Wild at Heart

Plot

Young lovers Sailor and Lula run from the variety of weirdos that Lula's mom has hired to kill Sailor.

Release Year: 1990

Rating: 7.2/10 (35,496 voted)

Critic's Score: 52/100

Director:
David Lynch

Stars: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe

Storyline
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.

Writers: Barry Gifford, David Lynch

Cast:

Nicolas Cage
–

Sailor Ripley

Laura Dern
–

Lula Fortune

Willem Dafoe
–

Bobby Peru

J.E. Freeman
–

Marcelles Santos

Crispin Glover
–

Dell

Diane Ladd
–

Marietta Fortune

Calvin Lockhart
–

Reggie

Isabella Rossellini
–

Perdita Durango

Harry Dean Stanton
–

Johnnie Farragut

Grace Zabriskie
–

Juana Durango

Sherilyn Fenn
–

Girl in Accident

Marvin Kaplan
–

Uncle Pooch

William Morgan Sheppard
–

Mr. Reindeer

(as W. Morgan Sheppard)

David Patrick Kelly
–

Dropshadow

Freddie Jones
–

George Kovich

Release Date: 17 August 1990

Filming Locations: Castle Green Apartments – 99 S. Raymond, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $9,500,000

(estimated)

Gross: $14,560,247
(USA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Did You Know?

Trivia:

Willem Dafoe is actually urinating in the toilet when he goes to visit Laura Dern and asks to "piss in your head". Apparently, Dafoe had drunk a lot of bottled water and really needed to go. Only later did he find out that the toilet was not a working one and some poor crew member had to clean it.

Goofs:

Continuity:
When Sailor leaves Lula, and Lula cries out "SAILOR!!!" in close-up, the image is reversed. Lula's hair is normally "waved" to her left, but in this shot, her hair is "waved" to her right.

Quotes:

Lula:
When'd you start smoking, Sail?

Sailor:
I guess I started smoking when I was about… four. My momma was already dead then from lung cancer.

User Review

Mesmerizing.

Rating:


Recipient of the prestigious Palme d'Or award at Cannes, David Lynch's
"Wild at Heart" is an amazingly brilliant spectacle for the senses.
Bold splashes of deep red, curiously staged musical numbers (Nicolas
Cage does his own singing – and he's great!), and the continuous
references to "The Wizard of Oz" help create a surreal and dreamlike
texture to the narrative. The story in brief: Sailor and Lula
(excellent performances from both Nicolas Cage & Laura Dern); two
broken souls passionately in love, flee the vengeful wrath of Lula's
mother Marietta, who for reasons of her own will stop at nothing to
ensure the lovers are kept apart. Diane Ladd practically steals the
show in her brave portrayal of Lula's psychopathic mother Marietta. Gut
wrenchingly violent in places, hopelessly romantic in others; Lynch has
crafted an adult fairy tale worthy of multiple viewings. Recommended to
those who enjoy and appreciate abstract methods of film-making – a
definite 10/10!