I have always loved FWWM from the moment I first saw it - I love it just as much as the series, to be honest.

But I have since discovered the negative reaction by critics and the public, and the fact that loads of fans of the series don't like it either.

So - are you a fan, do you dislike FWWM or are you neutral, and why?

I think it's beautiful to look at, has the most genuinely scary moments in any one film I have ever seen (wash your hands, the scream when Laura is in bed with Bob / Leland, the Tremonds in the parking lot, the car / Mike scene, the creepy picture, the murder) and also some beautiful emotional scenes, and it's just so dark and wierd and pure Lynch, I love it!

I know some people have said they would rather know what happened AFTER, and if he could have made another film of what happened to Cooper etc, that would have been amazing too, no doubt, but if there is only 1 film, I'm glad it was this one.  

And I also hear people say it's got none of the humour of the series - I can see their point and yes it is one of the saddest films I've ever seen (poor, poor Laura ) and lots of the spirit of the show was missing but I think there are loads of funny parts too - especially between Sam Stanley and Chester Desmond, Carl Rodd "DAMN! You people are confusing!" and Albert.   I love little touches like when Desmond says "Did you notice Lil was wearing a sour expression" and Sam Stanley asks what he means and Desmond just looks at him like he is an idiot and says "Her face had a sour look on it" - something about that just tickles me!

So, a big thumbs up from me - what about everyone else on here?   Whats the consensus? 

I'm gonna have to sit on the fence. I prefer the first half-hour for the humour (non-existent in Laura's last days) and for giving us some new story. But then overall I like the Laura main segment because it fits in better with the series. It definitely works as a very emotional moving film, but it might be overly depressing (I'm not blaming the actual film there, more the concept). The two parts of the film also just don't fit together. It seems unneccessary to introduce these new characters, Desmond and Stanley and Deer Meadow, and then forget about them. Like Dune and Inland Empire I think the soundtrack is the best part of the film.

i loved it, but completely on its own. the movie's approach is very different from the series-- the movie being very in-your-face, over the top, and dark/foreboding, while the series (while having a dark undercurrent to it) was quirky, very funny, and gave you a sense of connection with the characters that the movie just never had.

When I first saw it, I was pretty disappointed.  I loved the first half of the film extremely, while I was less than satisfied with "Laura's Story".  Over the years, I've learned to love it for what it is.

I originaly expected it to have the same charm and humor of the series.  After I calmed down, there were so many parts in the second half that I love as well.  Even though it really didnt answer many questions that I had, leeding up to her death.  But, typical Lynch - leaving you with more questions, than answers.  It's definitly my favorite Lynch movie, right behind BV!

It was Peggy Lipton on some doc that said she didn't like FWWM because everything that was bubbling under the surface in the show is brought out, killing the mystery, and that it's just 2 hours of competitive freaking out.

I think that's a pretty uptight view of it. Since when, in a DL film, does he not hesitate to rip the wound right open and look inside? (Straight Story and Elephant Man even have some viscerally emotional scenes, and also deal directly with the failure of the human body: the definition of horror.)

I think the series could have been more raw, like Maddy's death. A prequel about BOB and Laura had to match that intensity.

Knowing it was a prequel, critics should not have expected Cooper, his unwavering morals and wholesome quirks. I've seen it filed under Horror in some video stores, Drama in others.

TP the show-- Cooper's story-- is more of a Mystey/Comedy, excepting it's very darkest moments (Ronnette's dream; Maddy's murder)

I used to say anyone who doesn't like FWWM, doesn't like TP. Period. But clearly it's an aversion to genres that deal with extreme horror and ugly emotional states on Cooper that puts its detractors off.

well, I just never enjoy this movie.

It's never a good sign when my friend and I (the only survivors from TP parties) are groaning at the screen for Laura to "shut up and just die already!" while the others in the theater had either left or were just laughing.

And I had seen and loved Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart and The Elephant Man.  I had already gotten over the anger that Fenn turned it down, and that Maclachlan would only be in a small portion.  And I love Harry Dean Stanton and Bowie.  So I was already fine to enjoy it.

It's true the first half when initially seen is hard to concentrate on because one is anxious to get to the town of Twin Peaks... and when that sign post popped up, some of us cheered.

