Donnie Darko (2001)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Richard Kelly

Writer:

Richard Kelly (written by)

Release Date:

30 January 2002 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Life is one long insane trip. Some people just have better directions.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Rabbit | Vision | Teacher | School | Bunny Rabbit

Awards:

11 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some drug use and violence.; Rated R for language, some underage drug and alcohol use, and violence. (director's cut)

Runtime:

113 min | 133 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 (director's cut) | Iceland:16 | Spain:13 | Hungary:16 | Brazil:14 | New Zealand:M (director's cut) | Sweden:11 (TV rating) | Sweden:15 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Canada:G (Quebec) | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Italy:T | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Pandora Cinema

Trivia:

The shot of the bike ride to Grandma Death's house is an homage to Steven Spielberg's E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), in which, Drew Barrymore also starred.

Goofs:

Continuity: While in the car with his father, the passenger side mirror can be seen outside of the window. During the back and forth shots between Donnie and his father, the mirror noticeably changes angles.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Featured in 50 Films to See Before You Die (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Killing Moon

Beautiful, terrifying

I think the main theme of this film was summed up somewhere in the middle, where Donnie is speaking to a not-so-helpful self-help guru and says something to the following effect:

"Yes, I am scared and I am confused. But I think you are the f**king antichrist!!!"

In the end, _Donnie Darko_ is a film about people who feel life and all the emotions within it very deeply. Donnie himself is a basically sweet-tempered (often courageous) young man who is pathologically terrified of loneliness and the thought of spiritual isolation. His quest for meaning and self-discovery drives him to the fringes of our reality, which only serves to isolate him more from the world he loves. The few who understand what Donnie is going through go largely unnoticed (such as his girlfriend Gretchen or a tragically overweight yet remarkable sensitive little girl) or unappreciated (such as Karen, the English teacher whose only sin is trying to show her students that there is no such thing as a true end.)

Of course, this movie far from polarizes its characters (indeed, polarization is the last thing this film wants to accomplish) and the majority are just a mishmash of the beautiful and the grotesque: Donnie's parents, who are at the same time loving and perpetually confused; the aforementioned self-helper Jim Cunningham, who is desperate to spread the lie that keeps him sane to everybody else; and Donnie's sister, struggling between her identity as an adult and her identity as a child. And then there's Frank. All I can say here is that nothing can prepare you for or adequately describe Frank.

Probably the best thing about this movie, though, is its incredible emotional range. It manages to inspire hope, love, dread, laughter, and tears at different points throughout the movie without making you feel least bit like there is a contradiction between those states. The scenes with Frank (especially the one that takes place in the therapist's office against the backdrop of a conversation about the end of the world) are quite frankly some of the scariest things I've ever seen in a movie, as they literally made my skin crawl.

Finally, the performances in this film are exquisite. The talent in this film is top notch and even Gyllenhall is just amazing. That said, though, this film has a dismal future. Combine the fact that the large majority of the moviegoing public is just going to find it unbearably weird with the fact that the movie begins with part of an airplane crashing into a building (this has got to be the very definition of bad timing) and it's pretty clear that this film is going to stay underground. However, if you are looking for a beautiful experience with a unique film, _Donnie Darko_ is just about as good as it gets.