In a funny, moving and distinctly mind-bending journey through suburban America, one extraordinary but disenchanted teenager is about to take Time’s Arrow for a ride. After surviving a freak accident, Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins to explore what it means to be alive, and in short order to be in love, he uncovers secrets of the universe that give him a tempting power to alter time and destiny.
Stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell
Year 2001
More than 15 years ago (wow, I’m old) this cult classic hit screens and confused audiences with it’s time bending theories and imaginative cinematic style. I remember watching it when I was in my late teens. It fascinated me in a way that I loved, but I didn’t altogether understand what I was watching. It was interesting and thoroughly neat to watch, but did it make sense? Well, I came back to that question years later and discovered that yes, it does make sense. Don’t come to me with mass questions though. I really don’t get all the things I should. There is mass debate and research among the interwebs (thank you technology!) to help you out. If you are into the strange and mysterious, this is just right for you. It’s no Mulholland Drive, but it’s not far from it.
Donnie Darko is a re-watchable hit for sure! It bases itself in a cliche suburban setting, following strange suburban teenagers, but doesn’t annoy in the way that the genre likes to; just the opposite actually. You’ll begin to notice immediately that things aren’t quite normal. The strange storytelling begins pretty quickly, but contains some lulling moments. The weird stalling moments seem to go on for a bit sometimes, but it really sets a good pace for the film. Something that I enjoyed rather intensely was the music/score. In case you didn’t know, I’m a big fan of music intertwined in movies that makes them seem almost like music videos. Yeah, this has a LOT of that going on. It’s set in the 80’s too, so double score with some Tears For Fears numbers!
Loads of great acting from Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary McDonnell, and Jenna Malone. Some stand out roles where played by Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze, choosing characters they don’t usually encompass. The script could have easily fallen on it’s face here, but it didn’t. It’s funny in all the right parts and interesting enough to be enthralled. Being October and all and the creepy nature of it, I thought it was a pretty appropriate watch. After you watch it, let me know what you thought and if you get it right off. Did it make you want to know more after it was over? Let’s discuss!