Donnie Darko (R, 2001)

common sense media says

Winningly edgy teen-angst sci-fi tragicomedy.


parents & educators say
  • 50% say language is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that much swearing (from all ages) and sex talk represents the generally anti-establishment viewpoint of the hero here: an angry, possibly mentally ill teen. Classroom vandalism (apparently committed by the hero under some sort of spell) and profane disrespect of teachers and authority-figure adults is part of the plot, and not exactly frowned upon. There is teen sex (non-explicit), references to pornography, and violent death at the end.

Positive messages: We never get clinical details info on Donnie's emotional instability -- he may be delusionally schizophrenic, a defiant kid mistreated by The System, or both -- but the film is clearly on his side, as a smart and unappreciated boy. More than it is on the side of the people he scorns and hurts, like an upbeat gym teacher or a gung-ho motivational speaker. Donnie (possibly in a trance state) commits vandalism and sabotage and even murder, though you can argue that he sacrifices himself in the end to undo all that and save others. Donnie's parents, despite all the family and social dysfunction, have a solid and loving relationship.
Violence: A character fatally shot in the eye (appearing in bloody, ghostly form). Another character fatally run over by an automobile. Fistfights between teens, knife pulled on the hero. Gore is more extreme on the DVD "extras" and the Director's Cut.
Sex: Donnie and his new girlfriend have sex, though nothing is shown. Discussion of sex and (non-clinical) child pornography. A nude woman in a painting briefly glimpsed.
Language: "F--k," "s--t," and "bitch" (son says this to his mother).
Consumerism: There is an obscene teen discussion of the sex life of Smurfs (Donnie turns out to be a huge fan). A plug for the Stephen Hawking book A Brief History of Time and a certain national video-store chain.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Teens and adults smoke cigarettes. Donnie is supposed to take prescription pills for his emotional problems.

More on Donnie Darko

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about what in the twisty plot is "real" or not, and whether the "philosophy of time travel" holds up. Could this whole story all be the result of delusional Donnie not taking his medication, as his family complains at the start? Did Donnie ever have control over the events that unfold?

What's the story?

What's the story?
In a cozy affluent suburb in October, 1988, Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), a rebellious teen, smart but diagnosed with mental illness and sort of a misfit at school, is lured from his bedroom by a phantom wearing a grotesque, metal-masked rabbit costume. The rabbit, "Frank," tells him exactly when the world will end -- in 28 days. Meanwhile a shattering series of events disrupt Donnie's already-unsteady world, including young love with a new girl at school. A plane engine falls out of nowhere onto his house, a sympathetic English teacher (Drew Barrymore) is punished for her choice of literature in the class, a youth-mentoring positive-thinking guru (Patrick Swayze) brainwashes the community, visions of wormlike appendages emerge from people's chests, and a neighborhood crazy lady turns out to be an ex-nun scientist who researched time-travel and metaphysical cause-effect paradoxes. Got all that? More menacing visits from "Frank" the rabbit lead to a Halloween night revelation, and Donnie realizing his pivotal role in this weird, interconnected web of destiny.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
DONNIE DARKO was embraced as a genuinely oddball "cult" item almost instantly upon its unsuccessful theatrical release. Like most cult movies, it works well on numerous levels -- as a brainy piece of science-fiction, an ominous psychological thriller, a satire on suburban values, or a tragic drama of a doomed young rebel. If anything it goes a little overboard in making adults (especially teachers/faculty) look cowed or cravenly stupid compared with the unstable but intellectually brilliant Donnie, well played by Gyllenhaal as a guy who can be likeable, sympathetic, and scary all at once.

Though Donnie -- sometimes in a trance-state, sometimes consciously -- commits vandalism and lashes out, he's smart enough to sense the eerie time-warp pattern behind all the odd goings-on. And he's heroic enough to make a Christ-like sacrifice at the end, for the good of everyone else, when the "end of the world" comes. Though it's possible he never had a choice -- just the insight. But by making their hero a classic underdog teen trying to come to grips with society, rather than an adult, the filmmakers created a far more poignant tragi-comic-coming-of-age-giant-skull-faced-rabbit-horror drama. Can you name a better one?

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Director: Richard Kelly
Cast: Drew Barrymore, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone
Genre: Science Fiction
Run time: 113 minutes
Theatrical release: October 10, 2001
DVD release: February 4, 2003
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: language, some drug use and violence

This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
 
 

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What parents & educators say

14
Based on 8 parent & educator reviews:
  • 50% say language is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

Kishor42
parent of 16 year old
 
Worth watching
Its a good movie that helps parents to understand their teenager boys and girls,but I think we are in situation that demands kids to try to understand their parents.think we have gone so far trying to make them feel grown-up,courageous and self-reliant,at the same time,we did make them careless and selfish.need some media that will tell them that its not always your parents who has to tolerate everything just because you are a growing teenager,but its you who has to love and respect your parents,let alone"bich" them.

Evan182
teen, 17 years old
 
Donnie Darko
First I need to say.... This is my favorite movie. It is amazing..... Anyway parents need to know that this movie is not the most explicit r movie. But there is violence, a bunch of f bombs and teenage smoking and drinking. Parents check this out before your kids do.

 
Not exactly the most uplifting, but still worth your time
Donnie Darko is personally one of my favorites, but I do have to warn viewers that it definitely leaves you with a very empty feeling and you're kind of left staring at the screen for a few minutes after it ends. I love its discussion of fear and love and metaphysics.

