Mulholland Drive (2001)

Kernel Score: 87% · 6,899 ratings · Rated R

Genres: Thriller, Drama, Mystery

Released: 2001-06-06

Runtime: 147 minutes

Is Mulholland Drive worth watching?

Worth watching. David Lynch's dream-logic mystery about Hollywood is hypnotic, unsettling and impossible to solve on first viewing. It rewards patience and discussion, but it won't give you a neat answer.

Watch it if you

  • like puzzle films that stay with you
  • enjoy David Lynch's dream logic
  • want a mystery that rewards rewatching

Skip it if you

  • need a clear plot
  • dislike surreal or disturbing scenes

Best for: Late-night in

Fresh Kernels verdict, AI-assisted from our scores, audience reviews and the official rating.

Where to watch Mulholland Drive

  • Rent: Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube
  • Buy: Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube

US availability, updated 2026-10-23.

Overview

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.

Mulholland Drive parents' guide: ages 15+

Parents need to know that Mulholland Drive is a surreal R-rated psychological thriller with mature content and disturbing imagery.

  • Violence & scariness: Moderate — Includes a car accident, a hitman, and unsettling, nightmarish violent imagery.
  • Sex, romance & nudity: Moderate — Contains explicit sexual content between two women, per its R rating and bisexuality-related plot elements.
  • Language: Some — R-rated film with scattered strong profanity.

Fresh Kernels AI-assessed from the official R rating, publicly documented content. A guide for families, not an official rating.

Movies like Mulholland Drive

If you liked Mulholland Drive, these are the movies we'd watch next.

  • Lost Highway (1997) — 85%: Lynch again, with a mind-bending identity puzzle.
  • Blue Velvet (1986) — 87%: Lynch's twisted small-town mystery.
  • Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) — 84%: Lynch's strange, dark return to the Twin Peaks world.
  • Memento (2000) — 96%: Puzzle thriller about memory and identity.
  • Repulsion (1965) — 85%: Disturbing psychological portrait of a mind coming apart.
  • The Elephant Man (1980) — 90%: Lynch's tender, grimly beautiful drama based on a real man.

Director

David Lynch

Cast

  • Naomi Watts as Betty Elms / Diane Selwyn
  • Laura Harring as Rita / Camilla Rhodes
  • Justin Theroux as Adam
  • Ann Miller as Coco
  • Mark Pellegrino as Joe
  • Robert Forster as Detective McKnight
  • Dan Hedaya as Vincenzo Castigliane
  • Angelo Badalamenti as Luigi Castigliane
  • Patrick Fischler as Dan
  • Brent Briscoe as Detective Domgaard

Mulholland Drive FAQ

Is Mulholland Drive worth watching?

Worth watching. David Lynch's dream-logic mystery about Hollywood is hypnotic, unsettling and impossible to solve on first viewing. It rewards patience and discussion, but it won't give you a neat answer.

Where can I watch Mulholland Drive?

In the US you can rent it from Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play and YouTube.

Is Mulholland Drive OK for kids?

Mulholland Drive is rated R. Fresh Kernels suggests ages 15+. Parents need to know that Mulholland Drive is a surreal R-rated psychological thriller with mature content and disturbing imagery.

What movies are like Mulholland Drive?

If you liked Mulholland Drive, try Lost Highway, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and Memento.