Donnie Darko

Reviewed by:
Eric Alt

A trippy little movie that blew through theaters faster than Roger Ebert on a Milk Duds bender, Donnie Darko was overlooked and generally ignored (we sure as hell didn’t catch it the first time around). DVD is actually a good format to see it on, since the supplemental materials go a long way toward illuminating some of the muddier aspects of the story.

The kind of teen movie that, let’s face it, more of us can relate to than American Pie (was your high school life all about girls and sex or nightmares and Echo and the Bunnymen? C’mon, be honest…), Darko might not always work the way it wants to, but it’s a self-assured and impressively adept movie from first-time writer-director Richard Kelly. It’s about a brooding boy (Jake Gyllenhaal) whose doomsday hallucinations are brought on by the appearance of a strange figure in an evil bunny suit. Funny, twisted, and more than a little confusing, the one thing you can’t accuse Darko of being is dull. The special features are put together with care: After watching the movie, check out the deleted scenes (with optional director’s commentary); they help explain what’s going on. And check out the page-by-page reprint of Roberta Sparrow’s “The Philosophy of Time Travel.” It’s nice to see those little details not left to waste. We recommend this for those nights when the Prozac’s all gone and the lights go out.

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