Impressive and mysterious.

Rating: 9/10 (14 April 2006)

"Donnie Darko" is well-written, with a medley of humor, tragedy, and clues that keep the viewer guessing. The plot was engaging, but the ending was a little disappointing. However, I feel this ending was the only credible way the movie could have ended without drastically lowering ratings.
The Darko clan is interesting and reminiscent of the Addams family. Donnie, our protagonist, displays wisdom at odd times, rebelliousness whenever necessary, his psychotic side at pivotal moments, and teenage angst everywhere else. The Darko parents have a very strange sense of humor, and are very fun to watch. Donnie's sisters seem to be normal post/pre-adolescents, but still entertain the audience. The characters, even the minor ones, are also believable. Donnie's friend, Gretchen, is supportive and loving. Donnie's English teacher, Ms. Pomeroy, is informative and very cryptic. His phys. ed. teacher, Mrs. Farmer, is the epitome of awful teachers around the world. Donnie's science teacher, Dr. Monitoff, is resourceful, but a little too inhibited. His therapist, Dr. Thurman, is hard to describe; she is a gentle person, but she contributes eerie comments during her hypnotherapy sessions. There is also Jim Cunningham, a motivational speaker whom Donnie deems "the Antichrist." Lastly, there's Donnie's imaginary friend, Frank, the "six-foot-tall bunny rabbit." He is arguably the most mysterious character. Frank appears at frightening moments and delivers strange advice. He also takes control of Donnie while he sleeps and forces Donnie to do rather interesting actions.
Because the movie does not solve some issues on its own, I recommend that viewers watch the movie (especially the Director's Cut) at least twice in order to understand everything. A major plot point is a book entitled "The Philosophy of Time Travel." Throughout the movie, certain passages from the book are displayed on screen, and it is the viewer's job to piece these passages together and solve all the mysteries. It's a perfect rainy day activity.