David Lynch has no doubt been one of the most influential directors of the modern era, with movies like “Eraserhead” and “Blue Velvet” being one of those movies to see. A great deal of attention has been paid to him and his ideas about the changing American landscape either rural or city-bound. Often he shows the gross underbelly that exists surprising close to our comfortable lives. The gross muck that people have as their life becomes readily apparent as the viewer realizes just how similar they are to that disgusting person on camera.
“A Goofy Movie” tends to be one of his more overlooked projects. Written around the same time as ‘Lost Highway’ this is another one of his ventures into the often dark world of Americana. Initially he wanted it to be a father/son bonding experience but realized it would be more interesting if he displayed some of the heartache and loss that he saw running rampant, particularly indirectly referencing the events of the Waco Siege in Waco, Texas.
Since the plot often uses multiple perspectives and the narrator’s motives are dubious, the audience is left to figure out exactly what goes through Goofy’s mind as he watches his comfortable life unravel around him. Due to the limited release and unavailability on DVD (an issue Mr. Lynch has promised will be resolved) there isn’t a huge amount of critical review on this classic snapshot of America during the early part of the Clinton era. Following are spoilers for this movie and I’ve linked the trailer for it. The soundtrack is phenomenal and easily rivals Philip Glass’s “Koyaanisqatsi” work.
The movie begins with a shot of an idyllic grain field. Apparently this symbolizes the pure good hearted nature of Goofy. However as the camera focuses more intensely on the field, we see a funeral. Goofy sadly looks into the ground as his wife’s coffin is lowered. Listening intensely to the priest as he mentions all the good she did for the community, Goofy uncontrollably sobs. Seeing his young son, he promises to make sure he’ll raise him well. He hopes that even without his mother’s angelic demeanor, Max will still turn out ok.
We forward into the present. A sterile office is presented as Goofy’s workplace. Working under a demanding boss, Goofy has clearly aged since his wife’s death which was many years ago. During his lunch break, he checks various online dating sites for potential dates, only to find that most people he messaged had read and deleted those messages. He longs for a wife, someone to help ease his tortured heart.
The phone rings on the wall. Startled, he heads towards it. Picking up the phone, he hears his son’s principal explaining what happened to him. To Lynch’s credit, it is never explicitly stated what Max’s crime was, but it is alluded to that he had developed a methamphetamine habit.
Worried about his son’s increasingly erratic behavior, he proposes a trip to Idaho to help him detox. Max’s face falls at first as he hears this information. Apparently from photos Goofy looks at before Max’s addiction, Max used to be a close son to him. But over the past several years, Max has become increasingly distant from his father. Part of this is due to Goofy’s lack of willpower and the blind faith he has in the lost sheep that is his son.
As the trip progresses, Goofy tries to engage him with things that he deems ‘wholesome’. Initially worried about Max’s attempts at hitchhiking and general lack of respect towards his father, Goofy begins to trust his son. Goofy explains how lucky Max has it, mentioning how he was abused physically and emotionally by his father. Those few scenes showing Goofy’s abuse as a child are uncomfortable and disturbing even by Lynch’s standards. For a brief moment, Max seems to understand. Slowly those images of Max dying fried out of his mind on meth in some abandoned building fade away.
But this proves to be an illusion. Max becomes better able to deal with his father as he changes the course of the trip. Instead of going to places that only Goofy would enjoy, the compromising that Goofy does brings his son back into contact with drugs again. The hardness of the drugs and the relief they provide allow Max to cope with the aggravation of being Goofy’s son. And after Goofy foolishly makes Max the navigator, real trouble begins to ensue, though Goofy does not realize it.
Chance encounters with his good friend Pete make Goofy more aware of what is going on. Pete explains the danger of the gangs that Max is indebted to, and that Goofy should just let his son go. Goofy find this hard to believe and has a small tantrum in the car. It is only after seeing the altered map heading to one of the largest drug regions of the US that he is convinced his son continued to head down the wrong path.
Sadly, the confrontation happens too late. As he tries to talk some sense into his son, the son violently tries to force the car into oncoming traffic. Pulling a knife on his own father, Goofy is forced to drive to the California drug den. Upon arrival Max foolishly puts up his own father as collateral since he doesn’t have any actual money. While under the gang’s possession, they perform sadistic electrocution experiments on him. Max starts to laugh as he sees his father being brutally tortured.
Goofy begins to fade away. As the last bolts of electricity pump through him, he sees that picture of a golden field of wheat. Slowly his body hits the ground for the last time. Max realizes what he has done but by then it is too late.