile among Drama96th percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)97th
Approval (how many liked it)93rd

81 /100

97th percentile of all films

98th percentile among Drama98th percentile among 2000s

Critics 87 · Audience 81

Critics liked it more than audiences did.

Rating distribution

Most people land high, with a thin tail of low scores from those it didn't reach.

83% liked it

93rd percentile of all films

94th percentile among Drama93rd percentile among 2000s
83% rated it 7–1017% rated it 1–6

Critics 83% · Audience 87%

On Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences approve at similar rates.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 1 Oscar noms · 45 wins / 50 noms overall

  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Director
  • NominatedGolden Globes· Best Director - Motion Picture

99th percentile

1.9M ratings across platforms

99th percentile among Drama99th percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 11% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$15M
Opening weekend$588K
Domestic gross$7.2M
Worldwide gross$20M

Returned 1.4× its budget — 90th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps agree the film is a deliberately opaque, dreamlike puzzle about Hollywood that demands multiple viewings and offers no easy answers.

Fans praised

  • dreamlike atmosphere and haunting surrealist imagery
  • Naomi Watts's emotionally devastating dual performance
  • mind-bending puzzle structure rewarding repeat viewings

Detractors panned

  • incoherent plot that deliberately refuses to make sense
  • pretentious self-indulgence masquerading as art
  • interminable pacing with no narrative payoff

What stands out

OriginalityDivisive95

unlike any other film; praised as unique but accused of pretentiousness

AtmosphereDivisive90

haunting dreamscape; unsettling and immersive

ActingDivisive85

Naomi Watts's tour-de-force dual role widely hailed; Harring and Theroux also praised

CinematographyDivisive85

rich colors, slow pans, dreamlike lighting

CharactersDivisive70

fragmented identities and archetypes; depth mostly in dream projection

Emotional impactDivisive70

tragic tale of heartbreak and crushed dreams; some find it cold

PacingDivisive35

first two-thirds slow and dreamlike; last act rushed

Plot and storyDivisive30

intentionally non-linear, dream-logic mystery; many call it incomprehensible

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Men

Men scored it 11 points higher than women.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Under-30s vs over-30s 4 points apart
  • Critics vs users 1 point apart
  • US vs non-US 4 points apart

Watch experience

What is Mulholland Drive like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Mind-bender: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want a puzzle and can give it your full attention.

It is intense, takes its time and leaves you haunted. Skip it when you want an easy night or you can only half-watch.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention, room for heavy feelings, patience and a taste for open questions.

What it feels like

Mind-bender.

Moods
TenseMelancholicBittersweet
Heaviest: throughout
Register
Dreamlike · 2% of films: Logic gives way to atmosphere and association.Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.
The answer rests on this: Told as
Nonlinear · 6% of films: Events shown out of chronological order.Frame story · 5% of films: A story told inside another — someone is recounting it.
ToneThe film adopts a dreamlike and surreal tone, playing its bizarre events straight without winking at the audience, yet with an undercurrent of dark irony about Hollywood.
The rideThe film sustains an oppressive, dreamlike tension from start to finish, punctuated by moments of beauty and melancholy.
StructureThe film is told out of chronological order, with a long dream sequence framed by a brief reality at the beginning and end, and the ending echoes the opening.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Haunted.

Haunting · 14% of filmsThought-provoking
Why it leaves you this wayThe film lingers as a haunting puzzle, forcing contemplation of its layers long after the credits roll.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous endingTwist

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).MysteryEnigma
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7% (this title): Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2% (this title)
  • No archetype 22%

Mystery: A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered. · Enigma: The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).

7% of films fit this archetype

with Tragedy underneath

Why this archetypeThe story is built around an amnesiac woman and a mysterious blue key, with the narrative blurring dream and reality, leaving the central question of what is real.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfIdentitySelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22% (this title): Identity 14% (this title) · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Self

Identity · 14% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe film is fundamentally about the instability of identity and the blurring line between fantasy and reality in the Hollywood dream factory.
StanceThe film neither celebrates nor condemns its themes; it presents them as a puzzle to be questioned and explored.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanDomesticStylized realism
Orchestral modernAmbientForeground music · original score · Angelo Badalamenti
SettingThe dark, dreamlike underbelly of Hollywood, with locations like Mulholland Drive, a diner called Winkies, and an eerie club called Club Silencio.
MusicBadalamenti's noir-tinged, dreamy score underscores the film's unsettling atmosphere.

Content guide

Is Mulholland Drive okay for kids?

R

Mulholland Drive is rated R: “Rated R for violence, language and some strong sexuality” (MPAA). As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at intense (62/100), sexual content at intense (77/100), language at moderate (37/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (35/100) and frightening material at severe (86/100). Overall it is heavier than 62% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 37 other countries
  • UK15
  • Canada18A
  • AustraliaMA 15+
  • Germany16
  • FranceU
  • Ireland15
  • JapanR15+
  • South Korea19
  • Brazil16
  • Argentina16
  • BelgiumKNT/ENA
  • CL18
  • Czechia15+
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK-16
  • GreeceK-16
  • Hong KongIII
  • Hungary16
  • IndiaUA
  • IS16
  • Israel16
  • ItalyT
  • MexicoC
  • Netherlands16
  • Norway15
  • PhilippinesR-18
  • Poland16
  • PortugalM/16
  • RO18+
  • Russia18+
  • South Africa18
  • Spain18
  • Sweden15
  • Switzerland16
  • Taiwan15+
  • TH18
  • Türkiye16+
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 77% of all filmsHeavier than 62% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Intense
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 38%
Sex & Nudity
Intense
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 95%
Profanity
Moderate
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 10%
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 32%
Frightening / Intense
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 88%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is frightening material, sexual content, and violence. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Mulholland Drive have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Mulholland Drive?

Cast

Naomi Watts
as Betty Elms
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Laura Harring
as Rita
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Justin Theroux
as Adam
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Ann Miller
as Coco
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Mark Pellegrino
as Joe
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Robert Forster
as Detective McKnight
Dan Hedaya
as Vincenzo Castigliane
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Angelo Badalamenti
as Luigi Castigliane
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Patrick Fischler
as Dan
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.
Brent Briscoe
as Detective Domgaard

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Mulholland Drive?

Movies like Mulholland Drive include Lost Highway (1997), Wild at Heart (1990) and Inland Empire (2006). Of the 12 closest matches, several are films by David Lynch, and several are stories about detectives.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

All 12 share its subject: identity. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Mulholland Drive?

972 other films share the rarest tag below, relationship: unrequited love. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.