Movie Minx

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Noah Wyle, Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore
Directed by: Richard Kelly

Plot: It’s just before the 1988 US presidential elections. Teenage boy starts sleep walking and having “delusions”. Meets a rabbit who informs him that the end of the world is coming. A jet plane engine also crashes into his room. Boy tries to figure it all out within the 28 days left.

But is it any good?

I was going to give Donnie Darko a fairly cold review, because the first time I saw it I liked it okay but didn’t find it amazing. But I thought I’d give it another try, and this time I liked it much more.

I like it because it’s smart, it’s beautifully filmed, there are some great characters (the casting of Patrick Swayze as a patronizing self-help guru is genius) and an excellent soundtrack (including the song Mad World).

Donnie is bright, afraid, and confused. He wakes up in strange places. He’s in therapy but starts seeing an evil rabbit who directs him to commit crimes, such as flooding the school or burning someone’s house down. He feels completely lonely and isolated, but there are a few people who come close to understanding him, such as his girlfriend, some of his teachers or the quiet Chinese girl in his class.

Donnie learns the end of the world is coming, things are going horribly wrong (beginning with a jet engine mysteriously crashing into his bedroom) and only he can do something about it. So the social misfit becomes a kind of superhero, with time travel and more than a few ironic twists thrown in.

What I like especially about this film is that you go through a whole spectrum of emotions - sadness, fear, pain, euphoria, loneliness, longing and contentment. But it isn’t forced. And the acting is excellent, introducing both Jake and his sister Maggie. Plus, the Smurfs scene is fantastic.

It might alienate some viewers with its weirdness and complex ideas, and some parts seemed a bit unnecessary to me (the masturbation on the therapist’s couch?). But overall it’s something original and not many films can claim to be that. Richard Kelly was 27 when he directed and wrote the film.

PS There is a Director’s Cut DVD but I didn’t link to that because I’ve heard from many sources that the original cut is much better. There is also quite a cool website to look at.

My rating: 8/10

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