"Donnie Darko" is a film worth watching multiple times. Though not always consistent in the clarity department, it is very entertaining and a good buy!
--George
Donnie Darko
Directors: Richard Kelly
Producers: Sean McKittrick, Nancy Juvonen, Adam Fields, Drew Barrymore
Writers: Richard Kelly
Features: Director/Jake Gyllenhaal Commmentary; Cast and Crew Commentary; Deleted/Extended Scenes with Optional Director Commentary; "Cunning Visions" Infomercials; "The Philosophy of Time Travel" Book; Website Gallery; "Mad World" Music Video; Art Gallery & Production Stills; Cast & Crew Info; Theatrical Trailer & TV Spots; Anamorphic Widescreen; Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Surround, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround; Subtitles: English, Spanish
Characters:
Donnie Darko - Jake Gyllenhaal
Gretchen Ross - Jena Malone
Rose Darko - Mary McDonnell
Eddie Darko - Holmes Osborne
Ms. Pomeroy - Drew Barrymore
Dr. Lillian Thurman - Katharine Ross
Jim Cunningham - Patrick Swayze
Dr. Monnitoff - Noah Wylie
Elizabeth Darko - Maggie Gyllenhaal
Frank - James Duval
Kittie Farmer - Beth Grant
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Review:
My initial response to watching "Donnie Darko" was scratching my head and saying, "And then.....?" But, when I saw it the second time, I appreciated what Director Richard Kelly was doing. However, there was one flaw that kept bothering me: continuity of clarity. I could see at certain points through the film the message Kelly was trying to get the audience to understand, but at other points I was still left scratching my head. Undaunted, I viewed the Director/Gyllenhaal commentary track and was able to connect the dots. Needless to say, "Donnie Darko" was a film worth watching several times.
It is also a DVD worth owning as it has a plethora of special features that make this disc a keeper. Fox did a great job with both the picture, sound, and yes, the features. There are two commentary tracks, (at this time I only viewed one) and they were very helpful in explaining some of the questions that I had. The music video was very cool, along with the deleted/extended scenes. I cracked up at the infomercials that were included in the features, because they had a faux commentary track for those that was just too funny. I couldn't stop laughing at the "chocolate-sprinkled donuts" dialogue. You just have to hear it yourself!
"Donnie Darko" is not an easy story to tell, because it does have deeper plot lines than the overriding one that is included in the trailers/TV spots. A brief synopsis might be possible, but wouldn't do Kelly's work justice. Sorry Mr. Kelly, but I am going to take a stab at it. This movie is set in 1988, and the backdrop is the '88 elections. "Darko" starts off with Donnie (Gyllenhaal - "October Sky") waking up in the middle of the road. Apparently, he sleepwalks, and continues to find himself farther and farther away from home with each nightly journey. His family seems close with caring parents, and two sisters that he feuds with, but you can tell they care for each other.
Their lives are interrupted by the mysterious disaster that envelopes them. A jet plane engine lands on their house, and more specifically in Donnie's room. Donnie was on one of his sleepwalking adventures, so he wasn't there. He had been called by a mysterious creature, and the creature obviously saved his life. The creature is better analyzed with his doctor.
Donnie goes to therapy sessions with Dr. Thurman (Ross - "The Graduate") where he details the dreams he's been having. They include encounters with an imaginary "bunny", which has a creepy metallic mask. The bunny is named Frank (Duval - Independence Day), and he calls to Donnie at night. Donnie tells her that Frank has told him the world will end by the end of the month. Dr. Thurman seems to insist that Frank is imaginary, doesn't exist, and what he is saying is silly.
However, Donnie continues to see Frank, and the creepy bunny starts commanding him to do different acts. His parents are worried by his behavior and his frequent outbursts that are getting him into trouble at school. Dr. Thurman suggests more meds and hypnotherapy, to which the parents agree. Donnie, meanwhile, has gotten a new girlfriend, Gretchen (Malone - "Stepmom"). Gretchen and Donnie are a strange pair, as she has an emotional past and he has emotional problems. The draw there seems to be obvious. Overlapping all of this is the school life, which is being infiltrated by local author Jim Cunningham (Swayze - "Dirty Dancing") self-help program, "Cunning Visions." His dogma is being pushed by a local teacher, Kittie Farmer (Grant - "Speed"), who teaches his material in her class.
Through out all of this, Donnie is still faced with the countdown Frank gave him till the end of the world, and with the puzzle that Frank keeps alluding to in their frequent encounters. What is the answer to the jet engine crash? How does time travel factor in? What does a book written by a crazy former teacher have to do with it all? Why is Frank having him do acts of vandalism? What can Donnie do to prevent the end of the world?
Richard Kelly did an amazing job directing this film. But, he has that flaw I stated before. Clarity. Now, there are some people who might whine and say that I just want to be "spoon-fed" the plot and to not have to think. In certain movies that's true, but when you have a movie as complex as "Donnie Darko" I believe that Kelly wants certain things TO be understood, and that not all of these are up to our individual interpretations. The clarity comes with how well Kelly conveys his message to the audience.
My critiques come not in that he has a complex story with many plot lines and multiple characters, but with the areas he leaves up to interpretation without adequate clarification. Now, in some movies that would be acceptable form, but in a movie like "Darko" it seems that the vision the writer has should be the vision the audience has as well. Not to give any spoilers, but the commentary explains all the "holes" that I had after viewing the film twice. It seems that Kelly could have just put in a few lines of dialogue that could have clarified what his intentions were, and thus made "Darko" something that was more readily grasped. I only say this, because listening to Kelly in his commentary, I get the understanding that he wants the audience to appreciate the finer points he has put into the movie. But, he does not provide the audience the tools they need to come to the conclusions that he wants them to.
Also worth lauding is Kelly's writing skills. Though the clarity issue is there, I believe his dialogue and social commentary are worth praising. The part with the misfit Chinese girl going "Chuddup!" are funny, as well as the barbs Donnie hands out to his contemporaries. Kelly has many subtleties that would be better in a book format, and the characters he creates are classic and believable. I would like to have read the novel "Donnie Darko" if there was one.
That said, "Donnie Darko" is a great movie. It has a fantastic cast (Gyllenhaal and McDonnell are beyond spectacular), and a great soundtrack. The remade song "Mad World" by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews (originally Tears for Fears) is pleasing to the ears. The ending sequence for this movie reminded me of "Magnolia" with the "Save Me" song at the end. I half expected the characters to start singing along. The plot was interesting, and the voice of Frank downright chilling. Imagine that voice from "In the Line of Fire" where Malkovich is saying he will kill the president. That's what this voice is like but a little more eerie. Interestingly enough, Clint Eastwood's character was named Frank.
I would give "Donnie Darko" four out of five stars, and would recommend you buying this film. Namely because you will need to view it several times, and see the commentary to fully appreciate it. There are a lot of nuances that go unnoticed as well as introspections at society that have meaning. On a budget of four million, and with a cast and special effects that say blockbuster, this independant film is worth watching again and again. Fox did a great job with the DVD, hopefully they do a better job marketing it than they did the theater release! My hat goes off to Richard Kelly in his directoral debut, in a movie that may be talked about and discussed and analyzed for years to come.
---George Castillo