| DONNIE DARKO |
 2001 – USA
Director: Richard Kelly - Reviewed by Dan
Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a teenager with issues. He sleepwalks all over the neighborhood and he talks to a man in a frightening bunny suit that he sees in the bathroom mirror. And although it's 1985, he knows the end will arrive in 26 days or so. Things get even weirder after a rogue jet engine crashes into his bedroom. If it weren't for his nocturnal excursions, he would surely have been killed—and maybe that wouldn't have been such a bad thing. It's not all Stephen Hawking-on-acid, though. There are some lighthearted moments right out of a Spielberg blockbuster and the acting is outstanding. Mary McDonnell as Donnie's mother is a particular standout, and Gyllenhaal as Donnie himself is amazing enough to keep you from becoming overly distracted by the presence of Noah Wyle and Drew Barrymore (who would have no business being in this flick if she hadn't produced it). Even though some seriously bizarre things happen in this movie, the teens are more realistic than any character John Hughes was able to conjure up (as much as I love the Breakfast Club). Donnie Darko almost feels like a foreign film although it is distinctly American. A lot of metaphysical issues are explored in this film. It reminded me of tonguing a piece of popcorn stuck in your teeth. You know something's in there but you can't quite get in there to remove it. The ending satisfies, but doesn't really answer any of the questions raised outside the scope of Donnie's particulars. It tells you something about the skills of Richard Kelly that I thought he might be actually able to shed some light on the murky philosophies that propel this film. In the end, Donnie Darko boils down to a compelling fictional explanation for one man's schizophrenia. Keep an eye on director Richard Kelly. He's an independent mind with a blockbuster directorial style. And he's only 26 years old. |
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Equal parts John Hughes, David Lynch and Rod Serling, Donnie Darko explores themes of first love, the horrors of puberty, time-travel, and predestination (to name a few). It resonated in my guts long before I could wrap my mind around it. In fact, I'm not sure it's possible to wrap your mind around this film in a single
viewing.
