MOVIEmeter
Top 500
Down 31 this week

Donnie Darko (2001)

8.1
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 8.1/10 from 363,421 users   Metascore: 71/100
Reviews: 2,005 user | 270 critic | 21 from Metacritic.com

A troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes, after narrowly escaping a bizarre accident.

Director:

Writer:

Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 440 titles created 28 May 2011
 
a list of 960 titles created 10 Mar 2012
 
a list of 36 titles created 4 months ago
 
a list of 698 titles created 03 May 2011
 
a list of 596 titles created 11 Dec 2011
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Donnie Darko (2001)

Donnie Darko (2001) on IMDb 8.1/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Donnie Darko.
Top 250 #176 | 11 wins & 12 nominations. See more awards »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Source Code (2011)
Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

An action thriller centered on a soldier who wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.

Director: Duncan Jones
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga
Moon (2009)
Drama | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet's power problems.

Director: Duncan Jones
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott
K-PAX (2001)
Drama | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away Planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.

Director: Iain Softley
Stars: Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack
Drama | Sci-Fi | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

A man awakens to find himself alone in the world.

Director: Geoff Murphy
Stars: Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge, Pete Smith
Sci-Fi | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

A young man blocks out harmful memories of significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life.

Directors: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber
Stars: Ashton Kutcher, Melora Walters, Amy Smart
Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.

Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Stars: Karra Elejalde, Candela Fernández, Bárbara Goenaga
Soylent Green (1973)
Drama | Horror | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

In an overpopulated futuristic Earth, a New York police detective finds himself marked for murder by government agents when he gets too close to a bizarre state secret involving the origins of a revolutionary and needed new foodstuff.

Director: Richard Fleischer
Stars: Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, Chuck Connors
Signs (2002)
Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening to come.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Stars: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin
THX 1138 (1971)
Sci-Fi | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

Set in the 25th century, the story centers around a man and a woman who rebel against their rigidly controlled society.

Director: George Lucas
Stars: Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, Don Pedro Colley
The Nines (2007)
Drama | Fantasy | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.4/10 X  

A troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed videogame designer find their lives intertwining in mysterious and unsettling ways.

Director: John August
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy, Hope Davis
Doubt I (2008)
Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

A Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled 12-year-old student.

Director: John Patrick Shanley
Stars: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
12 Angry Men (1957)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.9/10 X  

A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court.

Director: Sidney Lumet
Stars: Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Lee J. Cobb
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
...
...
Arthur Taxier ...
Dr. Fisher
...
Mark Hoffman ...
Police Officer
...
Bob Garland
...
Man in Red Jogging Suit
...
Joanie James
...
...
...
Edit

Storyline

Donnie Darko doesn't get along too well with his family, his teachers and his classmates; but he does manage to find a sympathetic friend in Gretchen, who agrees to date him. He has a compassionate psychiatrist, who discovers hypnosis is the means to unlock hidden secrets. His other companion may not be a true ally. Donnie has a friend named Frank - a large bunny which only Donnie can see. When an engine falls off a plane and destroys his bedroom, Donnie is not there. Both the event, and Donnie's escape, seem to have been caused by supernatural events. Donnie's mental illness, if such it is, may never allow him to find out for sure. Written by J. Spurlin

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

What would you do if you knew the future? See more »

Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some drug use and violence | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

30 January 2002 (France)  »

Also Known As:

Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$4,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£191,348 (UK) (25 October 2002)

Gross:

$727,883 (USA) (1 October 2004)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene where Donnie corrects Gretchen was improvised because the actress could not say the name Prof. Kenneth Monnitoff, correctly. See more »

Goofs

The name of the high school is "Middlesex," which would obviously be abbreviated "MHS" for Middlesex High School. Immediately before Donnie's time travel conversation with his teacher, we see the top of the entrance of the school. There is a stone cross there with the letters "IHS". However, "IHS" is catholic acronym from Greek name of Jesus (Ihsous) and is commonly placed on the crosses. This letters aren't supposed to be acronym for the name of the school. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Elizabeth: I'm voting for Dukakis.
See more »

Crazy Credits

After the closing credits, on the director's cut, there is the title of the movie followed by a drawing of Frank. See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Cleveland Show: Das Shrimp Boot (2012)
mentioned in dialogue See more »

Soundtracks

"Ave Maria"
Written by Giulio Caccini (as Giulio Caccino) and Paul Pritchard
Courtesy of Associated Production Music LLC
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Stunning.
27 October 2001 | by (Seattle) – See all my reviews

The fact that this is the Directors first film is amazing to me. The scenes dripped with style, yet that style never seemed distracting. None of it was self congratulatory or gluttonous. The visuals were supported by a truly emotional score and its hard to find fault in the 80's pop tunes that found their way into some of the more impressive scenes.

The story is very much thought provoking. Its the type that leaves you pondering the possibilities voiced by the characters. There is nothing condescending about this film. Answers arent simply handed out, rather the viewer is left to draw many conclusions instead. The acting is also top notch. If i hadnt known beforehand that Patrick Swayze was in this film I would have been shocked. His character is amusing and interesting all at the same time. A great cameo for him. Drew Barrymore is forgetable, though that in no way detracts from the film. Of course the star is Jake Gyllenhaal. There is nothing that can be said to properly praise his performance. The rest of the cast chosen fit their roles perfectly. All of these things combine to create a stunning film. One can only hope that filmgoers will give this little gem a shot and support a true wonder. This is the only film I have awarded a 10/10 on the IMDB.


525 of 686 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Plot explained without any knowledge outside of the movie jt-294
First film i rated with just 1 star assasin2005-334-852107
Any other movies like this? masterofgreekmythology
maggie gyllenhaal is super hot in this movie chrispaulgeorgekarlmalone
The film just CAN'T work! davidmsaunders
Theatrical or Director's Cut? therealaragorn
Discuss Donnie Darko (2001) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?