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Blue Velvet

Play trailer Poster for Blue Velvet R 1986 2h 0m Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 172 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
College student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home after his father has a stroke. When he discovers a severed ear in an abandoned field, Beaumont teams up with detective's daughter Sandy Williams (Laura Dern) to solve the mystery. They believe beautiful lounge singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) may be connected with the case, and Beaumont finds himself becoming drawn into her dark, twisted world, where he encounters sexually depraved psychopath Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper).
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Blue Velvet

Blue Velvet

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Critics Consensus

If audiences walk away from this subversive, surreal shocker not fully understanding the story, they might also walk away with a deeper perception of the potential of film storytelling.

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Critics Reviews

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Terri Minsky New York Daily News Sep 18, 2026
2/4
It plays like a very sick episode of "Leave it to Beaver." Go to Full Review Joe Kane New York Daily News Sep 18, 2026
David Lynch's "Blue Velvet" is an imaginative bizarre, consistently unpredictable, blackly funny sleaze nightmare. Go to Full Review Jeff Millar Houston Chronicle Sep 18, 2026
The procession of imagery Lynch offers is seldom less than interesting. But he seems to have packed the text of the film with metaphors, which are seldom more than obvious. Go to Full Review Codie Allen InSession Film 4 days ago
A+
Blue Velvet doesn’t answer those questions neatly. It probably shouldn’t. Forty years later, its greatest power is still in that contradiction: it is horrifying and beautiful, tender and cruel, funny and deeply disturbing, dreamlike and painfully real. Go to Full Review Bill Brownstein Montreal Gazette Sep 18, 2026
This slickly stylized parody of small-town America is without question one of the most fascinating films to emerge from Hollywood in years. Go to Full Review Mike Clark Gannett News Service Sep 18, 2026
3.4/4
This isn't like any other movie. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Andrew Mar 16, 2025 Film doesn’t get any better. Absolute stunner! See more Bruce F Mar 12, 2025 Masterpiece of modern cinema! See more Cognac Mar 9, 2025 Its David Lynch. A lovely story to watch unfold, just dont get hung up on it making sense. See more Ben Mar 9, 2025 IMO the best place to start with David Lynch’s filmography. See more Francine Mar 6, 2025 One of my favorite David Lynch films. I was so lovely to watch this on the big screen. I hope our little Regency theater brings more Lynch films for throwback nights. The movie is a great dreamy noir with a fun soundtrack and gorgeous cinematography. Plenty of "ear"-iness. Disturbing and unsettling at times. All in the right ways. See more Iggy J @Iggy1979 Aug 17, 2026 It’s beautiful to watch. See more Read all reviews
Blue Velvet

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Cast & Crew

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David Lynch

Director

Kyle MacLachlan

Jeffrey Beaumont

Isabella Rossellini

Dorothy Vallens

Dennis Hopper

Frank Booth

Laura Dern

Sandy Williams

Hope Lange

Mrs. Williams

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Blue Velvet

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Movie Info

Synopsis College student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home after his father has a stroke. When he discovers a severed ear in an abandoned field, Beaumont teams up with detective's daughter Sandy Williams (Laura Dern) to solve the mystery. They believe beautiful lounge singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) may be connected with the case, and Beaumont finds himself becoming drawn into her dark, twisted world, where he encounters sexually depraved psychopath Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper).
Director
David Lynch
Producer
Fred C. Caruso
Screenwriter
David Lynch
Distributor
Warner Home Vídeo, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Paramount Pictures
Production Co
De Laurentiis
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 19, 1986, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 3, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.6M
Runtime
2h 0m
Sound Mix
Dolby, Surround
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