History YMMV / MulhollandDrive

** Going by [[https://criticstop10.com/best-of-2001/ critics' Top 10 lists]], ''Mulholland Drive'' was the second-most acclaimed film of 2001 (after ''Film/GhostWorld''). Retroactively, the film has been deemed by critics to be one of the greatest films of the 21st century so far, being one of only 2 films since 2000 to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sight_%26_Sound_Top_50_Greatest_Films_of_All_Time crack the Sight & Sound's Top 50 poll]] in 2012 (the other being ''Film/InTheMoodForLove''). However, at the Academy Awards, the film received only one nomination, for David Lynch's direction. He ended up losing to Ron Howard for ''Film/ABeautifulMind''.
** Additionally, Naomi Watts' performance earned enormous acclaim from the critical community, earning her the National Society of Film Critics Prize for Best Actress. She was also the runner-up at both the New York and Los Angeles Film Critics Associations. She unfortunately was not nominated by the Academy.

* HilariousInHindsight: This wouldn't be the [[Series/TwinPeaks last time]] David Lynch had doppelgangers of a woman named [[spoiler: Diane.]]

* ParanoiaFuel: The first two thirds of the movie is filled to the brim with some sort of inexplicable menace which never really gets any explanation. Rita is obviously mixed with organized crime and the mafia is on the lookout for her, there is a hitman tasked with hunting her down and an ominous woman comes knocking at Betty's doorway in the middle of the night, telling that someone is in danger, accidentally catching a glimpse on Rita in the process. When Betty and Rita are looking for Diane's apartment, they see men in black on a patrol in the neighborhood. The initial discovery of [[spoiler: Diane's corpse]] indicates that everyone even remotely involved with Rita is in grave danger.
** The last third is almost completely devoid of this for reasons unknown but most likely due to [[spoiler: Diane imagining it all]].

* LesYay: Big time. [[spoiler: And a major plot point.]]

* OneSceneWonder: Creator/MelissaGeorge and the Cowboy. Both get callbacks in the second half of the film. Also the [[JumpScare thing]] behind the restaraunt.

*** Said abomination is behind Winkies, a thinly veiled stand-in for Denny’s. A decade and a half later, Denny’s themselves would adopt a social media advertising campaign which became known for bordering on the Lynchian.

* NightmareFuel: While not as disturbing as say, ''Film/{{Eraserhead}}'', there are several moments which are quite horrifying. Of special note are:
** The corpse scene. See also: DaylightHorror and GrotesqueGallery.
** The Man Behind Winkie's... that is all.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Given the film's large cast of Twin Peaks -esque side characters, this is bound to happen.

* Fridge Horror: The scene where Betty and Rita find [[spoiler:Diane's decomposing body]] is pretty unsettling as it is. But it becomes a lot creepier (and more understandable, for that one) in retrospect if one accepts the interpretation that this is [[spoiler:part of Diane's dream right before killing herself]].

** The film was considered so incomprehensible by the studio that they made Lynch include a set of clues to the plot in the initial DVD release. Unfortunately, [[GenreBlind they]] ''made '''[[TrollingCreator Lynch]]''' write the clues'' -- and he wrote them [[TheWalrusWasPaul in such a way]] as to heap even more fuel on the fire of WildMassGuessing. Lynch has stated that the clues were [[https://www.vulture.com/2018/06/david-lynch-in-conversation.html genuine]] although given that he created the film, the clues would, of course, only make sense to him.

** The film was considered so incomprehensible by the studio that they made Lynch include a set of clues to the plot in the initial DVD release. Unfortunately, [[GenreBlind they]] ''made'' '''[[TrollingCreator Lynch]]''' write the clues'' -- and he wrote them [[TheWalrusWasPaul in such a way]] as to heap even more fuel on the fire of WildMassGuessing. Lynch has stated that the clues were [[https://www.vulture.com/2018/06/david-lynch-in-conversation.html genuine]] although given that he created the film, the clues would, of course, only make sense to him.

** The film was considered so incomprehensible by the studio that they made Lynch include a set of clues to the plot in the initial DVD release. Unfortunately, [[GenreBlind they]] ''made '''[[TrollingCreator Lynch]]''' write the clues'' -- and he wrote them [[TheWalrusWasPaul in such a way]] as to heap even more fuel on the fire of WildMassGuessing.

* SignatureScene: The [[HumanoidAbomination "man"]] behind Winkie's.

* HoYay: Big time. [[spoiler: And a major plot point.]]

* LoveItOrHateIt: Many viewers either consider it a brilliant masterpiece and one of the best films of all time, or a jumbled, nonsensical, overrated trainwreck not worth discussion. This usually hinges on the viewer's opinions of TrueArtIsIncomprehensible and David Lynch (though there are those who usually hate Lynch films but adore the movie, and those who love his films and loathe this one).

* UnreliableNarrator: We can't be sure at all that all the flashbacks we see after the [[spoiler: waking of Diane]] are not heavily distorted by [[spoiler: her]] severly troubled psyche.

* CreepyAwesome: The cowboy, the magician, Mr. Roque, and the [[HumanoidAbomination thing behind Winkies]].

* HilariousInHindsight: This wouldn't be the [[''Series/TwinPeaks'' last time]] David Lynch had doppelgangers of a woman named [[spoiler: Diane.]]

** The film was considered so incomprehensible by the studio that they made Lynch include a set of clues to the plot in the initial DVD release. Unfortunately, they ''made '''Lynch''' write the clues'' -- and he wrote them [[TheWalrusWasPaul in such a way]] as to heap even more fuel on the fire of WildMassGuessing.

* HilariousInHindsight: This wouldn't be the [[''Series/Twinpeaks'' last time]] David Lynch had doppelgangers of a woman named [[spoiler: Diane.]]

* OneSceneWonder: Creator/MelissaGeorge and the Cowboy. Both get callbacks in the second half of the film. Also the [[JumpScare thing]] behind Winkie's.
* SignatureScene: The "Man Behind Winkie's".

** SignatureScene: The "Man Behind Winkie's".

* CreepyAwesome: The cowboy, the magician, and Mr. Roque.

* OneSceneWonder: Creator/MelissaGeorge and the Cowboy. Both get callbacks in the second half of the film.

** The Man Behind Winkie's...that is all.

* TastesLikeDiabetes: The 50's style musical The director is making. Likely an [[InvokedTrope invocation]].

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Even in a film as random as this, the man behind Winkie's scene stands out as pretty unrelated to everything else.
** Not really so. The man behind Winkie's appears again later, most likely symbolizing [[spoiler: Diane's repressed fears and guilt over killing Camilla.]]
** This creature, played by a woman, [[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007491/ Bonnie Aarons ]], may actually represent [[spoiler: Camilla's decomposing corpse.]]
* JerkassWoobie: [[spoiler:Diane. She's pretty pitiful, even after having her best friend/lover killed out of jealousy]].

* LesYay: Big Time. [[spoiler: And a major plot point.]]

* NightmareFuel: While not as disturbing as say, ''Film/{{Eraserhead}}'', there are several moments which are quite horrifying. Of special note is the corpse scene. See also: DaylightHorror and GrotesqueGallery.

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: A common reaction. Others find that while there are loose ends, the film is comprehensible to them. Salon.com has a plausible [[http://www.salon.com/2001/10/24/mulholland_drive_analysis interpretation]].