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Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Hope Lange ... see more see more... , Dean Stockwell , Brad Dourif , Jack Nance , Frances Bay , George Dickerson , Jack Harvey , Priscilla Pointer , Ken Stovitz , Peter Carew , Moses Gibson , Dick Green , J. Michael Hunter , Kate Reid , Angelo Badalamenti , A. Michelle Depland , Philip Markert , Donald Moore , Fred Pickler , Michelle Sasser , Selden Smith , Jon Jon Snipes , Jean Pierre Viale , Leonard Watkins

Director David Lynch crafted this hallucinogenic mystery-thriller that probes beneath the cheerful surface of suburban America to discover sadomasochistic violence, corruption, drug abuse, crime and p... read more read more...erversion. Kyle Maclachlan stars as Jeffrey Beaumont, a square-jawed young man who returns to his picture-perfect small town when his father suffers a stroke. Walking through a field near his home, Jeff discovers a severed human ear, which he immediately brings to the police. Their disinterest sparks Jeff's curiosity, and he is soon drawn into a dangerous drama that's being played out by a lounge singer, Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) and the ether-addicted Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper). The sociopathic Booth has kidnapped Dorothy's young son and is using the child as a bargaining chip to repeatedly beat, humiliate and rape Dorothy. Though he's drawn to the virginal, wholesome Sandy Williams (Laura Dern), Jeff is also aroused by Dorothy and in trying to aid her, he discovers his dark side. As the film nears its conclusion, our hero learns that many more indivduals are tacitly involved with Frank, including a suave, lip-synching singer, Ben (Dean Stockwell), who is minding the kidnapped boy. Director Lynch explored many similar themes of the "disease" lying just under the surface of the small town, all-American faade in his later television series Twin Peaks (1990-91). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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88% liked it

70,155 ratings

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92% liked it

37 critics

R, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: David Lynch

Release Date: September 19, 1986

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DVD Release Date: February 4, 1999

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Stats: 5,871 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (5,871)

  • fb1664868775
    March 4, 2012
    fb1664868775
    David Lynch's first fully realized masterpiece starts off seemingly straight forward and innocent but don't let the introduction fool you. You soon plunge into a strange world of sex, drugs and violence. Featuring a horrific and amazing performance from Dennis Hopper as well as s... read moretellar performances from the rest of the cast. This is a must see.
  • axadntpron
    November 13, 2011
    axadntpron
    Summed up perfectly by the late Gene Siskel, this film plays you like a piano. Lynch's arousing yet unsettling portrait of the underbelly of the American dream is something you won't soon forget. He successfully immerses you into a pleasantville-esque world replete with the music... read moreal stylings of Bobby Vinton. From there, through the eyes of the fatally curious Kyle McLachlan, Lynch launches us into a hallucinogenic detective story that becomes more intriguing even as Lynch drags us further into the bowels of this perverse fairy tale.
    I must admit that this film did not thrill me upon first viewing. In fact, it was as pleasant as being hit in the head with a shovel. However, upon a second viewing I found out oddly enough that Lynch made me like and even admire the shovel that seemed hellbent on doing me harm. And for me that is quite an impressive feat, and one I soon won't forget.
  • blkbomb
    October 1, 2011
    blkbomb
    Frank Booth: In dreams, I walk with you. In dreams, I talk to you. In dreams, you're mine, all the time. Forever. 

    "It's a strange world."

    Holy Shit! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually liked this movie. This is shocking because I might have hated David Lynch more t... read morehan anyone. I've seen most of his movies and before seeing Blue Velvet the only one I really liked was The Elephant Man. This isn't nearly as good as The Elephant Man though, because it still has the elements of Lynch films that piss me off. The great thing about The Elephant Man is those elements are missing. But this is the first time the strangeness of David Lynch didn't ruin one of his films.

    His strange elements are still there in Blue Velvet and there were scenes that I absolutely hated. For the most part though, I did enjoy this mystery, suspense film. Kyle MacLachan was really good. Dennis Hopper radiated with energy in his crazy villain role. And almost as shocking as me liking a Lynch film, was me not entirely hating a Laura Dern performance. Now, just like with Lynch, I'm still not a fan. I just see that they aren't complete shit all the time. 

