Time Travel Epic Disguised as a Late 80'S Teen Angst Film. Huh?

Rating: 8/10 (29 March 2004)

I will forever be in Drew Barrymore's debt for making sure Donnie Darko was made. This, in spite of Charlie's Angels  Full Throttle. Like other IMDb reviewers, I am surprised by DD's high rating. Don't get me wrong. DD is a very good movie. But, to rank it up there with Citizen Kane is a stretch. Moving forward, writer and director Richard Kelly, may have problems generating as much cult mania with his next project. I hope that Richard can continue his success many more times, because I am a fan and rank DD in my personal top ten.
It is difficult to discuss the content of DD. It is a vague story at best, and upon first viewing, will leave you clouded. I recommended DD to a friend and all he could say is "that movie was messed up". By visiting the film web site and reading IMDb user comments, you will be able to develop your own understanding. I truly thought I had the story down, but after discussing with several frequent movie goers, discovered that each had their own understanding. The personalization of a mysterious story, a good soundtrack, a new movie star (Jake) and his sister Maggie, and several familiar faces (Drew, Patrick, and Noah) added up to an intriguing movie experience.
The modification of my original review is to touch on Richard Kelly's upcoming Southland Tales movie starring The Rock, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Sean William Scott, among others. The buzz on the street about Southland is not good based on film festival preview reports of a seriously disjointed story and the lack of a central plot. There were similar issues with 2001 festival previews and the initial opening of Donnie Darko. But, here we are several years later with one of the more highly rated IMDb movies that continues to draw in fans. Richard claims that to understand Southland Tales, you must start by following the visual stories at the official web site. Let's hope he is on to something.