Not a member? Sign up now
October 23, 2011
Does Donnie Darko Hold Up?
On its tenth anniversary, we reassess the cult phenomenon.
by Rick Paulas and Peter Malamud Smith
Donnie Darko Does Not Hold Up
By Rick Paulas
When Donnie Darko first came out ten years ago, it earned a scant half-a-million dollars, covering about one-ninth of its budget. It wasn't until DVDs of the film started getting passed around college campuses and high school lunchrooms the following spring that its underground cult audience was unearthed, eventually leading to a 2004 director's-cut theatrical re-release and phrases like "Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion" entering the pop-culture vernacular. But cult films like this are a tricky bunch. When one that's unique and stylistically impressive — as Darko is on both accounts — sneaks through by way of word-of-mouth raves rather than multi-million-dollar publicity campaigns, it's not always held to the same standards normal movies are; their underdog status gives fans a parental sense of ownership that lets inconsistencies slide. A decade later, it's time to rewatch Darko with clear eyes to see if, actually, it's worthy of its reputation. Spoiler: it's not. Here's why.
1. Donnie Darko is a terrible protagonist.
With his puffed-out frowny face, slumped shoulders, and sweatshirt hood pulled halfway over his head, Donnie Darko's brooding, mad-at-the-world type is so familiar, you could throw a protractor down a high-school hallway and hit a dozen of these gloomy Eeyores. At this point in his career, it's clear that Jake Gyllenhaal can act, so he's not to blame. Instead, blame goes to director Richard Kelly, who apparently wanted the hero of his movie to alternate his moods between brooding, sleepwalking brooding, under-hypnosis brooding, smiling brooding, and then regular brooding again. And make no mistake about it, this isn't Kelly creating a compelling anti-hero. We're supposed to identify with Donnie.
2. The story needed an editor.
Darko feels like a debut film, in that it's clearly the work of someone taking a pile of disconnected ideas he's had over the years (liquid darts shooting from people's chests, an old lady whose life consists of checking her mail, a creepy rabbit costume, a mystery jet engine falling from the sky) and shoehorning them into a single story; who knows when or if they'll get another shot at a movie? For David Lynch, this "everything is connected" form of filmmaking works, because he's dealing with emotional states rather than plot. But in Darko, these are all plot devices thrown in because they're cool rather than because they make sense.
Donnie Darko's brooding mad-at-the-world type is so familiar, you could throw a protractor down a high-school hallway and hit a dozen of these gloomy Eeyores.
3. The nostalgic setting is manipulative.
The only reason Darko's set in 1988 is because Kelly wanted it to be. He doesn't have anything interesting to say about the era, despite critics trying to attach political symbolism in their postmortems. He doesn't even have anything biographical to say, like George Lucas did in American Graffiti. The setting is simply Kelly's excuse to dig into his synth-pop collection, let characters say "Dukakis" a bunch of times, and have bullies snort coke in hallways between class periods.
4. Drew Barrymore is insufferable.
Barrymore, also a producer on the movie, plays Donnie's airy high-school English teacher. During her few scenes, she introduces the class to Graham Greene (and, thusly, Symbolism!), screams out "fuck!" after getting fired before sharing a Moment Of Connection with the foreign exchange student who gets it, and tells a new student to "sit next to the boy you think is the cutest." I'd go on, but I don't think I have to.
5. The complex plot is muddled.
The bread-and-butter of any time-travel story is the cause-and-effect paradox the hero has to overcome. Marty McFly accidentally keeps his father from meeting his mother (cause) which means he's in danger of not being born (effect). Now, bear with me here, because even if you've seen Donnie Darko, this is confusing: Darko ends with Donnie committing suicide by traveling back in time to willfully get crushed by a jet engine that fell through his bedroom twenty-eight days earlier. With his death, Gretchen (Jena Malone) never travels down the path to her eventual death; the unearthing of Patrick Swayze's kiddie-porn dungeon — great band name, by the way — keeps Donnie's mother off a flight that presumably crashes; and Donnie doesn't kill Frank, the guy in the creepy rabbit costume, by shooting him in the eye.
Which is all well and good. If Donnie wants to play sacrificial lamb, that's in line with his woe-is-me character. But the whole reason he gets to make that decision in the first place is that the ghost of Frank (or future ghost of Frank?) got him to sleepwalk out of harm's way in the first place. So, unless we're dealing with one of those reality-seeping-into-a-dream-state-in-the-moments-before-a-character's-death, as in Mulholland Drive (and there's no indication we are), then Donnie only has a choice to get pancaked by the jet engine because... he was saved by the ghost of someone from the other timeline? Or something like that?
