Donnie Darko (2001)

A troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes, after he narrowly escapes a bizarre accident.

Director:

Richard Kelly

Writer:

Richard Kelly

Stars:

Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell

Top Rated Movies #226 | 11 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jake Gyllenhaal	...	Donnie Darko
Holmes Osborne	...	Eddie Darko
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Elizabeth Darko
Daveigh Chase	...	Samantha Darko
Mary McDonnell	...	Rose Darko
James Duval	...	Frank
Arthur Taxier	...	Dr. Fisher
Patrick Swayze	...	Jim Cunningham
Mark Hoffman	...	Police Officer
David St. James	...	Bob Garland
Tom Tangen	...	Man in Red Jogging Suit
Jazzie Mahannah	...	Joanie James
Jolene Purdy	...	Cherita Chen
Stuart Stone	...	Ronald Fisher
Gary Lundy	...	Sean Smith

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.

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Plot Keywords:

parallel universe | insanity | death | time travel | 1980s | 

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Taglines:

Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some drug use and violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Spain]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$110,494 (USA) (26 October 2001)

Gross:

$727,883 (USA) (1 October 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pandora Cinema, Flower Films (II), Adam Fields Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 133 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original poster art for the movie had used an Arabic-style font, but this was changed to the more common Trajan typeface for the video release after the terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001. However, the font retains its original style in the film itself.

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Goofs

When Cherita was asked to read the card her teacher gave to her out loud, there was a spelling error of 'he' when it should be 'she' but Cherita simply corrected it.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

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

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Connections

References Requiem for a Dream (2000)

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Soundtracks

Lucid Memory
Written and Performed by Sam Bauer and Ged Bauer

User Reviews

Great movie

Donnie Darko was a great and thought provoking movie. Most people will probably not understand the movie the first time they watch it, because they don't know what to watch for, but the 2nd time you watch the movie most will consider it a great and profound movie. Another way to understand Donnie Darko is to have someone that has already seen the movie to watch it with you and tell you which parts of the movie to remember towards the end of the movie. This is not a movie to watch if one does not like to think during movies. Donnie Darko is also not a movie for the lazy movie watcher to watch. I normally like the easy brained movies that require no thought-process but this is one thought provoking movie that I give a 10 out of 10.