Wild At Heart (1990)
81%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
5 wins & 12 nominations total
One of director David Lynch’s more uneven efforts, Wild at Heart is held together by his distinctive sensibilities and compelling work from Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern
Wild at Heart is a wild ride that’s not for the faint of heart. While some critics may find fault with Lynch’s focus on iconography over character development, the film’s spontaneous, anything-goes feeling is what makes it so appealing. With jolting violence, wicked humor, and riveting eroticism, Wild at Heart is a brilliantly cinematic experience that’s sure to stick with you long after the credits roll. So buckle up and get ready for a flame-fueled story that celebrates the very qualities its harshest critics condemn.
Production Company(ies)
Melodrama Pictures,
Distributor
Media Home Entertainment, Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
El Paso, Texas, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1990
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:2h 5m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 17, 1990 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 5, 2015
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Willem Dafoe, Isabella Rossellini, Harry Dean Stanton, directed by David Lynch, written by David Lynch, drama, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Scott Tobias, Owen Gleiberman, Variety Staff, Geoff Andrew, Kenny Matheson, Brian Eggert, Chase Burns, Matt Brunson, Nicholas Bell, Yasser Medina, produced by Monty Montgomery, Sigurjon Sighvatsson, Media Home Entertainment, Samuel Goldwyn Company, 50s-inflected nightmare, road movie, love story, surreal, violent, erotic, spontaneous, anything-can-happen, hit man, robbery, prison, self-defense killing, mother-daughter relationship, shared life, desperate, iconography, characters, compelling, distinctive sensibilities
Worldwide gross: $14,562,242
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $33,571,638
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,509
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,661,029
US/Canada gross: $14,560,247
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $33,567,039
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,237
US/Canada opening weekend: $2,913,764
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $6,717,361
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,047
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $9,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $21,901,199
Production budget ranking: 1,329
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $11,793,796
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$123,357
ROI to date (est.): 0%
ROI ranking: 1,397
Laura Dern – Lula
Diane Ladd – Marietta Fortune
Willem Dafoe – Bobby Peru
Isabella Rossellini – Perdita
Harry Dean Stanton – Johnnie Farragut
Director(s)
David Lynch
Writer(s)
David Lynch
Producer(s)
Monty Montgomery, Sigurjon Sighvatsson
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
5 wins & 12 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (53) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (17)
Perhaps the major problem is that despite Cage and Dern’s best efforts, Lynch is ultimately interested only in iconography, not characters at all.
January 11, 2020
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
There’s a spontaneous, anything-can-happen feeling to it that’s the primary appeal of any road movie.
April 27, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Scott Tobias
The Dissolve
TOP CRITIC
Even the title is a letdown, somehow.
September 17, 2008 | Rating: C-
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Joltingly violent, wickedly funny and rivetingly erotic.
September 17, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Funny, scary and brilliantly cinematic.
January 26, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Not for the weak of heart, one of the best Lynchian outings with some fantastically memorable dialogue.
December 6, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Kenny Matheson
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Accepting Wild at Heart as a flame-fueled story in a Lynchian technique helps to not only concur with the film’s harshest critics, but also celebrate the very qualities they condemn.
April 22, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
I have a hard time focusing during Lynch’s films, but so many of Wild at Heart’s extreme scenes stick with me.
January 20, 2022
Chase Burns
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
I enjoyed it more back in 1990, though I’d be hard-pressed to recall exactly why — viewing it now, it’s only a marginally satisfying experience, with some potent set-pieces diluted by an almost juvenile predilection on Lynch’s part.
June 7, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
There is no denying the fun to be had with Wild at Heart. Its irresistibly charismatic leads draw you into Lynch’s anything goes, 50s-inflected nightmare with an ease and insanity that’s unlike anything put to film before or after.
November 4, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
I don’t think at all that ‘Wild Heart’ is one of the great works of David Lynch, but I must say it is a wildly entertaining road movie about love, passion and freedom. [Full review in Spanish]
October 8, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
Most of the time it’s unquestionably disturbing, but every so often a hint of deeper meaning pokes through the strangeness.
September 25, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins…
Plot
Lula’s psychopathic mother goes crazy at the thought of Lula being with Sailor, who just got free from jail. Ignoring Sailor’s probation, they set out for California. However their mother hires a killer to hunt down Sailor. Unaware of this, the two enjoy their journey and themselves being together… until they witness a young woman dying after a car accident – a bad omen.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern in the lead roles.
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