    The plot is about as weird as you'd expect from Lynch. A young college student, Jeffrey, comes back to his home town after his father is taken to the hospital. Walking through a field he finds a human ear and takes it to the local police. Then for some reason, he gets himself wrapped up into the mystery of the murder. I will say that Lynch's movies always have a strong energy about them and this one is no different. The reason I like this more than the average Lynch film, is that he doesn't go to insane with adding random garbage and doesn't try to make the film totally incomprehensible. 

    This movie almost makes me want to go back and re-watch all of the Lynch films I hate. Again, like with The Elephant Man, it almost makes me hate Lynch more because when he worries about telling a story more than putting a bunch of weird, random scenes in a movie to make it more stylish and strange; he is a great filmmaker. Too bad he couldn't do this more often.
  • bottcorecords1
    August 16, 2011
    bottcorecords1
    A dandy fop pimp (Dean Stockwell) lip syncs Roy Orbison's "In Dreams" while a psychotic kidnapper (Dennis Hopper) stands listening, racked with emotion. That kind of scene may be standard fair for filmmaker David Lynch, but Blue Velvet is actually a more of a straight ahead ode ... read moreto 1950s film noir than anything. The film begins in an idyllic small town setting but right from the beginning, there's a sense that not all is wholesome and family values here. On the way to the hospital to visit his father, Jeffrey (Kyle MacLachlan) finds a human ear lying in the woods. He takes it to the police and discovers some business about a missing person and a singer at a local nightclub. With the police detective's teenage daughter (Laura Dern) tagging along, Jeffrey launches his own personal investigation of the singer (Isabella Rossellini). What he discovers is a world of sex and violence centering around the sadomasochistic hophead Frank Booth (Hopper).

    David Lynch likes to paint with broad strokes when he makes movies. Sometimes it seems like we're looking through the lense of some alien studying our planet. But Lynch isn't as inaccessible or weird as you might think, in fact films like Blue Velvet follow a pretty standard narrative. I like his unique perspective, both in the style of his films and the way in which he directs his actors. Blue Velvet has an aura of sleaze about it which is exactly the film it was meant to be. The film itself is quite superb.
  • fb57802118
    May 25, 2011
    fb57802118
    Emotionally exhausting, so intense as to almost be a horror film. The cast turns in incredible performances, but the screenplay manages to juxtapose their gratuitousness with a sense of subtlety - the sign of a true master. No film has toyed with my sense of genre like this one. ... read moreDavid Lynch looks his audience directly in the eye while brutally violating their expectations. Only things I didn't like - the cinematography is bare-bones to the point of being ugly, and the ending tonally jars with what preceded it. Still a great film, one of my favorites, and a true masterpiece.
  • ythelastman89
    February 11, 2011
    ythelastman89
    It might just be the greatest criticism of the all American lifestyle. Lumberton seemed to exist in its own world, never giving up that 50s look and personality even into the 80s. Maybe that's why it's so twisted when things start to run a muck when Frank Booth roles in with his ... read moreCandy Colored Man music and Nitrous oxide. David Lynch gives us a perfectly crafted set of images that places you into such a soothing atmosphere, completely conflicting with the themes being presented. The characters are so interesting to pick apart, half of them being jaded and the others being so devoid of right and wrong. A lot of why this is such a favorite of mine is due to the way it just completely takes you into a world, takes you out and then throws you back in every now and then. The manipulation it has on the viewer is amazing; it's only when you step back do things start to really make sense.
  • flixsterman
    January 29, 2011
    flixsterman
    A bizarre offering from the mind of David Lynch. I'm still not sure if any of the characters are completely sane. In fact, I could make a strong case that there was some serious drug use going on during the writing and filming of this one. Still, this is one of those rare "Wow... read more!" kind of movies. A ground-breaking thriller with iconic imagery. It's easy to see how Blue Velvet has become a cult classic.
  • ajv2688
    January 21, 2011
    ajv2688
    I love this movie, it's one of Lynch's best, it has a fantastic story with a lot of surprises and suspense, and it has an awesome cast too. I highly recommend this movie.
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    December 28, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    Ooohh.... oh boy.
    I think that growing up in a later era and watching film influenced by earlier works so not seeing the original first can be a problem. This is one of those cases. I'd heard SO much about Lynch and his work in many film classes and decided to be a darer and try ... read moreout this one as my first.
    Firstly, I got the symbolism and the levels. The perfectly manicured suburban garden with the bugs chomping away beneath it all (LOVED the through the grass shot, by the way.) I got the seedy underground life contrasted with the superficial suburbanites.
    But I felt as though it was cut too short. I didn't feel any real connection between characters Jeffrey and Dorothy, and I was confused at why he went for Sandy and cut off the other relationship so quickly. Nor did I begin to understand any of the actual crime offenses going on with the other police detective. And what was the point of the Nicely Dressed Man or whatever? He was just Dennis Hopper? What?
    Then I read that this film was originally cut from 4 hours down to 2. Ouch. Buy, does that effect a film. A film can survive cuts, yes, but I think it was just a little too damaging for this one in particular.
    Now, don't get me wrong. It was extremely well filmed. Gorgeous colors. Very well acted. There seems to be some debate on Dennis Hopper's performance, but I think he is divine. And possibly a touch bipolar. But what good character isn't?! Of course the other performances and fantastic as well!
    Overall, I don't feel good about giving it such a low rating, but I really just wasn't crazy about it as a whole. And I should say, I don't mind at all a weird movie, it just didn't hold together that well. Plus the ending. I mean, whoa. Unexpectedly sweet and happy for something writhing around in the dirt the whole time.
  • paulkoh110
    December 27, 2010
    paulkoh110
    I enjoyed the idea of an underground crime syndicate hidden behind an ordinary town but for some reason i feel that the film just wasnt that great. Throughout the whole movie, i kept asking myself, why is dennis hopper such a freak?? David Lynch gave a crazy story and i liked it,... read more just not that much