And my personal opinion is that delving into Laura's life is redundant, and actually breaks the spell.  Laura existed as so many different things to different people- she's a phantom that holds a mirror up to the people left behind.  But I try to put that out of my mind and appreciate it for what it is.

And I just found it self indulgent, and I like Lee but I really dislike her performance- I'll be shot for this, but I think it's one note and actually too easy.  Frankly, I think it's trying to hard.  I was always shocked how much Laura has grown in Peaks fandom -with Wrapped in Plastic devoting gallons and gallons of ink to the character, instead of how she was a catalyst for Donna, Audrey, Bobby, James, Leland, Ben etc.

I've seen it several times -and I like the first half quite a bit.  But the Laura Palmer section isn't as dark or interesting to me as the actual series (maybe it has something to due with it being under constraints that makes it have to be more clever).

I do appreciate the skill and craft, and tone.  And the soundtrack is glorious.  But it's not a fun film to me.  I still love Lynch though.

If the nude scene is what kept Lara Flynn Boyle from returning, then that scene should have been cut.

While i like some things about the film, it just doesn't cut it in Peakdom. nuf sed.

Greatest

film

of all

time.

Seriously though, I do love it. Probably more than I should. Lynch hit it out of the park for me. Soundtrack was the finest he's ever put together. Ron Garcia did an awesome job with the cinematography. Dear Meadow and Phillip Jefferies made the world of Twin Peaks a much more interesting place in my opinion. Without the added mystery that FWWM brought to the table, I don't think that we would still be talking about the TV series to this day.

<runs for shelter>

So thats 5 love it, 2 dislike it and 1 so / so, thus far.

I can't help loving it, although i do miss the quirky humour and Audrey, the other characters etc, but in a way i like that its very pared down, as I feel it gets to the heart of the story - Laura, BOB - and cuts all the extra storylines, some of which i miss (Ed and Norma, Audreys minxiness) and some of which i detest (orphans, mayors, saw mills)

Its bleak but beautiful, I think, and it's got a feel all of its own, very different to the series.   Also, a few people say they feel its pointless as we already know laura's story from the series...maybe this is just me, but i did not pick up alot of Laura's story from the series alone - obviously that she was lelands daughter, popular at school but troubled, had secrets, everyone loved her but no-one knew her...but the details halp everything snap into place and seeing her tragic story just makes everything that happened in the start and end of the series much more poignant for me.

J xxx

ps - this isnt the busiest forum around, and Its very American, and im in the UK, but i have to say its very addictive on here!   Im always popping on to check for new posts...love it! :-) 

But it's not a fun film to me.  I still love Lynch though.

 

it just doesn't cut it in Peakdom. nuf sed.

FWWM is the secrets that Jacoby couldn't penetrate. It's the world Sternwood warned Cooper about, the dark force in the woods the Bookhouse Boys united against, and why Cooper failed in the end.

The complaints about the series: that the Coop/Audrey romance died and that FWWM wasn't a 2 hr episode of TP are complaints that Lynch refused to pander to predictable mass market cravings, be predictable and sell out.

There was nothing more to do in that world...

FWWM moved me differently than the show. It was an isotope of the TP universe. But while certain aspects of the show were touching and memorable, the movie had its own thing that paired perfectly with it.

It was sadder, darker, and more sinister. As a person with chronic depression who thrives on works like Bukowski, Samuel Johnson, Charlie Kaufman and Wes Anderson, and of course David Lynch, FWWM was more Lynchian than the TV show bc of censors. It seemed less restrained.

 One of my favorite short stories that I have written was read by a friend yesterday and he didn't like it because he said it was too intense, too heavy. I took that as a compliment because that was the intent. If he was disturbed, then mission accomplished. The story is supposed to be cutting. The point is that Lynch did that with FWWM and I liked it. So I give it a gigantic yes.

But it's not a fun film to me.  I still love Lynch though.

 

it just doesn't cut it in Peakdom. nuf sed.

FWWM is the secrets that Jacoby couldn't penetrate. It's the world Sternwood warned Cooper about, the dark force in the woods the Bookhouse Boys united against, and why Cooper failed in the end. The complaints about the series: that the Coop/Audrey romance died and that FWWM wasn't a 2 hr episode of TP are complaints that Lynch refused to pander to predictable mass market cravings, be predictable and sell out. There was nothing more to do in that world...