6. Richard Kelly's made only bad work since.
When Darko hit cult status, Richard Kelly was included with names like Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry on the list of brilliant up-and-comers in the post-Tarantino generation of filmmakers. But we may have elevated his legend a bit prematurely. Since Darko, Kelly's made Southland Tales, an incomprehensible mess that can be applauded only for actually getting green-lit, and The Box, a paint-by-numbers re-imagining of an old Twilight Zone episode. Besides that, nothing. Oh, unless you want to include his producing the adaptation of Tucker Max's I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. That, in itself, should be enough to make us second-guess the idea that we were in the hands of an expert filmmaker during Donnie Darko. And with that, the prosecution rests.
Next: "As with many real-life cranky teenagers, there's a bright, sweet, curious kid in there..."
Tags
jake gyllenhaal
Commentarium (82 Comments)
Is donnie darko seriously 10 years old? Holy balls am I old . . .
Me too! WTF. I love this film, despite these complaints. I heard that it didn't really take off because of 9/11 and a storyline that involved a plane engine crashing. (no spoilers...) I haven't been impressed by this director since, but I've always thought that this movie was very compelling, unique and original.
Donnie darko does hold up as a cult classic. The movie was directed very well. It has a good cast. The story is very intriguing.
donnie darko definitely has its flaws, and i only watch it once a year (in october, of course), but i absolutely love it. and i agree re: "the killing moon"...the whole soundtrack is amazing. the moment when donnie jumps out of the school bus to "head over heels" by tears for fears= one of my favorite movie music moments ever.
i think it's time for my yearly viewing!
A music/movie magic moment. The 180 degree tilt is pretty sweet too.
EXACTLY. I became obsessed with "Head over Heels" for an obscenely long time because of this movie. Love your idea of an annual October viewing, I'll have to get on that this week :]
delia..."head over heels" is from a tears for fears record called 'songs from the big chair'. if you haven't heard it, i highly recommend it.
my yearly viewing was today! while i was watching, i was amused to discover that the october 1988 calendar days/dates are identical to 2011. perfect! this year's viewing also inspired an idea for a painting and how is it that i hadn't noticed seth rogan in this film before??
had to watch the school bus scene several times, of course...pretty sweet indeed.
My favorite scene too!! I played and replayed that part many many times, and now that I think about it, I watched it on vhs, wow!
I've had a long and complicated relationship with this film. At first I quite liked it, then its flaws became slowly but gradually clearer to me, and now I've rather predictably come to the conclusion that it's not as bad as the detractors say nor as incredible as the devotees say. It's just good. A bildungsroman with a nifty conceit and nothing much more or less.
I do think it's the only good film Richard Kelly will ever make, though. He only had one in him, and here it is.
I feel the same way about Juno. And Garden State.
Ha! Completely on all three counts.
I will never understand why people like Garden State.
Garden State = Most over-rated movie ever made
Interestingly, though, another movie with an excellent soundtrack. I'm sensing a theme here.
George Steiner: "All criticism should arise from an act of love... critics are eunuchs..."
You'd think the owner of the Yankees wouldn't let criticism get to him...
Very drool!
I really loved it and thought it was amazing and perfect when I was in high school.
I am no longer in high school. Good film, interesting premise, atmospheric - and that's all.
I used to be on pretty good terms with DD, but then this bastard went and tried to use its fame to push Southland Tales. Which is unequivocally the worst excuse for a movie I've ever seen. I would rather have not had Darko be a success so that Southland Tales would have never existed.
It's That Bad.
No, the Southland Tales was really good. You just didn't understand it. You see, the Rock was Jesus. Does it make sense now? ;-)
jeez, jake gyllenhaal looks cute in that picture.
Fuck! Ten years! That was my first date!
That was my last date -- what a coincidence!
I actually enjoyed The Box. It wasn't great, but it was enjoyable; like a solid episode of the Twilight Zone. I'd say the most irritating thing about Kelly's post-Darko career is that the ambiguity that made Darko a success seems to really piss him off, and ever since he's been running around screaming to everyone who will listen, "No, it was really aliens! Really!"
Actually, The box was an episode of The Twilight Zone and a short film was made based on it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrKnhOJ-R80
When I watched what Kelly'd done to that wonderful episode I was sincerely pissed.
I always thought it was a bit of a troll, that movie. Make a nonsense movie and watch the hipsters cling to it like nourishment.
It's an average movie that gets way overhyped by fanboys/girls.
It's a decent movie that gets way over-hated by foeboys/girls.
