Donnie Darko - Movie Review

For years there has been this film that keeps popping up and I look at thinking, "... What?" That film is Donnie Darko. It just kept appearing and the poster is that of a creepy, almost demonic looking bunny suit just standing there and I'm thinking, "What the f#ck?!" But recently I decided to look into this mystery film and was shocked at what I'm found: The film was ranked at #2 in the film magazine, Empire, for best independent films of all time, as well as #53 of best films of all time in the same magazine. Not just that, but on the site Metacritic it has an 88 out of 100, on IMDB an 8 out of 10, and multiple online critics applaud the film, including my favorite critic, Chris Stuckmann, giving it an A+. All of this praise for this weird bunny suit and I tried to wrap my head around it. Failing that there was only one other option: Watch the film. And... Wow... This film is crazy. I can understand why it has gained so much love for almost two decades.

So the film revolves around Donnie Darko (duh), played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who encounters a person wearing a demonic bunny suit that tells him the world is going to end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. In order to prevent that the bunny tells him to commit certain acts that don't make sense and throughout the film you will constantly wonder if it's true or not that the world is going to end. Some of the best films out there (or at least to me) are films that can be viewed in a basic manner and a more sophisticated manner. The Lighthouse (which I've reviewed before) can be looked basically as a film about two people going insane on an island and have many different means if you look at it more complexly. Swiss Army Man is a guy trying to get home with a dead guy if you watch it like a normal viewer, but viewing it through more closely it can be about opening up to other and not being ashamed of being a little weird. Donnie Darko is also one of these films and I'll get into that soon.

Definitely the best part of the film for me was Gyllenhaal's character. I've gained a great love for the psychological characters and moments in the film from The Shining to Swiss Army Man and Donnie is another great, no, fantastic psychological character. Jake's performance is captivating, he felt just like a angst high school student, but with a hint of unnerving Schizophrenia. There were multiple moments where I became very uneasy as it felt like he at times almost a serial killer, especially with his creepy smile and his ability to barely blink. There's a scene especially involving a knife. Look out for that. In fact a lot of the activities the demonic bunny man tells him to do are pretty criminal and for me I was almost worried the bunny was going to tell Donnie to do something really extreme. Yet there were plenty of moments he acted like a normal teen, having trouble with a girl he likes and talking to his friends, he just felt like a really relatable character.

His possible insanity, having to take medication to keep himself together, and teenage angst and that sets off a lot of events throughout the film, as well some interesting character clashes. I absolutely adore it because he does things throughout the film that are clearly bad, but there also moments that also could relate to these moments, especially the angst, that are used in more regular circumstances. I mean teens around his age begin to question things more because that point in our lives our brains have developed enough to think more deeply and that causes us to rebel. And Donnie rebels in multiple ways, both good and bad, making him a character we can get behind. There's a particular scene with his PE teacher that has got to be my favorite moment of this, as well as my favorite moment in the film.

It's not just Jake Gyllenhaal that is putting on an epic performance, all the actors in this film are quite good. Small note, but I did find out after the movie that this was Seth Rogan's first film and his first line of dialogue is amazing and hilarious. But in all seriousness, while Jake Gyllenhaal stood out above the rest for his masterful performance I really liked all the actors in this film, especially the younger actors. These felt like real kids with their talk, their manners, and how they interacted with one another. When you add in a great musical score, you get some very memorable moments throughout the film.

Another major plus this movie has is depicting a upper class, conservative society in America. That feeling of being safe and comfortable, following the same rules and ideas over and over, only to eventually hit an event or series of events, no matter how small they are, that turn things upside down is something ever present in this film. There's no sense of poverty or danger, but with all this privilege eventually people, especially teens, will begin to almost abuse this peaceful environment to do some crazy things. Donnie isn't the only one causing mischief, though he definitely does the most extreme mischief, there's kids doing wild parties, bullying going on, and some other shifty stuff. And yet there are also adults that don't seem to notice, understand, or accept these anomalies in their defined system.

I'm going to make two comparisons on this point. First is that scene I mentioned with his PE teacher, who adores this public speaker in the film that makes "motivational videos." She has the kids she's with read out situations she's given them and they have to put them on a line with end being "love" and the other being "fear." When Donnie tells her she can't lump everything between these two elements she eventually loses her cool and has him suspended from school. Donnie is challenging clearly set standards of this conservative society and her beliefs, as she thinks her standards should always be what everyone follows. I was often praising Donnie when he did challenged people like this and for this character this definitely isn't the only time her ideas are challenged. There's another scene with Donnie's parents when they learn more about their son's most recent problems from his psychologist. They're having a hard time understanding what is going on with Donnie and they're scared. It leads to some very emotional moments that I really loved.

Stuff like this though is why I think Donnie Darko is such a memorable film. It feels relatable in certain ways with its excellent exploration of these upper class societies. Donnie's journey is a way to deconstruct this world and he is a voice to speak out against this type of living, showing its faults while not trying to totally demolish it. The stuff with the bunny guy is basically adding some spice to this story, creating an odd, but very enjoyable mixture of the supernatual and the natural that can add new flavor to Donnie's story. What Donnie does throughout the film, despite how criminal it can get, are at times almost justified and even applauded because of how it relates to the whole deconstruction of the middle class America. I know it sounds crazy and I'm trying not to spoil things, but there's a lot of deepness in this film that I don't very often in cinema that makes this film so damn good.

There is one problem with this film though and to some it might be a major problem that could ruin the whole film for them: It can be confusing at times and make no sense and I can agree with that. I was often questioning what was going on and even when things eventually converged together and made sense I still wondering how it happened. Donnie Darko, at least in the theatrical version, is missing information that would allow most viewers to better understand what's happening, especially as the craziness throughout the film builds and builds towards doomsday. In the director's cut of the film, from what I've heard, this missing information is portrayed to the audience more and that can be helpful because it does answer some questions that newcomers will be asking after the theatrical version while still leaving enough for them to think critically about the film.

However I think if you can stretch your sense of believability and go along for the ride you'll still get answers and be entertained. Afterwards you can do some homework on the film and find out more, but with its basic concept of a teenager being haunted by a man in a disturbing bunny suit the film works. To some people it might even be better that it's not explained to them. Both versions of the film, theatrical and director's cut (most likely since I need to see it), leave you with questions in the right way, which is something that the most memorable films in cinema do, like most recently The Lighthouse and Swiss Army Man. This all depends on the viewer.

Donnie Darko blew me away guys. I really love this film for its daring and attempts to do something really unique. Combined with a powerful performance from Jake Gyllenhaal and an odd, but interesting script and you got a film that people will remember for years. It's been almost two decades and I'm seeing people still talk about this film. So even though I'm still going to recommend the theatrical version first, which will leave out certain information from the viewer, I highly recommend you guys go watch Donnie Darko. It's such an odd film that's really weird and crazy and make you think more about analyzing films.

Tentative Score: 9/10

Definitive Score: 9.25/10

I heard there was a sequel to this film, but it's not talked about much. Was it bad? Well maybe I'll find out in the future. Either ways, Donnie Darko... wow... So happy I gave this film a watch. What an experience...