Reality: It's a matter of perception.

I am usually not one to get on the bandwagon of a movie that proves to be immensely popular. I have favorites that I enjoy unapologetically, and even engage in debates over. But when a I am bombarded with media advertisements saying something like, "Critics are raving excessively that Quentin Tarantino's American Pie 27: How to Make a Guy Deathproof from Armageddon in 28 Days is the #1 movie in America", I tend to not want to see said movie. It usually happens that a movie that is ridiculously overhyped is simply tripe, although there are exceptions. Sin City and Fight Club come to mind, but I still didn't get on the bandwagon. I was entertained by these two, and I conversed with others about which characters were better or which anarchic prank was funnier, and I recommended both to those who had not watched them yet. I did not devote my whole essence to these flicks, however, and I took the cons with the pros. Even favorites are imperfect, after all. But if there is one bandwagon that I have climbed on, or at least come close to mounting, it is Richard Kelly's independent 2001 film, Donnie Darko. The funny thing is, it was not even overhyped when it hit theaters, but it became one of those movies that people often talked about.

Plot: Welcome to Middlesex, Virginia. It's a place where everything is sunshine and roses, unless you don't fit in, or conform with the close-minded ideas of institutionalized thinking. There are such people. Meet Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal-October Sky, Zodiac), an outcast as out of the box as they come. Quick to shoot down the apparent stupidity of others, he often has something of a point, much to the chagrin of those around him. He's a strange kid who obviously has issues, but things are about to get even weirder for him. Around midnight on October 2, 1988, Donnie is woken by a voice telling him to get out of bed and follow it. He calmly walks to a golfing range, where he meets Frank, a 6-foot tall bunny rabbit with a metallic, skull-like face. Frank gives Donnie a cryptic message, saying that the world will end in "...28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds."

Upon discovering where he is the next morning, he chalks everything up to another sleepwalking episode, which he has had plenty of. When he returns home, however, he finds quite a scene with his worried family. A jet engine has fallen into Donnie's room, crushing the bed where he would have been sleeping. This could be a case where Donnie's sleepwalking simply occurred at the right moment, thus he unknowingly got out just in time. But if that's the case, how come none of the authorities are able to determine where the engine came from? Thus begins a strange point in Donnie's life, one in which his very perception of reality is repeatedly questioned. The only constant in all this is Frank, a creepy imaginary friend who may or may not be real. Is Donnie suffering from a disturbing form of insanity, or is there meaning to Frank's mysterious messages? Or is the answer both or neither, but something more?

Review: Before going any further, I must say that I have not seen the original theatrical cut. Believe me, I wanted to. Unfortunately, the director's cut was the only one I could find. One normally sees a director's cut after seeing the original, otherwise, it's not truly appreciated. I can honestly say, however, that this is one of the cases where I have judged a movie based on the director's cut, and found it excellent. As to the movie itself, if the plot description sounds vague, there is a reason for that. It's one of those movies that you can't just describe to someone over a cup of tea, and they instantly understand what you are talking about. It has to be seen to be appreciated, or at least somewhat understood. There is indeed a basic plotline, but there are so many nuances to it that almost every event in the movie seems to draw attention to another story within the story itself. The movie is an '80s slice of life, a potent love story, a sharp-witted satire, a low key sci-fi tale, and an eerie psychological drama. It is all of these things, and more.

According to director Richard Kelly himself, he was unfamiliar with the modern teenager's way of life, and was thus unable to write from the perspective of "now". So he instead wrote from his OWN memories as a teenager, which was during the '80s. It is a move that works wonders for the film, because one can tell that there is far more depth invested in it this way, as opposed to it being set in the '90s or today. If it had been done from the "safe" route, the film would have almost certainly been shallow on a whole, and thus chalked up as merely another emo-teen flick. Kelly's creative move shows us both the good and the bad sides of American life in a unique decade. On one hand, you have a seldom touched upon frustration with the "Power of Positive Thinking" lifestyle, as well as a jolting look at the isolating effects of nonconformity. On the other hand, there is a touching, naive optimism, an assurance that things will somehow work out.

In both respects, the soundtrack emphasizes the stated themes, as well as being an entity all its own. As a lover of '80s music, I greatly appreciate that Kelly saw fit to include a selection of some of the best sounds from that time. The opening scene in which Donnie and his family are introduced is played to the tune of "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS, and it further supports the notion of directionless hope with which many in that decade looked at life (even as some of us today do). Another prominent song that is used is "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears, and it serves to introduce us to the other key players in Donnie's story. As we are guided through his school in a superb tracking shot, the song appropriately touches on the positive and negative aspects of that time, as well as the movie itself. I would be doing the film an injustice, were I not to mention the instrumental score of Michael Andrews. It conveys a multitude of ethereal emotions for the story, and it is what one may truly a call a magical soundtrack. The ending piece, a poignant rendition of the Tears for Fears song "Mad World", is one of the best covers I have ever heard, and it truly makes the movie.

