It’s Lynch’s gratuitous use of violence that is, ultimately, most disturbing. Lula owes a lot to Marilyn Monroe’s screen image, especially that in “Bus Stop.” The movie is an encyclopedia of pop symbolism - Cage’s snakeskin jacket had a role in Tennessee Williams’ “Orpheus Descending.” Sailor is an obvious ripoff of the Elvis rock ‘n’ roll outlaw persona. “Wild at Heart” may, in fact, be the first “sampling” movie, so literally does it borrow from “Oz” and other pop-culture icons in the manner that rap and popular songs “sample” snippets of already recorded performances. If this were literature, would this be plagiarism? The insertion of the “Oz” allusions - the crystal ball, Wicked Witch of the West, clicking heels three times and paraphrased dialogue - is awkward and, instead of lifting the movie metaphorically, interrupts the movie’s pace. However, Lynch’s overly stylized direction undercuts the performances. Lynch is to be credited for drawing the strongest performances of their careers from Cage and Dern, as well as most of the cast (which includes “Twin Peaks” types such as Sheryl Lee - Laura Palmer on the TV show - as the Good Witch Glinda). The oft-shown clip of her excitedly dancing on her bed captures a tiny part of a well-rounded performance that deserves an Academy Award nomination. For Cage, it’s yet another heavy-lidded doofus role, not too far removed from his characters in “Moonstruck” and “Raising Arizona.” Proving beyond a doubt that cinema is more than a lip-synch contest (a trend epitomized by “Risky Business” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”), Cage’s petulant charm disintegrates into a leering, drawling Elvis Presley impersonation (singing “Love Me” and “Love Me Tender”).ĭern’s gum snapper is another matter entirely.
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