A 'off' mixture of 80s surburban bliss and strange things...

Rating: Null/10 (20 September 2002)

A wonderful first film for Richard Kelly.. I'll admit, I disliked a few elements upon my initial viewing, but fortunately the good far outways the bad in this case.
Jake Gyllenhaal really does a number in his role as Donnie, questioning his sanity, whether what he's seeing is real or not, and where this ultimately leads him. He's basically just a normal kid with some strange things happening in his life, which makes it even more compelling. Jena Malone, I really liked her in this role, but then, she's cute and hard not to like. I especially liked her in Life as a House (which I saw before American Beauty, and enjoyed more, though AB was good it certainly couldn't outdue Cider House Rules for the oscar!). I thought she could have been given a tad more to really hit home with her connection between her and Donnie. Donnie's little sister, I felt her part was completely useless and hated her little 'dance group' subplot -one of the elements I wished was replaced with something that'd actually help the story along or was at least entertaining. Donnie's Father, his best moment was cut (you'll see it on the dvd), so he just exists in the film pretty much with a mildly entertaining exchange between him and his wife. The older sister was just there, did a couple things, and that's it. Overall, I'm glad many of the family scenes were cut because they just for the most part got in the way of the more important elements of Donnie's journey.
Everything in terms of effects feels appropriate, nothing seems overdone, and many of them even look cool.. the story when it further envelopes Donnie in it's webwork of sci-fi/fantasy/insanity is where the meat of things lie, and some great little moments throughout (can we say Smurfs?).
The first time I saw the 'bunny', per say, it looked kind of ridiculas to me, but everytime after it just fit right in (even go so far has creating a slightly spooky vibe in some scenes). Jim Cunningham's plotline works well, Patrick did a great job in the part, and some of the minor subtext he instilled in the part made the role even more. I didn't feel Drew Barrymore's presence was overused, could of put a tad more in the film on her relation with the kids, but time constraints did make a better film. The other characters all seemed to do their parts accordingly, everything seemed in place.
The music, ah, one of the best parts of the film, which further creates the 80s nostalgia and brings the haunting moments of the film up to the level they needed, including the Mad Mad World song, which I loved the montage that went with it (I thought this was the most effective part of the film, personally, that and the intro segment).
Well shot, some cool little camera tricks and movement throughout. In the end, it's a movie that deserves a second viewing. Despite a couple annoying or offputting subplots, there's just so much to enjoy and be entertained that I can easily forget the minor bad points. Oh, and get the dvd, and read the Time Travel Book (which is from the film), and if you can't see that print, get glasses. You don't need to, but it helps to explain and make better sense of the whole concept, plus it's just a cool quick little read.
Other features on the Dvd certainly live up to the price, with several extended/deleted scenes with commentary for each.. as well as 2 commentary tracks (1 with the director and Jake -a good listen, and the second by members of the cast which was clear are only paying attention to the film in at glances and are mostely sitting back and having a good time among friends).. There's also production stills and a music video for Mad Mad World.. and if you get the soundtrack, know this.. the score is worth it, I just wish they'd extended each piece because they sound disected (it helps to listen to them shuffled), but the 80s music is all amiss.. though you do get 2 versions of the wonderful Mad Mad World song..
I most definitely recommend this film for anyone wanting something not quite like anything else..