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Donnie Darko

Play trailer 1:35 Poster for Donnie Darko R In Theaters Oct 2 1h 53m Drama Sci-Fi Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 125 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
In a funny, moving and distinctly mind-bending journey through suburban America, one extraordinary but disenchanted teenager is about to take Time's Arrow for a ride. After surviving a freak accident, Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins to explore what it means to be alive, and in short order to be in love, he uncovers secrets of the universe that give him a tempting power to alter time and destiny.
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Donnie Darko

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Richard Kelly's debut feature Donnie Darko is a daring, original vision, packed with jarring ideas and intelligence and featuring a remarkable performance from Jake Gyllenhaal as the troubled title character.

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Critics Reviews

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Justin Chang Los Angeles Times 03/31/2017
The movie feels perfectly timed to coincide with our nation's latest flirtation with the apocalypse. Go to Full Review
Tara Brady Irish Times 01/10/2017
5/5
Donnie Darko rightly made a star of Gyllenhaal. Go to Full Review
Nigel Andrews Financial Times 12/29/2016
The script makes variable sense, but so does life. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Mar 22
3.5/4
Like Being John Malkovich and 2001: A Space Odyssey and too few others, this is one of those mind-melting cinematic achievements. Go to Full Review
Paul Kanieski KSQD Community Radio 07/21/2023
Jake Gyllenhaal, with an impish grin that exudes boyish charm, gives a breakout performance as Donnie Darko. Go to Full Review
Erick Estrada Cinegarage 03/29/2023
One of the best homages to Back to the Future. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Logan Bushaw 03/27/2025 MORE RE-RELEASES PLEASE See more rylee 03/23/2025 i love this movie so much. 🤍 See more Cinema S @cinema_sensei 17h This constantly had me questioning what was real and what was actually happening. The mix of time travel, alternate realities, mental illness, and teenage alienation creates a genuinely mind-bending sci-fi experience. The VFX can look cheap or a little silly today, but considering it came out in 2001, that never bothered me much. The atmosphere, mystery, and ambitious concept kept me fully engaged. It's complicated and not every idea is perfectly explained, but that's also part of what made the experience so interesting for me. See more Remington B @RemingtonBallenger 1d Donnie Darko is one of my favorite movies I’ve ever watched. From beginning to end, I was completely invested, and I genuinely enjoyed every second of it. It’s one of those movies that doesn’t just entertain you—it actually makes you stop and rethink life, time, reality, and the choices we make. The story, atmosphere, characters, and mystery all come together in a way that kept me thinking long after the movie ended. There are so many things to interpret and question, which makes it a movie I feel like I could watch multiple times and still notice something new. It even had me going out of my way to watch other peoples opinions on YouTube, to try and fully rap my head around this wonderful movie. Overall, Donnie Darko left a huge impression on me. It made me think differently about life while still being an incredibly entertaining movie. Definitely one of my all-time favorites and a movie I’ll never forget. 10/10 would recommend See more Brent H @hbrent Aug 14 Absolute classic. How movies should be made. Every scene and every line is gold. So so so well done! See more K G @KatyG-S Jul 28 One of a kind to be on the thriller movie list. It might feel too underrated, but something is not really underrated when I saw Jake Gyllenhaal, the world of thrillers is home to him after I saw him in "The Day After Tomorrow". And he will always be that one: That one is the protagonist, who is feeling something wrong & must do something before it is too late. In this case, a random fantastical thing he keeps imagining; a man in a scary rabbit costume... This flash implies something to him, a warning to him, that in time, the world will end (the date is October 31st). That is where we get the origin story of why he became malicious. Did anyone see Seth Rogen & Jerry Trainor in there? Highlight to seeing "The Evil Dead" in it. I should watch "Primer" next See more Read all reviews
Donnie Darko

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Movie Info

Synopsis In a funny, moving and distinctly mind-bending journey through suburban America, one extraordinary but disenchanted teenager is about to take Time's Arrow for a ride. After surviving a freak accident, Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins to explore what it means to be alive, and in short order to be in love, he uncovers secrets of the universe that give him a tempting power to alter time and destiny.
Director
Richard Kelly
Producer
Sean McKittrick, Nancy Juvonen
Screenwriter
Richard Kelly
Distributor
Newmarket Film Group
Production Co
Adam Fields Productions, Flower Films, Pandora Cinema, Gaylord Films
Rating
R (Some Drug Use|Language|Violence)
Genre
Drama, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 26, 2001, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Oct 2, 2026
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 25, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$205.8K
Runtime
1h 53m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital, Dolby SR, Surround, Dolby Stereo, Dolby A
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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