Frustrating, yet oddly satisfying....

Rating: Null/10 (4 November 2003)

Go to one of the many websites dedicated to the the DD "mythos" if you want to know exactly how the TU came to be, or whether Frank is actually real when he acts as a "messenger," or why Donnie has to do what he does to set things right. But if you do, I think you're missing a great experience. This is definitely a Top 10 Movie of all time in my book, but I can easily understand how many viewers would not like it at all.
Watch the film and form your own conclusions. It is very touching and personal on several different levels. (I'm a sucker for "Mad World"...I cry every time I watch the montage at the end of the movie.)
Once you've watched this movie, go back and listen to the director's commentary on the DVD, You may be quite surprised at what you learn.
This is definitely a must-see film.
***** out of *****
2005 Update: After watching the new Director's Cut a couple times, I have to tell you that I have mixed feelings. The film does indeed flow better and is visually haunting, but I believe that, overall, the DC is for the worst. Here are a couple problems I have with it:
1. The movie is now a little TOO accessible. The insertion of the passages from TPOTT are a bit much and are really pushed into the viewer's face. The additional scenes are also too high-tech, as if they are supposed to simulate God or DD's consciousness as a computer, video recorder, or radar screen.
2. The additional scenes also slow the movie down quite a bit. It was compact and terse in the original version.
3. Last, and most important, the viewer gets to see hints, information, and foreshadowing that are not accessible to Donnie. In the original version, the viewer gets to see only the basic information that is available to DD, so we empathize more with his confusion. In the Director's Cut, we are less empathetic and view DD more from an detached, more omniscient point of view.
I STRONGLY recommend that you view the original version first and then, after some thought, go ahead and view the Director's Cut a few months later.