Aw! I lived in San Diego when it came out. Me and my friends would get stoned, ride bikes, and make our other friends watch it. Great soundtrack!
And it introduced me to Jake G.
Which on a side note, he was in a move called Highway with Jared Leto, a cheesy ass movie--but guilty pleasure. I can't believe it's been 10 years.
I'm going to have to watch it this week!
Thank you! I thought it sucked when it came out, R. Kelly was a bunch of hype (tho he's not a bad writer), and I hated everyone for drinking the kool aid. Only kids who grew up during the post 911 Bush era could think this is art.
Wait... what the fuck does liking Donnie Darko have to do with 9/11?
Sidney, the only thing that sucks is your comment and your inability to form a coherent thought. 911? What? Apparently there is an entire generation of people in the US who are not allowed to have an opinion on film because they grew up post-911?
hahahahahahah your such a funny asshole
Chut up!
The Box was by no means color-by-numbers of the "Button, Button" Twilight Zone episode. The Twilight Zone version was actually pretty good.
I had to give Donnie Darko a lot of thought, but after awhile I liked it better than when I first saw it. I think Rick Paulas's comments are, by and large, correct; however, the movie still speaks to me. The major problem is that R. Kelly can't edit. He made a real mess of Southland Tales, and I was hoping he'd have learned from Donnie Darko. C'est la vie. Donnie Darko is a noble failure.
To be fair, R. Kelly was pretty solid in "Trapped in the Closet."
This movie has always sucked. Over-hyped from the beginning.
No, The King's Speech was over-hyped. This is a little-known gem that is fun and rewarding to watch if you have any sense of imagination.
"A decade later, it's time to rewatch Darko with clear eyes to see if, actually, it's worthy of its reputation."
1) You're criticizing the film because the main character is somewhat "Emo"? Are you 14?
2) Assuming you know what's in the writer's head?!? Lame. Those bits seemed connected to me.
3) Who cares?
4) I liked her character.
5) Yep, it's muddled. I enjoyed it.
6) So? Aren't there any one-hit-wonder songs that you still like?
I totally get that some people don't like this movie, and that's cool. Subjective tastes are just that... subjective. But do you truly believe that word-of-mouth campaigns succeed because: a) people feel obliged to like what's cool, or b) people are unable/unwilling to evaluate art that's been recommended by their friends? To be honest, I never would have thought either was true. But you have proven me wrong, as you are clearly demonstrating that you fell into one of these categories. I wouldn't advertise that to the world, but that's just me.
i love you all
You, most assuredly, need to take a film class ... and a critical thinking class ... and maybe an introduction to literature course. Feel free to share your thoughts once you have an education and can enter a dialogue about cinema in a thoughtful, well-argued manner.
God the director's cut was awful.
What? No mention of Mary McDonnell, who steals every scene she is in? She is terrific in this film.
She's fantastic. I wanted to mention her but I figured I'd said enough.
So wait, the one good thing you have to say about something an you leave it out. Hardly Objective critism. What else did you like about the movie?
The protagonist is not that bad, You use Lynch work as a baseline and I can think of a few similar (or in my opnion worse) protagonists. And since when has having a protoganist represent a bunch of people been a bad thing, it creates relatability more easily (chances are we've all been in a "the world doesn't understand me" kind of place. Needs to edit? I would say that each of these "un"-connected events/characters are relevant to the story being told. The period setting sets up some of the other aspects of the plot, the Cunningham lectures/videos, a certain sense of innocense regarding some of the characters in the environment you wouldn't get today. Drew barrymore's insufferable???surely that is your opinion, she gets the protagonist and the love interest talking which then leads to the ultimate decision not to mention feeding information throughout the film. The part that truly says that being yourself and not conforming is fine. Complex plot, its a reverse "It's a wonderful life" with the aliens essentially showing Donnie what would happen if he lived and saying its wrong. So what if it could have all been prevented or not happened, McFly ends up pretty much were he wa, was the entire point of BTTF to make McFly a spoilt yuppy and save the doc from terrorists he scammed? I am still a fan of Richards work (and admittedly it is flawed) but I enjoy Southland Tales on a regular basis as an interesting experiemnt and a beautifully shot film, if somewhat weird and kind of not entirely sensicle. The Box was a great adaptation with a great atmosphere, but it isn't a great film admittedly, but I still see potential.
