A Modern Catcher In The Rye?

Rating: 10/10 (26 September 2005)

Donnie Darko is the type of movie that should stand alone without comparisons or genres, quite simply because it's a genre bending movie. Donnie Darko pays homage to everything from theories of time travel to the coming of age struggle that has earned it titles from a Modern Catcher In The Rye to the definitive coming of age movie.
The movie finds the title character Donnie trapped in suburbia, where his intense questions and huge intellect are less than welcome. While the movie does have a large section of sci-fi and thrilling plot twists, the viewer cannot ignore the poignant first love of Donnie and Gretchen, and the more personal struggles Donnie has to overcome in order to face his demons (including the giant bunny rabbit Frank).
If you're looking for a movie that you can glide through, Donnie Darko is not the movie for you. It's thought provoking, an attack on the mind. Donnie Darko covers such a large scope of genres from teen romance to saving the world to atheism. Donnie Darko is a movie of questions, made to raise questions.
It may be lost on an older generation, but in my experience it is a movie that appeals to the lost teen to the mature adult. The soundtrack and imagery conjure up a truly beautiful film, that is a joy to watch no matter how popular it may become.