View All Blue Velvet Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It made me feel pity for the actors who worked in it and anger at the director for taking liberties with them. Full Review

John Hartl
January 1, 2000
John Hartl, Film.com

Not quite like any other thriller or erotic mystery you've ever seen.

Paul Attanasio
January 1, 2000
Paul Attanasio, Washington Post

The movie doesn't progress or deepen, it just gets weirder, and to no good end. Full Review

James Plath
December 29, 2011
James Plath, Movie Metropolis

One which David Lynch fans will want to watch over and over in HD, and which non-fans ought to see at least once. Full Review

Peter Canavese
November 15, 2011
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews

Works brilliantly as an allegory of American repression and willful illusion of order, Lumberton's forced-smile '50s sensibility unable to keep down the anarchic, raging id that is humanity's primal d... Full Review

Kevin Carr
November 13, 2011
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

For as diverse as Lynch's filmography is, Blue Velvet is quite possibly his masterwork. There's a strange mix of comfort and beauty with terror and awfulness. Full Review

James Kendrick
November 10, 2011
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk

shocking, perverse, funny, unsettling, scathing, biting, and twisted, but undeniably original Full Review

Ken Hanke
July 1, 2010
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

One of the most subversive films of the 1980s, delving into the corrupt underside of the then-idealized faux innocence of the 1950s with an almost alarming ferocity. Full Review

Cole Smithey
May 11, 2009
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

In 1986 David Lynch broke the language of cinema wide open in the same way that Jackson Pollock did with the art world in the early '40s. Full Review

Dan Jardine
June 16, 2006
Dan Jardine, Cinemania

a beautiful film about sickness, a funny film about degeneracy Full Review

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  • What movie featured this exchange: "What kind of beer do you like to drink, neighbor?" "Heineken." "Heineken? F*** that sh**! Pabst Blue Ribbon!   Answer »
  • Which actress played as nightclub singer Dorothy Vallens in the movie Blue Velvet?  Answer »
  • In the film Blue Velvet, what is Dennis Hopper's favorite beer?  Answer »
  • Who plays the role as the sadistic Frank Booth in "Blue Velvet"?  Answer »
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