Common Sense Media Review
By Charles Cassady Jr.
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Edgy teen sci-fi tragicomedy with mature themes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Donnie Darko
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 21 parent reviews
Parents say this movie can be a captivating experience for older children and teens capable of understanding complex themes, but caution is advised due to some violent and mature content. While many appreciate its artistic storytelling and encouragement for critical thinking, some find it creepy and not engaging enough, highlighting that it requires attention and discussion for full appreciation.
- entertaining for teens
- complex themes
- mature content
- requires attention
- artistic storytelling
Summarized with AI
Based on 90 kid reviews
Kids say this film is a classic sci-fi masterpiece that combines complex themes and a confusing plot, making it intriguing yet challenging for younger viewers. While it contains some mature content, including strong language, references to sex, and brief violence, many reviewers believe it is more suitable for older teens rather than the high age rating given.
- confusing plot
- mature themes
- strong language
- brief violence
- not for young kids
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In a cozy affluent suburb in October 1988, DONNIE DARKO (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a rebellious teen experiencing some strange events. He's lured from his bedroom by a phantom wearing a grotesque rabbit costume. The rabbit, "Frank," tells Donnie exactly when the world will end—in 28 days. Meanwhile, a shattering series of incidents disrupts Donnie's already-unsteady world, including love with new classmate Gretchen (Jena Malone) and a plane engine falling out of the sky ... right onto his house. In addition, a sympathetic English teacher (Drew Barrymore) is punished for her choice of literature in class, a youth-mentoring positive-thinking guru (Patrick Swayze) brainwashes the community, visions of wormlike appendages emerge from people's chests, and a neighborhood outcast turns out to be an ex-nun scientist who's 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?
This movie was embraced as an oddball cult film almost instantly upon its unsuccessful theatrical release. Like most under-the-radar movies, Donnie Darko works well on many 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 cloddish compared with the unstable but intellectually brilliant Donnie, who's well played by Gyllenhaal as a guy who can be likable, sympathetic, and scary all at once.
Though Donnie—sometimes in a trance-state, sometimes consciously—commits vandalism and violence, he's smart enough to sense the eerie time-warp pattern behind all the odd goings-on. And he's heroic enough to understand the sacrifice he might have to make to set things straight when the "end of the world" comes. By making the hero a classic underdog teen trying to come to grips with society, rather than an adult, the filmmakers created a poignant tragi-comic-coming-of-age-giant-skull-faced-rabbit-horror drama. Can you name a better one?
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what in Donnie Darko is "real" or not and whether the "philosophy of time travel" holds up. Could this whole story be in Donnie's head? Did Donnie ever have control over the events that unfold? Or does he see what nobody else could and make a huge impact in his timeline?
Why do you think this is widely considered a "cult" movie? What makes it stand out? What do you think makes something a cult hit more generally? How does this compare to others?
How does the movie address mental health? How does it portray Donnie's struggles? Do you think it's realistic? Respectful? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 10, 2001
- On DVD or streaming : February 4, 2003
- Cast : Drew Barrymore , Jake Gyllenhaal , Jena Malone
- Director : Richard Kelly
- Studio : Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Fantasy ( Time Travel ) , School ( High School ) , Holidays ( Halloween )
- Run time : 113 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language, some drug use and violence
- Last updated : September 25, 2026
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