A Dark, Twisted CLASSIC

Rating: 10/10 (16 May 2004)

Donnie Darko.... how should I put this.... is an AMAZING film. It was recommended to me so I went out and bought it and I was BLOWN AWAY. One of my favorite aspects of this film was how well the music went with the film. It takes place in the late eighties and the soundtrack includes such artists as Tears for Fears and other popular bands of the age. The musical sequences in this movie are fantastic. They carry along the story w/o using dialogue, using only the actions of the actors. Which brings me to yet another reason I liked this film. The acting was superb. Jake Gyllenhaal was FANTASTIC as a troubled, confused teen. I am a teenager and although I do not have psychological problems, his portrayal of Donnie Darko was SPOT on with all of the other troubles and dilemmas of every day life as an adolescent. The actual script is also VERY well done. The scenes are well written and directed. My personal favorite is one in which Donnie is fighting with his family at the dinner table (lord knows that happens to all teenagers). Overall, I absolutely LOVED this movie and as a first time writer and director, I thought Richard Kelly did an absolutely FANTASTIC job. I bought this movie for TEN DOLLARS at Best Buy, so if you have 10 bucks to burn, GO BUY THIS MOVIE. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!!