Freaky Friday: Donnie Darko

I thought I'd, once again, try and get a rhythm and structure to the week by having some things done weekly. Thus begins the Freaky Friday segment of our show. This will be every Friday and will be a review of a horror, sci-fi, or foreign (let's face it, they're usually freaky to us) film. Usually it will be an older movie because there isn't much in the way of good horror or sci-fi that has come out in the last 10 years as far as I'm concerned and I'm not going to subject myself to some horrendous trash again just to do a review.

So to start things off, I'm going to review a movie that is a bona fide cult "classic". I use classic loosely because it isn't at least 25 years old which is where I draw the "classic" line. A little arbitrary, but I heard it once somewhere and it stuck. Which means, for anyone out there that is my age this will mean something, Nirvana (and most of the grunge era) is about to hit "classic" status. Ugh. I digress. I'm reviewing "Donnie Darko" which I knew nothing about until we got a crapload of them as a new release when it came out on DVD, so I instantly wanted to know what it was. I watched it and...well read on.

And here's the synopsis from IMDB because I will give something away if I try and do it myself: "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." Large bunny rabbit...lol...this isn't "Harvey" let me tell you.

Donnie Darko (2001)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246578/

Technical (4.5) - This one is fantastically done and even more impressive is that this was Richard Kelly's full-length feature debut made for a paltry $4.5 million. It never feels like it is either of those things. I guess part of the reason he was able to pull it off is setting it in high school in the '80s. I'm sure most of the budget went to the cast and securing the rights to some of the music (Tears for Fears and Duran, Duran mostly) which is absolutely appropriate for the time period. The song at the end is one of the best covers ever. There are a few special effects scenes which are done very well with the exception of one part that has always seemed unnecessary and a bit silly, hence the .5 deduction (it involves a beckoning hand). Otherwise it is edited in a way that adds to the uneasiness and slow unhinging of the tile character, has fantastic pacing, and doesn't ever shy away from the subject at hand. I feel bad for Kelly, though. His Freshmen effort was so good (and the Director's Cut even better) that everything else he's tried has not done so well, despite good casts and stories that aren't badly written. I think with "Southland Tales" he tried something WAY too conceptual for the general public and "The Box" could have tied better to what I assume was the inspiration: "The Monkey's Paw".

Dialogue/Story (5) - I'm not gonna dwell too much here because I will give something away if I do. It is a tight, well-written script that even though you sometimes think it is meandering, it is always moving the story forward. This is one of those movies that can definitely make your head hurt the first time you see it, but on subsequent viewings, you understand it more and more. The Director's Cut is a little easier to understand, but either way, at the end of it you will invariably go "Whaaaaa?" that first time. You're left with more questions than answers, but, unlike "The Hunger Games" you want to find answers and there are clues to give you answers. Nothing is too spelled out and the whole point of the ending is for you to draw your own conclusions. Immediately after the credits start rolling you want to start it over and call a buddy to talk it out with. I LOVE that kind of movie (the "Inception" effect).

Acting (5) - This is an absolutely AMAZING cast. Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie just embodies the troubled, moody teenager in a way rarely seen. The way he stands, the way he sits, the way he walks, the psychotic smile sometimes, even the way he reaches for the popcorn...all just punctuate the issues he's dealing with. But not to say he outshines all the other cast. I can't imagine how much everyone got paid, but there are lots of people in this movie. Drew Barrymore (who executive produced, so I'm sure some of these were favors she called in), Noah Wyle, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell ("Battlestar Gallactica"!), Patrick Swayze (awwwww), Maggie Gyllenhaal, and even an appearance by a young Seth Rogan. There are others in the cast that you'll go "Hey! That guy!" or "That lady!". Everyone pulls their own weight here so it never seems out of balance.

Tilt (5) - If you haven't guessed it by now, I LOVE this movie. I've bought at least 4 different versions of it since it's release (VHS, DVD, DVD Director's Cut, & BluRay) and I watch it at least once a year. Every time I watch it, I glean something new which to me is the sign of a great sci-fi movie. If you've never seen it, it's on Netflix (the original theatrical anyway) and if you like it, go out and buy it so you can see the Director's Cut. Don't bother with the sequel "S. Darko" though. It's pure crap. Kelly had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Total Score (4.88)