  I completely get that, and applaud that, and find it very interesting material.  And watch it on its own terms.  And I love the way Lynch works, intuitive. And he said he loves constraints (in this case, McLachlan's refusal to partake fully in the film) because it allows you to have to explore new avenues.  This is a fantastic way to work.   And sometimes the project/improvisation gels and sometimes it doesn't.  To me, FWWM doesn't gel as a cohesive piece. There are parts of it I find exceptional- and why not, Lynch is an exceptional filmmaker. 

I understand why people like it, and I'm sure I'll watch it at least fifty more times before I die.

Twin Peaks made me want to know more about Laura Palmer.  To me, she was the center of the story.  And though I did want to know what happened after the series to Cooper and what not, I think FWWM was the film that should have been made.  I love this movie too.  I think that maybe it's a film that would resonate more with the female persuation.  As I was a young girl watching Twin Peaks, I wanted to know why all these men loved Laura, what kind of girl she was.  I loved to see the double life she lead, trying so hard to be good and please others while losing herself to the darkness that was within and all around her.  For those who missed the comedy, I am wondering what could be funny in this movie.  Her last days were sad.  I wouldn't have been as effective of a film if it was silly.  It was supposed to be disturbing and scary.   

I don't like FWWM (surprise!).
The bad stuff:
Lynch did a better job of making a cohesive whole in MD, in this movie there are bits and pieces strewn about that only make the center (if we're operating on the notion that it is the sad story of Laura Palmer's last days) diluted and uninvolving. Here's Laura's and she's sad BUT LOOK OVER HERE!!!

The scene with the Enter Sandman guy could easily be rubber stamped with the words Hi I'm David Lynch and this is my shtick.
The movie doesn't really say anything that people who watched the show didn't already know, it just goes into tedious detail with quite possibly the most boring party ever.
It touches on some dark subjects but doesn't do it especially well, it doesn't manage to be dark, or depressing. You don't get an A just for showing up.

The good stuff:
The prologue is the best part, but it's not good enough to make it worth watching.
The scene with Laura walking through the house and finding Bob is the only effective moment in the movie.

Hey all

Just joined this board after watching FWWM last night for the first time since it came out I think. I was a huge Peaks fans when the show was airing on ABC and now I am getting back into the series for a second time.

Sorry, I don't have much to say right now but I hope to contribute to some of these discussions I am seeing on these boards soon. It's refreshing to have found an active board on a cult TV series that is 20 years old!

Are you The Muffin?

Hell, YES!

I know the critics don´t really care for it, no surprise, I´m actually glad they don´t ´cause I can´t stand journalists or critics. Taste systematically abuses creativity - I´ve said it a hundred times; 

FWWM: 10/10.

A mutli-layered, brilliant, original, grungy, heartbreaking, breathtaking, angry, sick, smelly, pitch-black, Shawnshank Redemption-faggots-come-in-and-taste-r-e-a-l-p-a-i-n---´cause you fucking virgins of pain haven´t seen anything like this-movie. 

Lynch CARED about his characters. Unlike a fucking cunt-director like Tarantino.

I agree with MayRay, FWWM is about Laura Palmer and her relationship with society and the prize she pays - as a woman- and as a daughter to a damaged father and indeed a neglacting mother.

Welcome onboard, the Great Went, that´s quit a name...

It's a little hit or miss for me. The prologue I think stacks right up with the best of the series. That part gives us something new, and I feel like it's the only part of the movie that actually adds anything to the Peaks tapestry.

When it switches over to Laura's story...I dunno. It's good and I enjoy it, but part of me can't help but wish it was showing me something else new. I already know Laura had a fucked up life and partied a lot and was boning Bobby and James (and others) and doing lots of drugs. The best parts of the Laura portion of the film, to me, are the ones that deal more with Leland and the Lodge characters that are infiltrating his world. Laura's dream sequence with Dale and the ring is also pretty fantastic.

And it kind of bugs me a little that Gerard is possessed at the end of FWWM, but doesn't seem to be a day or two later when he's appearing in early episodes of the series. But that's nitpicking.