All of the main actors are suitably casted. Gyllenhaal gives one of his best performances as the disturbed, possibly psychotic Donnie Darko. He also invests a remarkable amount of humanity in the character, and certain audiences (myself included) can almost certainly relate to him in more ways than one...minus having a 6-foot tall bunny rabbit for an imaginary friend, of course. On some level, I think we all have or had issues with authority figures, as well as acceptance.

Jena Malone (Stepmom, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys) gives a haunting performance as Gretchen, the beautiful girl who falls into Donnie's life. Through her, Donnie is shown that life has a beauty that is worth holding onto, amidst the confusion that the human condition inevitably descends into.

Holmes Osborne (Southland Tales, Affliction), Mary McDonnell, Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight), and Daveigh Chase all work well together as Donnie's family. Yes, they have problems, and Donnie's emotional issues do nothing to help them. But when it comes down to it, they really love each other and stick together. Osborne and McDonnel are great as two of the few parents in Middlesex who see through the hypocrisy of the school administration and the "I'm okay, you're okay" lifestyle. To them, it's all a joke at which they laugh.

Last but not least, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle, and Beth Grant are exceptional in their roles as leaders in Donnie's scholastic life. Wyle's performance as one of the few reliable teachers has a surprising depth to it, in spite of his limited screen time. Grant is good in that she makes you genuinely hate her hypocritical, ignorant character. The casting of Barrymore (E.T., The Wedding Singer) and Swayze (Ghost", Dirty Dancing) was inspired, in that you have two '80s icons personifying the positive and negative aspects of the educational system of that time.

As far as the central mystery goes, it's rather intriguing. It's presented in a way that more or less just happens. There's no narrator to explain things, aside from excerpts from "The Philosophy of Time Travel", a book that seems to be guiding Donnie towards a strange destiny. On one hand, it helps to show that there is indeed something MORE going on, and that there is a reason for Donnie's visions and Frank's visitations. On the other hand, the ultimate nature of that mystery is rather confusing. This is one of my new favorite movies, but I still do not get it 100%. I mean, I came to understand the main parts of the puzzle, but not the whole picture. So consider this fair warning, that you may not understand the movie the first time you see it. If you want everything clear and precise, with a minimum of brain work involved, you may not like this film.

If there is any real problem I have with the film, it is the amount of profanity that is present. I understand and accept that it takes place in a high school (albeit a private one), and teenagers often use vulgar language in real life. I guess I just did not like how it made certain characters rather shallow, but maybe that was the director's intention: to hold up a mirror for the audience to see its own artificial nature. Granted, the movie does not rely on profanity to tell the story, but it does have an intrusive presence (one I did not want my girlfriend to be privy to).

I also took issue with the DVD commentary. I know that I never comment on this in any of my movie reviews, but I feel a need to make an exception. I normally do not listen to the commentaries, unless the movie happens to be a favorite of mine. So far, the only worthwhile one I have taken the time to hear all the way through is for the director's cut of Ridley Scott's Legend. Donnie Darko is one of those movies that deserves an insightful commentary for those who have seen it, but are wanting to understand more about it. This edition has one with director Richard Kelly, joined awkwardly by fellow independent filmmaker Kevin Smith. I know that Smith is a legend who got his start with the cult film Clerks, and he also happens to be a witty comic book writer (see his run on "Green Arrow" if you don't believe me). But I honestly did not see the point of his inclusion in the commentary, besides the possibility that Kelly wanted to get more attention for this DVD, and since Smith has legions of fans that will buy anything that is related to him in the slightest, it's a guaranteed money-maker.

Okay, the main reason Kelly brought Smith along was so that he could get input from a renowned comic book authority on the new direction in which the director's cut takes the original film (Which I have not seen), which is more of a "comic book" or "super hero" one. It's all well and good that your movie has a new direction, but why do you need input from some famous guy who had nothing to do with the film in the first place?!? If I wanted to get Kevin Smith's opinion of the film, I could just look around on his website, which I do not feel inclined to do, thank you very much! For the sake of argument, let's pretend that this was the initial purpose of Smith's inclusion. Even by that logic, the commentary fails miserably. Sure there are some interesting insights into the film (such as Kelly's revelation that the original opening theme was "The Killing Moon" by Echo and the Bunny Men, as well as a few explanations for the purpose of some of the film's visuals), but most of the time, Smith just talks about himself. The reason you do a commentary for a movie is to talk about the MOVIE. If one wants to use personal anecdotes to relate to the film in a commentary, that's okay. To the best of my knowledge, however, Smith's musings aren't really anecdotes.

In the end, Donnie Darko is one of the best "bandwagon" films I have ever seen. It's not something that mainstream audiences are used to, but there are aspects of the movie that they can selectively relate to. As for the more thoughtful audiences, they will almost certainly appreciate it, as will those who grew up in the '80s. Just keep in mind two things: There is no narrator to hold your hand, and do not buy the DVD for the commentary (unless you care more about Kevin Smith than the film). See the movie for the movie itself.