Donnie Darko

2001 Directed by Richard Kelly

You can never go too far

After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.

Jake Gyllenhaal Jena Malone Drew Barrymore James Duval Beth Grant Maggie Gyllenhaal Mary McDonnell Holmes Osborne Katharine Ross Patrick Swayze Noah Wyle Daveigh Chase Arthur Taxier David St. James Patience Cleveland Jazzie Mahannah Jolene Purdy David Moreland Kristina Malota Marina Malota Scotty Leavenworth Phyllis Lyons Gary Lundy Alex Greenwald Stuart Stone Joan Blair Seth Rogen Mark Hoffman Jerry Trainor Show All…

Alternative Titles

Donnie Darko DC, Donnie Darko (Director's Cut), Донні Дарко, Donnie Darko - Karanlık Yolculuk, 怵目驚魂28天, Дони Дарко, ドニー・ダーコ

mystery drama fantasy

114 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by tasha 🌙 ★★★★★ 5

me: this is a masterpiece
also me: has to google "what is donnie darko about"
Review by katie ★★★★★ 13

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

that scene where donnie tells ms. farmer to forcibly insert the lifeline exercise card into her anus is why Jake Gyllenhaal is the greatest actor of all time.
Review by Jyn ★★★★ 7

me at a party: ok ill have one drink...
me after said drink: first of all, Papa Smurf didn't create Smurfette. Gargamel did. She was sent in as Gargamel's evil spy with the intention of destroying the Smurf village. But the overwhelming goodness of the Smurf way of life transformed her. And as for the whole gang-bang scenario - It just couldn't happen. Smurfs are asexual. They don't even have reproductive organs under those little white pants. That's what's so illogical, you know, about being a Smurf. What's the point of living... if you don't have a dick?
Review by brat pitt ★★★★★ 23

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

yo donnie darko he was just 16 when he found a very strange book to read
it was all about a realm unseen
(he's gonna save the world cause he's donnie darko)
when a bunny named frank showed up to assist
donnie darko decided to follow it
there was a great big crash and everything changed
his mental health got all rearranged
when he first woke up he realized
that frank the bunny had saved his life
he could see people's fates, futures, & time
he was much more emo than the other guys
it was then donnie knew what he had to do
he had to let the jet engine fall through his roof
he's here to die for me and you
he's gonna save the world cause he's donnie darko
gonna save the world cause he's donnie darko
gonna save the world cause he's *whispers* donnie darko
Review by Lucy ★★★★★ 14

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

“so what do i tell the other kids when they ask about you?”
“tell them that everything is gonna be just fine”
donnie darko is still maybe the most brilliant movie i’ve yet to see in my lifetime. on the surface it can be cold and achingly confusing, weaving a plot that hardly leaves dots to even connect. but peeling back it’s layers, reading lengthy articles, rewatching it again and again and again, it proves to be a sickly sweet treasure for the right people who view it at the right time and feel the right way about it
there are so many ways to interpret it and so many things to take away from it. a dark high school…
Review by katie ★★★★★ 11

the most unrealistic thing about this movie is that no one but two people would show up for an evil dead screening on halloween??? sounds REALLY fake but okay
Review by Lucy ★★★★★ 4

if you see me with the 28:06:42:12 tattoo on my arm in a few months mind your business. i am simply vibing
Review by Taz ★★★★★ 1

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

i too would figure out time travel just so i could die
Review by katie ★★★★★ 3

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

if you ever feel like dying, just remember that Donnie Darko sacrificed himself for our sins and that He loved all of his children. :)
Review by niceguys ★★★★ 1

sOmEtImEs I dOuBt YoUr CoMmItMeNt To SpArKlE mOtIoN
Review by Karsten Runquist ★★★½ 28

Ugh lol, like Jake did a good job and the concept is super cool but I hate how it was executed. This movie would be a masterpiece if it didn't act like it was a masterpiece the entire time.
Review by jules ★★★★½ 3

who would win in a fight lady bird or donnie darko

Recent reviews

Review by Jake Tropila ★★½

Director’s Cut. Maybe studio interference isn’t such a bad thing.
Review by Helen ★★★★½

Idk what happened but I enjoyed this a lot. It’s so stupidly funny and the song choices are amazing lol. Also I think this was the best cast ever
Review by Lorenzo22 ★★★★

Definitely a movie I needed to research after watching but still a great work without totally understanding lol. It was well done and most of it was easy to follow I think.
This did a good job of incorporating a bunch of other random side plots and characters while still having the main part with Frank and time travel. All these unrelated things felt right together and the movie just had a nice air about it. It had some good comedy and suspense too.
The actors did good - gosh the cast here is great. Jake is really one of the best of all time.
Review by Quinn ★★★★★

this movie has low key one of the best director commentaries i’ve ever seen. 2001 jake gyllenhal is hilarious and richard kelly is full of nuggets
Review by tdschuler ★★★★★

furries are wack asl
Review by h

there's two really good films here, one is a psychological drama about a high-school boy struggling with a severe mental illness and the other is a wonderful satire of the late days of the Reagan presidency. it just didn't seem focussed enough to make either work. that said, if i watched this when i was 16 i'd have loved it. the angsty, soapy melodrama of school definitely has an appeal here and i can see why people love this film. i personally just didnt get it :/
Review by ihatemygf ★★½

Looked like it was made in the early 90s, a good movie, but didn't enjoy. Tell the kid to take his fkin meds man. This is a must-watch just to sound intellectual by your friends.
Review by Molly ★★★★

I suspect I'll like this even more on rewatch I suspect I'll understand it a little more. But OMG I LOVED IT!
Fantastic writing, interesting camera work and some solid acting.
Review by Merio2000 ★★★★

Love will tear us apart
Review by Lisa ★★★★

I am not smart enough to completely comprehend the concepts of time travel. However the movie is beautiful trippy and wonderfully crafted.
Review by Albie ★★★½

So i just sit up and say “what the fuck?”
Review by Barking Mad ★★★½

‘Donnie Darko’ has lots of positive aspects and makes for an entertaining, stylish and surreal mystery that had me engaged throughout. However, I don’t think it’s a good thing when the only way to understand what’s going on is to read a dozen ‘explained’ articles. It’s a testament to the film’s strengths that it overcomes this and still left me satisfied. Nonetheless, a movie should be able to speak for itself. Apparently the directors cut elaborates on the story a bit more, although I’ve read and can believe that it raises more questions than it answers. Still, perhaps I will seek it out in the future. Where the film is undeniably successful is in the way it sustains its mystery and builds an uneasy atmosphere.