Directed by:
Richard KellyScreenplay:
Richard KellyCinematography:
Steven PosterComposer:
Michael AndrewsCast:
Jake Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daveigh Chase, Mary McDonnell, James Duval, Patrick Swayze, David St. James, Seth Rogen, Jena Malone (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night, and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. He returns home the next morning to find that a jet engine has crashed through his bedroom. As he tries to figure out why he survived and tries to deal with people in his town, like the school bully, his conservative health teacher, and a self-help guru, Frank continues to turn up in Donnie's mind, causing him to commit acts of vandalism and worse. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (15)
Hypnotic, captivating, and unclassifiable in terms of genre. It contains sharp satire, elusive sci-fi, and playful originality, yet I cannot communicate Donnie Darko to an unfamiliar viewer. It completely deviates from the norm in the scenes with the rabbit, excellently builds up the ending, and above all, shows for the first time that Jake Gyllenhaal truly has talent. An unforgettable, although far from flawless experience.
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Donnie Darko is definitely not an ordinary movie about a completely ordinary teenager who has no delusions whatsoever about some oversized rabbit. It has an incredibly engaging atmosphere and tries to draw the viewer into the plot, only letting go near the end where the shocking (at least to me) reveal occurs. The actors are great and convincing – especially young Jake Gyllenhaal and Drew Barrymore. The screenplay is indeed a convoluted and bizarre example of a dramatic mystery, and even though I certainly didn't understand everything that should have been understood, I stand by the fact that this is an original premise full of twists and turns, especially in space-time. And the last few minutes, when we see edited shots of the film's heroes while "Mad World" is playing was a powerful albeit very confusing experience for me. In short, a film that doesn't need to be fully understood, because there is still plenty to think about for a long time.
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This intellectually stupid trend never ceases to fascinate me. As soon as there is a movie with supernatural phenomena, told non-linearly, and, God forbid, with a conclusion without a rational explanation, the world falls into mass hysteria and this place is crawling with full-fledged ratings like ants in an anthill. If I were to see this crap again, they will probably have to take me to the hospital for boredom and lack of originality poisoning. Richard Kelly relies purely on bespectacled intellectuals, who latch on like wasps to candy, and he couldn't care less that this totally disjointed film offers absolutely no rational explanation or meaning (similarly to Lynch, for example). And it's no wonder when it feels that way. A first-class muddled mess without a point. Two stars for a well-portrayed family and Mary McDonnell's performance.
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Well, by the ending I was sitting there like something poached. All it takes is one wave and you kind of freeze up – I mean, I did. I had kind of counted on how Donnie turned out, well not exactly, but I knew he would sacrifice something dear to him. Definitely an interesting film worth seeing, and I think, though I haven't seen it unfortunately, the director's cut would have been the better choice. Otherwise, I have nothing else to add. Any more words Donnie Darko has taken from me.
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Donnie Darko is probably one of those films that one appreciates fully (if at all) only on the second (or third) viewing. But what good does it do me if nothing entices me to watch it again? I can praise the actors, I can praise the direction and the choice of songs used, but the fact is that this "155th best film" with its boring and bloated "I'm something great, marvel at me" script blatantly disappointed me. A strange piece of work I let pass me by for years... And I was right to.
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Gallery (87)
Photo © Newmarket Film Group
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