Donnie Darko Review
by Jerry Saravia (faust668 AT aol DOT com)October 28th, 2002
DONNIE DARKO (2001)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
October 27th, 2002
RATING: Three stars and a half
"Donnie Darko" is a unique delight - a fast-paced, surreal oddity likely to leave audiences with lots of questions. And to make matters more interesting, it is a teen film, but not quite a romantic comedy or some sex farce with gross-out jokes that have become du jour. This is a thinking man's John Hughes picture crossed with the cleverness of something like "Back to the Future" and with enough preternatural events and sequences to remind us of David Lynch.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Donnie Darko, a high-school teenager with mental problems and a supposedly schizophrenic side. He often talks to imaginary friends, and the latest is some person dressed in a bunny suit and an insect mask named Frank. Donnie's home life is normal for the most part. His parents (Holmes Osbourne, Mary McDonnell) are not the typical kind who argue and bicker at every convenience so that we are reminded they are a dysfunctional family. When Donnie curses at his sister (played by real-life sister Maggie Gyllenhaal), their mother simply says, "please stop," while the father grins. Meanwhile, every night Donnie sleepwalks and often leaves the house, ending up in hilly streets or golf courses. He takes medication, and sees a therapist (Katharine Ross) who frequently hypnotizes him. Then a strange event takes place. A fallen airplane engine crashes through Donnie's room. The plane in question minus an engine is never found. The event changes everybody. But Donnie sees this as some sign, as evidenced by Frank who tells him he has 28 days before the world will end in some sort of apocalypse. But is the bunny foretelling the future or the past? Who will listen to Donnie? His parents? His dubious physics teacher (Noah Wyle)? His English literature teacher (Drew Barrymore)? His new girlfriend (Jena Malone)? Or is the town's reclusive neighbor known as Grandma Death who has the answers?
Seeing the film twice, I realized how off the mark I was initially on Jake Gyllenhaal, whom some of you may remember from the nostalgic "October Sky." My first impression was that Gyllenhaal's performance was robotic and unfeeling, sort of a droopier-eyed version of Tobey Maguire. The truth is that he does give a fine performance, along with some low-angle stares that are reminiscent of similar, angry stares from Stanley Kubrick's films. It is a restrained performance of a teenager looking for answers and questioning authority. Gyllenhaal's Donnie character is nicely balanced between angry arguments with the family and quiet, reflective moments with his therapist. Also worth noting is his bemused smile when waking up in strange places - it adds to the film's hypnotic power.
This is writer-director Richard Kelly's first foray into filmmaking, and what a startling debut it is. He is a director that obviously relishes actors, in the same way that Cameron Crowe does. Kelly allows perfect use of close-ups when needed to allow us to identify with the family and especially with Donnie Darko. Mary McDonnell shows compassion with utmost sincerity as Donnie's mother, in contrast to Holmes Osbourne as Donnie's father who is detached and jocose. I also marvelled at Maggie Gyllenhaal who is as precious, sweet and sarcastic as any other sister I have seen in movies.
"Donnie Darko" has a questionable climax but I think it is in keeping with the movie's theme of how unexplained events can change a person, if not a whole family, even a small town. Donnie Darko is on to something - he is searching for meaning in life and in the universe (he has an interest in time travel). His girlfriend is searching for peace and beauty in the world. It is rare in movies today to see young people engaged in such rational thoughts. That is part of what makes "Donnie Darko" so refreshing.
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