‎Donnie Darko (2001) directed by Richard Kelly • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

Donnie Darko

2001 Directed by Richard Kelly

You can never go too far

After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.

Jake Gyllenhaal Jena Malone Patrick Swayze Maggie Gyllenhaal Drew Barrymore Beth Grant Holmes Osborne Daveigh Chase Mary McDonnell James Duval Arthur Taxier Katharine Ross Patience Cleveland David St. James Jazzie Mahannah Jolene Purdy David Moreland Noah Wyle Kristina Malota Marina Malota Scotty Leavenworth Phyllis Lyons Gary Lundy Alex Greenwald Stuart Stone Joan Blair Seth Rogen Mark Hoffman

113 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by brat pitt ★★★★★ 10

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

yo donnie darko he was just 16 when he found a very strange book to read
it was all about a realm unseen
(he's gonna save the world cause he's donnie darko)
when a bunny named frank showed up to assist
donnie darko decided to follow it
there was a great big crash and everything changed
his mental health got all rearranged
when he first woke up he realized
that frank the bunny had saved his life
he could see people's fates, futures, & time
he was much more emo than the other guys
it was then donnie knew what he had to do
he had to let the jet engine fall through his roof
he's here to die for me and you
he's gonna save the world cause he's donnie darko
gonna save the world cause he's donnie darko
gonna save the world cause he's *whispers* donnie darko
Review by Katie ★★★★★ 13

that scene where donnie tells ms. farmer to forcibly insert the lifeline exercise card into her anus is why Jake Gyllenhaal is the greatest actor of all time.
Review by Grooveman ★★★★★ 7

"Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion."
Review by Andy Summers ★★★★★ 36

When it's your birthday you get your favorite supper, your favorite tipple, birthday sex and the pick of what to watch on the television. For me it was a lovely birthday and of course the movie of choice was my all time favorite "Donnie Darko".
I saw this for the first time back in 2002 and couldn't get it out of my head for weeks. It had an unusual effect on me. I've seen thousands of films, but rarely has one lingered quite so much on my conscience. Without doubt a "cult film", this had so many different theories as to what it was really all about, it would make your head spin.In truth I became a little obsessed. I…
Review by SilentDawn ★★★★★ 7

95/100

"The search for God is absurd?"

"It is if everyone dies alone."

"Does that scare you?"

"I don't want to be alone."

Such a knockout combination of flavors and tones, genres and influences that it's hard to believe how coherent it all is. Portals expand though the screen of The Evil Dead as a heavenly choir soars within the soundscape. Elementary schoolgirls dance seductively in talent shows, taught by the 'teacher's pet' of a spiritual healer with a dark secret. Nightmares intermingle with the sleepy High School environments of endless houses and endless types of people who we've known. It's a movie where 'sparkle motion' is on the same plane of importance as deluded heroism and schizophrenia, and it's…
Review by Katie ★★★★★ 4

the most unrealistic thing about this movie is that no one but two people would show up for an evil dead screening on halloween??? sounds REALLY fake but okay

Recent reviews

Review by Jordan Jordan ★★★½

Certainly not a bad movie. I think it's a lot better when Jake and Maggie G are allowed to just act, instead of the plot getting in the way. This is especially egregious in the Director's Cut, one of the few cases where I'd recommend the theatrical.
Review by Jason Hernandez ★★★★

A teenage fun-pack version of a David Lynch movie, but there's nothing wrong with that. Writer/director Richard Kelly does it well. He learned the right lessons about the kind of ambiguity that gets an audience buzzing about what the hell they just saw—and that makes them want to see it again to spot more clues and foreshadowing. The people who love DONNIE DARKO really love it. It's a film that's got "cult classic" written all over it. It bombed in theaters, partly because it depicts an airplane disaster that made American exhibitors nervous for its wide release in October 2001 (barely six weeks after 9/11). What followed though was one of the last big video store success stories, a film…
Review by trollyguacamole ★★★★★

THE BEST EVER !!!
Review by mattwhalen3 ★★★★★

Teenage angst at it's most visceral and captivating. Ft. Frank, the giant rabbit!
Review by nadine ★★★★ 3

Jake Gyllenhaal marathon (#4):
i actually got tickets for the ZFF Special Gala Premiere of Stronger can y'all hear me crying i'm going to be in the same room as the love of my life

this film is so depressing but ho boy do i love it and i only just realized that Spencer from icarly is in it
Review by vanesa429 ★★★★

i thought it'd be really scary but it was cool, jake gyllenhall gave a nice performance i think it was just cool and the bunny was funny low-key
Review by Zaidel ★★★★½ 1

Yo ya no sé si comentar el hecho de que la madre de Donnie Darko está leyendo It en una de las primeras escenas, que aparece el hermano de iCarly en otra, que el hombre de los videos de autoayuda usa una canción clavada al tema acuático de Super Mario 64 o que no podría haber visto esta peli en un mejor momento.
Review by kylie ★★★★★

What the fuck is going on in here on this day?
Review by paige ★★★★½

ACTUALLY cried last night for like 45 minutes....