While a documentary about David Lynch should be anything but ordinary, filmmaker Toby Keeler rambles way too much here to make this piece as riveting as it should be. Keeler, like Lynch, refuses a chronology here so we ramble from segments about the making of "Lost Highway," which take up too much space, to Lynch's work with Angelo Badalamenti to a reunion with some "Eraserhead" cast members.

There is sure some interesting stuff for fans of Lynch here though. The most important part of this film is the pieces of Lynch's early works which surface here. Unfortunately, they only make you wish you could see the entire short films. "6 Men Getting Sick" (aka "6 Figures Getting Sick") (1966) seems to be shown in it's entirety. But "The Alphabet" (1968) and "The Grandmother" (1970) are seen only in glimpses that make us long to see much more. This unsatisfied desire makes the lame pieces towards the end all the more frustrating.

Lynch goes back with Catherine Coulson, Jack Nance and Charlotte Stewart to where "Eraserhead" was filmed over a five year period and reminisce about this and that. As expected, no light is thrown upon what the film may actually be about.

But much of Lynch's work is barely discussed. "The Elephant Man" is only covered, albeit wonderfully, in an interview with the lively Mel Brooks who produced the film. "Dune" is barely mentioned. "Blue Velvet" is covered in a conversation with Dean Stockwell that is as much about the actor as the film and director. "Wild and Heart," "Twin Peaks," "On the Air," and "Hotel Room" are not really even mentioned.

A great deal of time is spent with Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti in the recording studio discussing how the music and sound is made for a Lynch film. This is very interesting, but no mention is made of the odd otherworldly soundscape that Lynch has used in many films. I suppose the man is not interested in talking about himself, but there must be some reason that Lynch does such intriguing work in this area. This is not touched upon.

Producer Deepak Nayar also talks for quite a while about how he watches every penny for Lynch and make sure the money is used wisely. One wonders how Lynch works with the infuriating penny-pincher. Again, we only get a small glimpse into their relationship. They must work well together as the man has been both a producer and an assistant director to Lynch but we get only a glossy coverage of how they work together. We expect Nayar to whip out his books at any moment to prove what a pain in the ass accountant he is.

Fans of Lynch's artwork not in film, his paintings and sculpture, may find some things to like here. There are a few of his paintings shown. His interest in dead animals and decaying meat are also explored somewhat. But there is not enough of his pieces on view here. His photographs are not really show and his artwork, in particular a piece about a head made of turkey and cheese and left for the ants to devour, is discussed more than exhibited. While this may be of interest to some, I find his artwork rather lacking. It's juvenile preoccupation with death and decay is comparable to a teenage boys interest in semen and menstruation. One feels Lynch is trying to nauseate us rather than explore anything intellectual or exciting. Again, not enough time is spent on this aspect of Lynch to help us understand the man here. Here's a perfect example; Keeler sets up a wonderful segment about Lynch at work in his shop and shows where Lynch makes a wooden table for the set of "Lost Highway." Then, without explaining whether or not they were made by Lynch, he goes into an elongated look at furniture pieces in the set. Are these all made by Lynch. One assumes so - but Keeler never tells us for sure what this is all about. It's a bit infuriating.

"Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch" is interesting stuff at times. But much of the piece is ponderous as it relates several uninteresting and unimportant pieces of information to us. Also, too much time is spent on his most recent release at the time, "Lost Highway." There is one scene where Lynch spends a minute or two looking for a hole in the floor. There's another segment about Robert Loggia getting a flat tire while filming. This tells us nothing about Lynch or his art.

Note: Includes interviews with artist Bushnell Keeler; Lynch's first wife Peggy, who worked on many of his early films; Lynch's children Austin and Jennifer; writer Barry Gifford; artist Jack Fisk, and actors Robert Loggia, Robert Blake, Balthazar Getty, Bill Pullman, and Patricia Arequette. A clip from an appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno is shown.

The documentary was shown in the U.S. on the Independent Film Channel and on Bravo.

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