Ahh, one of my favorites

Rating: 10/10 (2 September 2005)

This movie is actually one of my favorites. The whole idea of the film will make you think back on everything that happened in the whole movie. Richard Kelly has a vivid imagination, and was extremely lucky to get the cast that he was after. The feel of it is actually real, unlike other movies which have families that you don't actually believe are real. In this film, he was able to have a cast that acted well together and felt real. You can't get a plot like this and a cast like this very often. The way the movie was filmed is amazing as well, with more emotion in the words and actions than in most movies these days. It's so emotional, and Jake Gyllenhaal did a magnificent performance as a troubled young man in search of...well, that's for you to find out I suppose. Mary McDonnell, as well as the rest of the cast, had a wonderful performance as the mother of Donnie Darko. The emotions, again, are something that you don't find everyday in a film. Richard Kelly uses everyday situations that you encounter with family members, even the smallest scene. But this is something that I enjoyed because it's nothing too overbearing. Most movies take it to another step of "dysfunctional", but in this film you feel like you've known the family for years right from the first scene when you see them together, and Kelly keeps this throughout the film. A very enjoyable film.