 

Scovillian3
teen, 17 years old
 
ARE YOU SERIOUS?!
Call me crazy, but this movie is waaaay too over the top. The overuse of strange moments in this movie shows that it's trying too hard. It tries to put teens in an unrealistic adult situation, while still trying to make it believable. Unfortunately, they try go off the deep end and make an overcomplicated mess of unconvincing characters, boring plot sequences, and an unskillful way of meshing fiction to real life. The sexual content and raunch factor is strangely high, and very much unneeded. The language is a stupid, constant stream of unintelligent vulgar ramblings that can be somewhat amusing, but not enough to push the viewer into Donnie's world. Also, the political and religious undertones of the films can be found detestable. The story meanders and piles more unbelievable happenings to this semi-realistic world. No one is a role model. The only saving grace of this film is Jake Gyllenhaal's acting and the somehwat intriguing ideas conveyed through the film. Extremely disappointing. 2 STARS.

lilyellowblue
teen, 17 years old
 
very thought provoking! love it
amazing movie. completely blown away by it. There's definitely some stuff that's iffy for kids but teens should be fine. Nothing to worry about. Very thought-provoking. The movie however doesn't do a very good job of explaining itself. Assuming you aren't watching the director's cut, I recommend watching it once, googling some analyses, and watching it again. But very interesting, accurate portrayal of teen life, love it. One of my favorites ever

CRITIC007
teen, 17 years old
 
This is in the top 3 of my favorite movies of all time. The acting is soo realistic and even the bad language adds to the authenticity of the film. The film has angst, sci fi, sacrifice, religion and coming of age all rolled into one. The ending is so mind bending it hurts! this is a movie that you will need to watch more than once to appreciate the many ways that this film can be interpreted.

 
I love this no matter what. It Is a really good movie for sure. I mean yes it does have a fair bit of language and violence but either way, this is a good movie well worth it!

madlion924
teen, 18 years old
 
Donnie Darko is definitely psychotic. The bunny Frank is disturbing and Donnie has serious mental issues. However, he does show a positive message in sacrificing oneself for the ones that he loves. There is explicit cussing and brief sexuality.

Da Blogger
teen, 15 years old
 
An Iffy Early Teen Choice...
Hard to say, but I do not think this is appropriate for most young teens. It has a bad sex talk, and language is very bad, including an argument between Donnie and his sister at the dinner table where he calls her a F--K A-S. Frank the bunny is also disturbing

MelloMelon
teen, 17 years old
 
Best movie I have even seen and ages 13 to older
This is my favorite movie ever. I think the over use of cussing is wrong, but it helps you to understand who Donnie is. A depressed teen. It's used to force a point not just there. A lot of people think that Frank the bunny is scary, personally if you are at least thirteen and watching the movie it won't scare you. I'm tweleve and didn't jump once and I love Frank. There was sexual reference but from my memory the only sign they were having sex was Donnie taking off his jacket while kissing the girl. That's it and they don't show anymore after that. Some paerents are very concerned with cursing and even though I agree I don't think it should stop anyone from watching this movie. It's just like movies with Go Ask Alice, great message, but because of drug use parents won't let kids watch it. You'd be amazed at what kids know when they're seven. (much worse than anything in this movie).

livnada
teen, 14 years old
 
I LOVE THIS MOVIE

whateverdubs
kid, 11 years old
 
Whateverdubs.
It was really good. I have to say for older kids/ older teens though. Donnie is very creative when it comes to profanity. It is fantastic and genious. But colorful, which isn't really bad for a more mature figure.

cheese-process
teen, 15 years old
 
One of the best psychological thrillers!
This movie was thought-provoking, unique, and mind-bending. It's actually not that inappropriate for kids, just some language and making out. I'm so glad I saw this movie, and I'm probably gonna buy it. Here's a tip: The Wal-Mart in my area offers it on Blu-Ray for only $10, and Netflix doesn't carry it on Blu-Ray, so I had to watch it on a lower-quality DVD. But either way, this movie is a MUST-SEE!

Brandon Vander Hey
teen, 15 years old
 
Brilliant Sci-Fi Horror/Drama May Upset Kids
Donnie Darko is a powerful tragedy story with an offbeat heart that may confuse and frighten kids under 14. There's some strong language, brief violence, and some mature sexual content, so parents should be aware of that.

Poison Ivey
teen, 17 years old
 
I didnt catch too much violence, mostly sex and language
and i know many will disagree with me when i say this, but this movie is just barely squezzing into the R rating zone, and on the very edge of PG-13. A mature 14 year old, or maybe even 13 year old has probably seen worse than this. And the story is so moving, so exhilerating. and I loved the end, and was lucky enough to understand that Donnie eventually turned good dispite his problems, and was able to use his unusaul capabilities to save everyone else, but die himself. I highly recomend this movie, i cant believe anyone who would give it a low rating because they cant understand the complex plot. But I'll warn you the bunny version of Frank is like.... extremly creepy. :P

Xpb
kid, 11 years old
 
Ahhh
This movie is sooo COOL!!!

astreetcarname ...
parent of 15 year old
 
This movie is a must see for teens and their parents. Complex, thought provoking, and interesting, I recommend it for 14 year olds and older. A stream of about30 f--k's, a satanic rabbit, and a scene in which the main character masteurbates make it off for younger kids. The majority of intended viewers will lovethis film

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