I’ve been hearing really good reviews for ages but I just got around to seeing the movie this afternoon. Man, that was a great movie. I’ve been a fan of Jake Gyllenhaal for a while and he just played Donnie so well I felt. My friend kept going on about the symbolism in the movie and I’m curious to know all the Dopers’ take on the movie. So whatcha think?
P.S. I know this movie has been discussed before but search wouldn’t work for me because my computer is an asshole and I wanted to read about it while it’s still fresh in my mind.
Yeah, I saw it for the first time just a couple of weeks ago. Thought it was good but didn’t really understand what it was all about. Turns out he actually died when the aircraft engine crashed into his house (he was in the bed after all). We see him climb out of his bedroom window sleepwalking but that was actually an alternate Donnie entering a parallel universe and the rest of the film is about him setting things right so that he could die - that’s why he smiles when he gets into bed at the end knowing that the aircraft engine is about to kill him.
Anyway I can’t do better than Larry Mudd’s post in this thread (2nd post in thread):
I hated it. It gets such high praise here I tried it. I found it dull and tortuous and never really cared what happened. Perhaps it is one of those movies that you either “get” or not. For instance, I have friends who hate The Princess Bride, but I love it.
I recently got the director’s cut DVD so I could rewatch it, and I also enjoy the movie.
Until a mod puts [spoilers] in the title:
To me, it’s a sort of an anti-It’s a Wonderful Life. The time-travel stuff is just a plot gimmick that enables them to tell a story, like the warp engines and universal translators in Star Trek do. I didn’t need to think about them overmuch. Instead of invoking an angel trying to earn his wings, we get Frank, a typical teen angsty type with an obsession with spooky heavy metal bunny rabbit images. At the end, we finally come around to the fact that, unlike It’s a Wonderful Life, sometimes maybe you are better off dead, and once you understand it, it’s okay.
So changed, but please note, Plynck, that I was responding to someone hitting the REPORT THIS POST button… not to your request.
The moderators do not have the time (or the inclination) to read every thread. If you see something that needs moderator attention, hit the REPORT BAD POST button (the exclamation point in the red triangle in the upper right corner of each post). That will get a Moderator’s attention, since it’s sent to her/his email.
Just posting in the thread, as Plynck has done, will only attract attention IF a moderator happens to look into the thread, and sees the request. I gotta tell you, I would not have looked into this thread and I would never have seen your request.
So, please, folks, use REPORT POST when you find something that needs moderator attention. Posting in the thread is pretty much useless.
I saw this for the first time a few weeks back, and I definitely enjoyed it. I’m not sure I necessarily want to think too hard about it all, but the story (as well as the acting) made you care about the characters, the cinematography was solidly above average, and the soundtrack (the original orchestral score, the 80s hits, and especially the Mad World cover at the end) was outstanding.
That said, I can definitely understand people not liking it. It’s not a movie with universal appeal, by any means. I happened to enjoy it a lot, though, and was glad my friend finally talked me into seeing it.
I’ve read some great imterpretations of the film but there are little things, almost throwaway occurrences or dialogue that seem to mean something. One that stands out is when it’s mentioned that Donnie Darko sounds like a super hero name. Kinda like how we might name ourselves in a dream. Ya know?
The director explained in the commentary that the name is kind of a hint to Donnie’s superhuman powers. He gets to use them while in the alternate universe trying to set things normal. That’s how he gets the axe firmly planted in the bronze statue.
Hated it. With a passion. There are some movies where the twists and connections are subtle, elegant and sublime. Then there’s this piece o’ crap, where they were sloppy, hamfisted, and a weak writer’s tricks. Hell, when they actually had the nerve to have him say “Deux ex machina!” I wanted to vomit.