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Donnie Darko
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Donnie Darko (2001) More at IMDbPro »

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Donnie Darko (2001) -- Director's Cut
Donnie Darko (2001) -- A troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes, after narrowly escaping a bizarre accident.

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 35% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Richard Kelly
Writer:
Richard Kelly (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Donnie Darko on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 January 2002 (France) more
Tagline:
Life is one long insane trip. Some people just have better directions. more
Plot:
A troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes, after narrowly escaping a bizarre accident. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
11 wins & 10 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(268 articles)
New S.Darko Teaser Poster
 (From toxicshock. 10 July 2009, 12:00 AM, PDT)

First Look: Drew Barrymore’s Directorial Debut ‘Whip It’
 (From newsinfilm. 9 July 2009, 12:04 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
compelling, eerie, intense, haunting, evocative, potent, sad, heroic more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for language, some drug use and violence.; Rated R for language, some underage drug and alcohol use, and violence. (director's cut)
Runtime:
113 min | 133 min (director's cut)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Company:
Pandora Cinema more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Richard Kelly's original choice for the music to be played over the final sequence was 'U2''s "MLK." After difficulties obtaining the rights to the song, it was decided to use Gary Jules' cover of the Tears for Fears song "Mad World" instead. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The calendar on Donnie's wall is not of 1988 as it should be. For example, the 6th October 1988 is down as being a Wednesday when it was actually a Thursday. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Elizabeth: I'm voting for Dukakis.
more
Movie Connections:
References It's a Wonderful Life (1946) more
Soundtrack:
Never Tear Us Apart more

FAQ

Why is Donnie smiling at the beginning of the film, when he wakes up?
Who are the 'they' referred to in the letter on the website?
Why does Gretchen wave to Donnie's Mom, Rose?
more
241 out of 300 people found the following comment useful:-
compelling, eerie, intense, haunting, evocative, potent, sad, heroic, 22 April 2005
9/10
Author: mstomaso from Vulcan

Being an angst-ridden teenager has never been easy, especially when you can see what's down the road, and it looks a lot like the end of your world.

Writer and Director Richard Kelly is an artist whose films I will anticipate and Jake Gyllenhaal is truly remarkable among a very rich cast. He plays a troubled young man with a brilliant intellect and a vast imagination, struggling with the boredom of standard education, and a society afraid of its own shadow (e.g. contemporary America). An imaginary friend, Frank - a seven foot tall metal-headed skull-faced demon-rabbit saves his life by removing him from the the scene of a catastrophe just before it occurs, only to lead him down an alternative path to an even more terrible oblivion complete with forecasts of doom, psychiatrists, and self-help charlatans.

This film feels as creepy as any well-made ghost story I have ever seen, yet redefines the genre of supernatural storytelling in a very unique and original way.

Donnie Darko is a film about heroism and sacrifice, decorated with disturbing imagery, the horror of everyday life, and a soundtrack reminiscent of Lynch's best. It is also a film worthy of several viewings and at least as many varied interpretations.

I can not honestly recommend this to anybody who attends films for the pure sake of entertainment. Nor can I recommend it to people who need straight answers or have limited attention spans. It's art, and does not need to provide pat explanations for itself. As entertaining as this film may be, it has an unrelenting and merciless dark side, and might disturb even the most veteran indy film carmudgeon.

This is a great film. See it.

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