This is the worst type of article to me, and this has been done similarly for the Titanic and Forest Gump (and I'll lose some followers here for this, but I'm not looking to be followed but to state a point) Some films get over hyped at the time (DD included and I'll be the first to say it, although admittedly I was desperate to see this film at the cinema with my friends none of which would go see it with me because it sounded "crap" then 1 year later were praising it, ended up seeing it by myself) but over-hype leads to under valuing it. The movies I have mentioned are good films, well constructed. But if they are said to be more than they are people start picking at flaws until they are wounds. Hell even the holy of holy films Pulp Fiction, has flaws, even The Godfather has flaws. but it got the praise it was worthy of. Donnie should get the same. Instead the same hipsters you mention feel they need to grow out of liking it because it was huge when they were emo, or worse they feel they need to unfairly judge work to a higher standard they would usually, just to prove something was over-hyped.
End of Rant. Sorry thats been building up for a while
By the way, was typing really fast in what I can only summarise as being puzzlement that escalated to keyboard pounding rage. This is not the writers fault, he put across his opinion (which I clearly do not agree with on the whole). However the article just highlighted a general thing I do not like with some articles I have read recently. Just hate this I don't like what other people like mentality that seems to be around. I'm sure some people do not like this film for valid reason's. And if thats you, then this wasn't aimed at you. However I liked this film before it was popular, I still like it now and I liked it through the hype. I'm sure my opinions of art will change as I do in someways with new experiences. I may like things I used to not like and vice versa. But i will not start looking for flaws in films more than I used to. A film not "holding up" just means it was not accurately assessed to begin with. Whether the folly of youth, or the aching to grow up changed the former or latter opinion, I do not know. But when you make such a statement it implies on the technical side of storytelling/movie making. If the protagonist is bad now, why wasn't it back then? If you expressing an opinion of like or dislike, and explaining why your ideas may have changed I would have been more intrigued by your view point. But what your doing is saying that this used to be a good film, and now its isn't because time and popularity has changed it.
I can only agree with you...love that movie. Screw Rick( Its ok, everyone is entitled to an opinion.):) Donnie Darko, hellyeah.
They got points for setting the movie's climax on my 18th birthday. That's really all that matters.
Rick's right on the main points about the character and the plot. Worse, it just feels dreary. The images are dreary. The pacing is dreary. The dialogue is dreary. There's like one line that's almost amusing ("I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion"), otherwise it's just dull, dull, dull.
Fu*k you. I love this movie. I don't care what you say. I can relate to Donnie and i think this film is wonderful.
Just like most of Richard Kelly's work, it can REALLY use some editing. Maybe Kelly thinks that everything he shoots is gold, but someone has got to be there to reel him in. Southland Tales was over three hours long - I can assure you no one was telling him to stop at any point. He had the perfect combination of Hype and Hubris that end a lot of careers in hollywood.
i love you dude
You should see Harvey with Jimmy Stuart and then get back to us.
Sorry Jimmy Stewart.
and here i always thought of this film as a scifi story of time travel and causality loops... i really didn't think drew barrymore was bad, i thought her character had some degree of sadness about her since i also thought the old lady was actually drew's character that was caught in the time loop and was checking the mail for the message that everything was fixed...
Your first argument that the protagonist doesn't work is actually that the protagonist doesn't work FOR YOU. You write that "...you could throw a protractor down a high-school hallway and hit a dozen of these gloomy Eeyores," but then conclude, complaining that, "We're supposed to identify with Donnie. "
By your own argument Rick, there are 12 people in every high school hallway that *do* identify with Donnie. And just one sad, lonely Rick; who out of his apparent inability to understand these people (compounded by his less than informed film criticism) chooses to call them 'gloomy Eeyores' and throw figurative protractors at them.
So, did Richard Kelly sleep with your mom or something? I figure there must have been some personal slight because your "criticism" of this movie seems pretty personal and you kinda come off sounding like John Heard in "Big," shooting down Josh's idea with a mean-spirited reply of, "I don't get it!"
true that girl hahahahahahahahahaahahahahah
Hated it then. Probably hate it now (won't watch it again though)
Agreed
I've always hated this movie. Only people who know nothing about movies think this is a masterpiece. The dialogue sucks, some of the acting's pretty wooden and it badly needs an editing...but more than anything else - what the hell happens to Patrick Swaze?
If this kid dies, than this horrible pederast is never exposed and arrested. He chose to die and let a pedophile go free just so he can save...who? his high school girlfriend he had for a fucking week?!
mabey we can all see each other when the time is right. or when time is not time and we all exist as one due to the fact that we all doent exist at all, and i truly agree with Carlos Cabrera, but keep in mind its a cult following dude. Like the room, that shit sucks ass but i just cant get enough of it. Oh hi Mark! hahahahahahaha
There is no such thing as 'synth-pop'. It was New Wave then and it contintues to be New Wave now.
