Donnie Darko

Initial Reaction: I’m not sure why that was so good.

After my first Donnie Darko viewing, I loved it, but was convinced that I needed to see it again to understand it. I did, and loved it, but was convinced that I needed to see it again to understand it. I did, loved it once more, but was saddened to realize that I needed to see it again to understand it. I watched the movie for probably the sixth time today, and I still don’t freaking understand it.
Donnie Darko fascinates its audience in almost every way possible. Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays Donnie, delivers a seamless performance as a teenager who is—big surprise—disturbed. He suffers from bouts of sleep walking and trouble at school, and as we learn further into the movie, an “imaginary” friend named Frank. The relationship between Donnie and Frank (who, by the way, is a guy in a creepy rabbit suit) seems predestined, and a bit schizophrenic. Frank comes to Donnie at night or when he’s alone, and in the beginning tells him that the world is going to end in 28 days. He continues the countdown throughout the film, and also instructs Donnie to do various illegal acts, mostly vandalism. These scenes are haunting, yet somehow reassuring. Frank is a character that we feel like we should figure out, but his purpose and cryptic messages are a little too random and sporadic.
As we would expect from a movie focusing on a troubled teen, we get to know the rest of the family. And the Darko family is totally engrossing. Holmes Osborne and Mary McDonnell play lenient parents, seemingly forced to be that way because they’ve lost control of their children. Gyllenhaal and his sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal, are on-screen siblings who are picture-perfect as teenage brother and sister. Each character contributes to a realistic sense of familial dissatisfaction, frustration, and hope.
The other characters, some almost caricatures, and some painfully normal, are nothing amazing. They serve the purpose of the movie. The only person noticeably not good in a role was Drew Barrymore as a young English teacher. I felt like she must have happened to be walking by the set the day that their English teacher called in sick; they grabbed her, gave her some shoulder pads, and wrote her lines on the back of her hand. This is especially sad, since she was one of the film's executive producers.
I love a lot of the different pieces of Donnie Darko. As I mentioned, the actors who play the Darko family are dead on. The music is delicious…a soundtrack that reflects a part of the 80s we actually enjoyed. Never without an appropriate mood, each scene allows the actors, music, set, and effects to build upon each other in an expert way. And the film does make some great points. One of my favorite subplots involves Patrick Swayze’s character, and gives us an ugly picture of how deceiving people can really be.
The movie gets so many things right. But it’s also too confusing for its own good. The characters explore such intriguing concepts as God’s plan, time travel, and ethics. It somehow tries to tie all of these things together in the midst of adolescent turmoil, and nearly does, but fails to deliver. I’m convinced that most people walk away from this movie mostly confused. If they don’t, then they probably missed something. There are so many loose ends that we’re confused about where we’re being led, and by the end we’re forced to forget about most of them anyway. The director has various subplots going on, and because of the nature of the film, they’re left in a tangled mess. The running story of Cherita (which I loved) just sort of…happened. There was a subtle theme of “everything’s going to be OK” that didn’t seem to fit well. The reasons behind what Frank tells Donnie to do are super-vague and not explained at all. I’m considering the fact that these things were maybe left open because of the way that time travel fit in. But, wait a second… then what was the point of this movie?
I loved the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. I generally enjoy the story in which the main character gets to see how his life affects people around him. It forces us to reevaluate our lives, our choices, and our significance. Donnie Darko, in almost a reverse way, gets to see this in his own life. I thought this was brilliant, and always an admirable choice for a movie scenario. However, this one lacks the punch that most of those movies have. We’re left drifting, wondering about existence and if our own is currently helpful or harmful. And no one wants to feel uncertain about purpose.

Rating: 14

I know, I know, it makes no sense. But I love this movie. I feel like if the director didn’t let it run away without him, it would be just about perfect. Richard Kelly is like a child roasting marshmallows on a stick for the first time. He slowly gets the sticky treat close to the fire. When he sees it turn a beautiful golden color, he gets bolder and sticks it directly into the flames. The white ball is now engulfed, and burning quickly. Once the kid finally gets the fire out by swinging the stick around in the air, his wonderful, fluffy white marshmallow looks like a hunk of coal. In the end, he (and the audience) are left with no other course of action but to eat through the charred and bitter coating in order to get the gooey sweetness.

Iconic Lines:

“Chut up!”
“Rose, sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion.”
“I’m NOT afraid anymore!”