Other critics like Sam Adams called the movie an apparent "big mess", citing incoherent plot, sloppy writing, and an uneven tone. Adams also took issue with the "seemingly irrelevant" but oft-referenced setting in a suburban America in the 1980s, claiming that it "serves as another example of the movie's struggle to find identity". [70] Another review from the San Antonio Current lauds the build-up, citing vast build of mysteries with compelling characters, but claims the movie's ending "leaves much to be desired", calling it cheap and anti-climactic. [71] Accolades [ edit ] Kelly set out to write something "ambitious, personal, and nostalgic" about the 1980s which "pushed the envelope by combining science fiction with a coming-of-age tale". [13] [10] The New York Times honed in on the 1980s coming-of-age story aspect by observing the influence of John Hughes, noting the "ineffectual" adults and the fact that Donnie's "suffering is a way to make him more sensitive". [14] Kelly summarized the script was to be "an amusing and poignant recollection of suburban America in the Reagan era". [15] He recalled a news story that he had read as a child, which he later called an urban legend, [16] about a large piece of ice falling from the wing of a plane and crashing through a boy's bedroom, who was not there at the time and thus escaped death. [15] Kelly used this to develop an initial idea of a jet engine falling onto a house and no one could determine its origin. He then built the rest of the script with the aim of resolving the mystery at the end while taking a "most interesting voyage" to get there, although at this point he knew the plane was to be one that Donnie's mother was on and was from a different dimension. [17] [10] At one point Kelly considered replacing the jet engine with a piece of ice, like he had read. [18] He based the film's concept of time travel and alternate universes from reading A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. [11] a b Kois, Dan (July 23, 2004). "Everything you were afraid to ask about "Donnie Darko" ". Salon . Retrieved June 19, 2013.

Donnie Darko Vintage Poster - Etsy UK Donnie Darko Vintage Poster - Etsy UK

Donnie Darko premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on January 19, 2001. Kelly said it took around six months to secure a theatrical release; at one point, he was close to having it on the premium cable and satellite television network Starz. [47] Donnie firing a gun became one of Kelly's biggest problems while finding a distributor, as the Columbine High School massacre from 1999 raised concerns of the film promoting teenage suicide. [12] The licensed songs in the film also presented problems as they had yet to be paid for, causing a risk of them being removed for a wide release. Kelly was also advised to cut 30 minutes from the film. [18] Despite the problems, Newmarket Films agreed to buy the film and organise a theatrical release in a service deal with IFC Films. [46] Kelly involved Barrymore in the negotiations and recalled getting her to "beg" Newmarket for a deal, who had initially considered a straight-to-video release for it. [18] Kelly credits Christopher Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas in securing the deal, after Memento producer Aaron Ryder arranged a private screening of Donnie Darko for Newmarket executives Chris Ball and Will Tyrer and encouraged the pair to distribute it. [18] a b "Empire's 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time". Archived from the original on October 15, 2012 . Retrieved September 30, 2012. This poster was issued in 2016 in the U.K. for the 15th Anniversary re-release of the film. It is in super condition with only minor signs of previous handling. It is also double sided and so is suitable for display in an Art of the Movies Quad Light Box, or traditional framing. As our photos show, it will look amazing framed and on display. Siegel, Alan (January 19, 2021). "It's a Mad World: The 'Donnie Darko' Oral History". The Ringer . Retrieved October 3, 2023. Marcus Stern, associate director of the American Repertory Theater, directed a stage adaptation of Donnie Darko at the Zero Arrow Theatre, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the fall of 2007. It ran from October 27 until November 18, 2007, with opening night scheduled near Halloween.

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Best High School Movies". Entertainment Weekly. September 15, 2006. Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. a b Maçek III, J.C. (April 3, 2017). "Mainstream Darko: Director Richard Kelly on Building His Own Sandbox". PopMatters. The DVD also includes a deleted scene featuring a brief cameo of late musician George Harrison, who died of lung cancer shortly after the movie's release. A turning point arrived when agents John Campisi and Rob Paris at the Creative Artists Agency took an interest in the script and signed Kelly on. [18] Kelly said his "jaw was on the floor" at the unexpected offer, which greatly boosted the chances of having the film made with the agency's stamp on the script. [22] This led to further meetings with several prominent individuals, including Francis Ford Coppola, Ben Stiller, William Horberg, and Betty Thomas. [18] Kelly's meeting with Coppola was particularly influential, as Coppola drew his attention to one of Karen's lines after she is fired—"The kids have to figure it all out these days, because the parents, they don't have a clue"—and Kelly recalled: "He slid the binder down the big table and very dramatically said: 'That's what your whole movie's about right there.'" [12] Early on Vince Vaughn was offered the role of Donnie, but he turned it down as he felt he was too old for the part. [27] Mark Wahlberg was also approached, but he insisted that he should play Donnie with a lisp. [28] Booth, Paul (2008). "Intermediality in Film and Internet: Donnie Darko and Issues of Narrative Substantiality". Journal of Narrative Theory. 38 (3): 398–415. doi: 10.1353/jnt.0.0016. JSTOR 41304894. S2CID 161655194.

Poster Donnie Darko - Etsy UK Poster Donnie Darko - Etsy UK

Schwartzman dons 'Donnie Darko' ". Florida Today. May 19, 2000. p.27 . Retrieved February 4, 2021– via Newspapers.com. The film was publicised at the Sundance Film Festival as being the first to feature significant digital effects. Kelly wanted to use them only "when absolutely necessary" and have them relate to the story, such as the water barrier seen between Donnie and Frank in his bathroom. The liquid spears that emerge from people's torsos are reminiscent of the water tentacle in The Abyss (1989), and can be seen as a representation of a character's psyche. Alternatively, they demonstrate the "metaphysical idea of predestination", suggesting Donnie is being guided, perhaps by God. [39] Kelly got the idea from the on-screen chalkboard that American football commentator John Madden to illustrate the movements of the players during a replay. Incidentally, the spears first appear when Donnie is watching a football game on television. The school flooding was inspired by a surreal photomontage by Scott Mutter, in which a giant escalator descends into a rough sea. [40] Filming [ edit ] The Angeles Crest Highway The Darko family home in Los Cerritos in Long Beach My Favourite Film". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on August 27, 2011 . Retrieved August 31, 2012. a b Olsen, Mark (September 2001). "Discovery: Richard Kelly". Film Comment. Vol.37, no.5. pp.16–17. ProQuest 210266712 . Retrieved February 5, 2021– via ProQuest.The film's end sequence features a piano-driven cover of " Mad World" by English new wave group Tears for Fears, sung by American musician Gary Jules, a schoolfriend of Andrews. In 2003, the cover of "Mad World" was released as a single that was No. 1 in the United Kingdom for three weeks, during which it was the country's Christmas No. 1 of that year. [46] Release [ edit ] Theatrical release [ edit ] Kelly cites Christopher Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas as instrumental in securing a theatrical release