Donnie Darko

The Gist: Donnie Darko is a troubled teenage misfit, who luckily avoids being crushed to death in his bedroom by a falling airplane engine. He wasn't in his bed only because in the middle of the night he had a vision of a 6-foot tall bunny and decided to follow it. The bunny, Frank, tells Donnie that the world will end in 28 days. During subsequent hallucinations, Frank pushes Donnie to commit illegal acts that get worse and worse, just like Donnie's mental health.

Donnie Darko, not a financial success upon release, has acquired cult status, and that reputation is what landed it on my list. How regrettable.

I did not like this movie one iota. Darko's hallucinations felt ridiculous and the supernatural element never really galvanized me.

As far as I'm concerned, the only saving grace is that this crappy tale put the gorgeous and talented Jake Gyllenhaal on the map, and we've been lucky to admire him on the screen ever since.

The Bottom Line: Cult movies, by implication, appeal only to a select few, who share a particular understanding of them. I definitely do not belong to the subset of this movie's fans who talk so highly of it. Watch it if you must. Avoid it if you can.

Grade: 3