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As Blue Velvet concludes its full circle journey, the film leaves the audience with freshly painted white picket fences. In one of Lynch’s more straightforward films, viewers are presented a sense of curiosity from the protagonist.
Suburbia… a place where nothing bad happens. The chance something out of the ordinary occurs, no need to worry! Lunchtime, robins, and smiles will always take higher priority. As Lynch moves back and forth from this “paradise” to its sickening counterpart, it is important to keep in mind that these two places are in fact one. Coming home from college after his dad is hospitalized, Jeffery (Kyle MacLachlan) meets and becomes infatuated with high schooler Sandy (Laura Dern). These two tag team the Lumberton mystery following a singer named Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) which becomes more and more repulsing… until it's not.
Jeffrey's curiosity (and/or perversion) leads to his knowledge of the situation occurring between Dorothy and a man named Frank. He finds himself in circumstances that he desperately needs to leave but can't, including awkward parties, lip-synching cues, and lots of lipstick. Part of the wonder is figuring out if he wants to leave at all. Jeffrey purposefully doesn't reveal his thoughts to the audience often, making it difficult to track his true intentions. Sandy treats him as a college boy who is just far too curious, but the viewer can see another side of him. Jeffrey Beaumont dabbles in being frightened by these events while simultaneously fantasizing about them.
The contrast between surface-level suburbia and its dark realities reveals the need for different performances. Isabella Rossellini's performance is unique in the sense that she is forced to commit to staying in those dark realities. Other performances have the privilege of carrying a certain lightness to their role, something that can’t be said for Rossellini.
Laura Dern knocked it out of the park! Her character was potentially the flattest and most reliant on other characters, but she brought Sandy to life, providing both interest and involvement.
Dennis Hopper's portrayal of the wild Frank Booth is both horrible and unnerving, yet David Lynch does an amazing job of making it so easy to laugh at him. Despite his horrendous actions, Frank makes this movie so much fun.
Dean Stockwell's performance as Ben is a personal favorite. His presence is so small and timid that you would think he wouldn't hurt a fly. However, the way Frank seems to be subordinate to him in some hierarchy makes you assume this man is evil. His performance to "In Dreams" is a quick reminder of who is directing this movie, just in case you forgot.
Cookie-cutter protagonists… check. Inexperienced and incapable young man must save women in cumbersome situations… check. Messy love interests throughout the film ending with the perfect match… check. Everything is back to normal and this will never be spoken about again… check. Through all the cliques and suburbia-esque story structures, the cheesy dialogue stood out to me. Was that all part of the point, maybe, and if so that's okay. If it wasn't, that's okay too.
- Mattress Man