HI
i just wanted to say hi
mabey we can all see each other when the time is right. or when time is not time and we all exist as one due to the fact that we all doent exist at all
and i truly agree with Carlos Cabrera, but keep in mind its a cult following dude. Like the room, that shit sucks ass but i just cant get enough of it. Oh hi Mark! hahahahahahaha
I think if we go back to any movie released after the 1990 and we re-watched it now we would say, WHAT, DID I REALLY WATCH THAT ?!?!?!? (Armagedon, Titanic, Moth man prophecies, all top movie titles) So it is not fair to judge something 10 YEARS later!!!! At that time Donnie Darko was great and very well accepted by the audience, which is the point of every movie released, to be popular in the time of release, not 100 years later...
I can agree with only one of the arguments in this article: Drew Barrymore is insufferable. But to say it's a bad movie because the rest of the director's work is crap????? What kind of logic/criticism is that? What does it have to say about this particular movie?
The story is very complex and Donnie's a cool character thats why I like it.
This is thee stupidest arguement ever
1 the old lady had lost her mind from time travel
2 the engine that came from the sky was sent by Donnie when he made that plane crash in the air so he could move it back in time to kill himself!
And by the fucking way if u hate it just don't watcH it again, IT'S THE BEST BEGINNING MOVE FOR A SCREENPLAY AND DIRECTOR
but I'm sorry an idiot like you I'm sure wouldn't know a blank page from a screenplay
To each his own I suppose, but i absolutely love this movie. it took me a while to get it, but i think it's absolutely brilliant. definitely in my top 10.
i fucking love donnie darko and the reason its hyped up is because its a great movie
This is retarded, all you did was completely overanalyze a perfectly good movie, you could do the same thing for any movie made today, get off your high horse
Usually when I see a movie that I think is fantastic, I think everyone else is stupid if they don't like it (i.e. The Breakfast Club). With DD, it just kind of hit me deeply in a weird way so that I almost felt the meaning rather than deciphering it through logic. Although it has its flaws (drew barrymore? definitely), it will always be one of my all-time favorite movies, but I'm not surprised or offended when I hear that other people don't feel the same way.
ive noticed something incredible, youtube comment pages are completely immature and petty, but ive learned that sites like these actually have mature visitors who have actual humane conversations, and even when people disagree, instead of saying "you f****** idiot, that's not how it is," people go "well that's a good point, but here's why i think otherwise..." it's beautiful
Stupid article...obviously trying to cause people to get annoyed...I love this movie, the music, sparkle motion, the rabbit, and all. sorry charlie, your opinion lacks depth
Ouch, you critisise films as if you were math professor critisising a calculation. Chill out, man, it's a film - let it be.
Everyone's is a F... critic and they know better what we like/dislike. G.F.U'r.S.
This was a GOOD MOVIE. Way better then 99% of the crappy remakes Hollywood puts out these days.
First time I saw this movie it was about 1/4 of the way through and after 5 min of watching it, i just couldn't turn the channel. Ive rewatched it several times since.
I wasn't to impressed with the second one but the first one in my book was one of the best movies i have seen next to "thank you for not smoking".
As for the suggestion that director manipulated his audience by having the movie take place in (nostalgic) 1988, this is misplaced. "88" is a nod to time travel and two separate time lines. 8 itself is the symbol for the universe and repeating pasts and history. If you follow the symbol 8 you repeat over the same place over and over again. 8 with another 8 next to it, (88) signifies the two separate time lines depicted in the movie. Dig?
I've always had trouble with the plot in this movie. You point out it's flaws very well. Frank the Rabbit never made a whole lot of sense as the catalyst. The causality of it all seemed like garbage. But I have rationalized it a bit (whether it was the filmmakers intention or not).
The way I like to look at it is that "things" were bleeding through time. Frank the Rabbit had the biggest impact on Donny and therefore bleeds through into his subconscious. I think it's suppose to be kind of like his grief was so strong that he ripped a hole in space/time to fix it.
Something like that. I haven't seen the movie in years because I really didn't like it. Only in repeat viewings to try to figure out what it was that people liked and to pinpoint why I didn't like it is where I came up with this idea.
You noted the nonsensical structure and how these were meant merely as a dart board of ideas.
It may not be as amoebic as you'd like to think it is.
http://metaphilm.com/index.php/detail/donnie-darko/
This page breaks it down elegantly for those mentally incapable of grasping the complexity of the movie, much better than I ever could. Everything in that movie had a meaning. You just weren't understanding the larger picture.