I can see where it's coming from but I don't really think it is a valid criticism to say that we already knew Laura Palmer's fate and general background so it is redundant to show us her life. That's like condemning a biographical movie because we already know what happens, or never rewatching a movie because you know the plot. It's about the scenes and the characters and the atmosphere etc. If FWWM fails in this aspect it's because Laura's scenes aren't that well acted or interesting, but not because of what actually happens.

If FWWM fails in this aspect it's because Laura's scenes aren't that well acted or interesting, but not because of what actually happens.

Right.  yes, for me I personally am not interested in Laura Palmer more than a catalyst/McGuffin for the characters.  (I thought that she did Meals on Wheels, One Eyed Jacks, tutoring, language, etc, etc, was a sendup and a takeoff of overdoing motives). 

But again, I put all that aside and watch the film for what it is.   And on that level, I just don't care for it.  I don't like the central performances of Wise and Lee- I feel they're both at level 10 all the time and it becomes exhausting.   It doesn't have any nuance or spark to me.  It doesn't really offer me anything on incest or family dynamics, or a lost girl grown up too fast.

If FWWM fails in this aspect it's because Laura's scenes aren't that well acted or interesting, but not because of what actually happens.

Right.  yes, for me I personally am not interested in Laura Palmer more than a catalyst/McGuffin for the characters.  (I thought that she did Meals on Wheels, One Eyed Jacks, tutoring, language, etc, etc, was a sendup and a takeoff of overdoing motives). 

But again, I put all that aside and watch the film for what it is.   And on that level, I just don't care for it.  I don't like the central performances of Wise and Lee- I feel they're both at level 10 all the time and it becomes exhausting.   It doesn't have any nuance or spark to me.  It doesn't really offer me anything on incest or family dynamics, or a lost girl grown up too fast.

I think people too often say that FWWM is insightful for its dealing of incest and the effects it has on a family just because that's one of the themes. But, it's easy to make a father raping and murdering his daughter horrific, and it is sad and moving to watch, but I'm sure watching any visual representation on that subject would have a similar effect. If it didn't, it would only be because it would struggle to be as over-the-top as FWWM.
 

well, I don't want to make this into a war. 

I respect the film and respect Lynch as a filmmaker, and always appreciate his experimenting and willing to see where things go.

As a fan going to the movie in 1992, it was impossible for me to separate myself from the series.  I couldn't concentrate on the first half because I wanted to get to Twin Peaks, I wanted to see Dale Cooper, etc.  I was impatient.  And also I loved Audrey and her saddle shoes. I loved the Great Northern.  I loved Lucy, Catherine, Pete etc.  These were crucial elements that gave the Twin Peaks mood.  So there was no way I couldn't be grumpy about it.

But once that subsides, or I can take a breather and revisit it, I look at the film for what it is.

And I'll still watch parts of it and say, "Hey, that's cool!" or "Ahhhh, nice scene."  But I won't get caught up in it and watch it from beginning to end like I will Casablanca, His Girl Friday, Rear Window, Notorious etc.  -or a first half of Twin Peaks series (pilot - 2.008)

Hey all

Just joined this board after watching FWWM last night for the first time since it came out I think. I was a huge Peaks fans when the show was airing on ABC and now I am getting back into the series for a second time.

Sorry, I don't have much to say right now but I hope to contribute to some of these discussions I am seeing on these boards soon. It's refreshing to have found an active board on a cult TV series that is 20 years old!

Are you The Muffin?

No Sweat Man...Glad You're here!
 

I loved it when it first came out.  I was really into the diary, the cds, the darkness etc...  I liked it better than the show.  But now I like the show better.  Maybe I have just gotten older.  I still like FWWM, I just like the show better.

I heart Fire Walk With Me. It's been my favourite film since its release and I can't see that changing after all this time. I was always a Laura person rather than a Cooper person anyway, and it's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

And I know nobody asked but I'd also say 'yes' to INLAND EMPIRE, which is my third favourite Lynch film of all time.

Well, yes. It's not a flawless film, but it's full of brilliant scenes. I don't agree that the acting is sub-par. I suspect it was originally intended to be longer (perhaps there was originally some idea of it being presented as a two-part mini-series?). I think it suffers somewhat from being shortened, which makes it maybe too intense, with too many jarring transitions. But I like it!