Donnie Darko: Explain it to me, plz

[Andarvi]

So, I just watched Donnie Darko for the first time, and it pretty much bent my mind over and fucked it right up the ass. I get some of it, and after reading some summaries online, got a little bit more, but there are still some questions nagging me.

1: Drew Barrymore (who sucked in this movie) and her husband, Noah something. There are a couple scenes were they seem to know more than is let on. However, I cannot figure out how this would fit into the story. Am I reading to far into their behavior?

2: Why does Donnie smile everytime he sees Frank, just a little detail they kept through all the scenes?

3: The old woman who wrote the book on time travel. Is there any reason for her to be in this movie, or for her bizzare behavior going to and frow the mailbox over and over, besides the fact that she wrote the book? Any relevance to her experiencing the same stuff that Donnie did?

I cannot recall more questions right now but there are many, many more, and I will write em down as I watch it again tomorrow.

[Hitoshura]

1. Reading too far into their behavior.

2. I really think it's because it's usually when he takes the drugs. He's all.. I don't know fucking out of it.

3. I forget but I think the letter had a lot of significance to it all. I haven't seen Donnie Darko in a couple of years now. I should really watch it again.

[Remyo]

1 & 2 same as above
3 she wrote the book that explains whats happening and helps him understand what he must do at the end, and her going to the mailbox sets up the scene with his GF too.

[Andarvi]

hmm i didnt notice that everytime he was seeing frank he was drugged up. donno how that slipped by me.

still, i feel with the woman, her writing that book and everything, experiencing what donnie did, i would like to think she played more of a role than just setting up the scene for he and his girlfriend at the end. probably wishful thinking.

[Bloodanaki]

Yea you're definately looking too much into it for 1 & 2.

As for 3, well she's in there to give everyone a clue as to what ultimately is happening in the movie, not just time travel per say, but the idea that wormholes and such exist. Also the book gives Donnie a few explanations as to whats happening to him, without it Donnie would be pretty lost and frustrated.

Great movie, love it. Still haven't seen the the directors cut tho. As for why all this happened to Donnie? I have my own thoughts on it.

[Remyo]

hmm i didnt notice that everytime he was seeing frank he was drugged up. donno how that slipped by me.

still, i feel with the woman, her writing that book and everything, experiencing what donnie did, i would like to think she played more of a role than just setting up the scene for he and his girlfriend at the end. probably wishful thinking.

mm probably it's a great movie and makes you think but it isn't the secret to the universe honestly. plus time travel stuff can get complicated.
read this and try to bend your mind around it
http://www.mjyoung.net/time/darko.html

oh and welcome to 7 years ago.

[Hitoshura]

hmm i didnt notice that everytime he was seeing frank he was drugged up. donno how that slipped by me.

still, i feel with the woman, her writing that book and everything, experiencing what donnie did, i would like to think she played more of a role than just setting up the scene for he and his girlfriend at the end. probably wishful thinking.

mm probably it's a great movie and makes you think but it isn't the secret to the universe honestly. plus time travel stuff can get complicated.
read this and try to bend your mind around it
http://www.mjyoung.net/time/darko.html

oh and welcome to 7 years ago.

Who the fuck cares when anyone watches anything? It doesn't make it any less of a good movie. (any movie in particular; since Donnie Darko was only alright)

[Andarvi]

hmm i didnt notice that everytime he was seeing frank he was drugged up. donno how that slipped by me.

still, i feel with the woman, her writing that book and everything, experiencing what donnie did, i would like to think she played more of a role than just setting up the scene for he and his girlfriend at the end. probably wishful thinking.

mm probably it's a great movie and makes you think but it isn't the secret to the universe honestly. plus time travel stuff can get complicated.
read this and try to bend your mind around it
http://www.mjyoung.net/time/darko.html

oh and welcome to 7 years ago.

lol no shit man, ive been wanting to watch it for a while and my buddy next door has the original and the directors cut, so i watched the original today and will watch the directors cut tomorrow.

[Remyo]

Who the fuck cares when anyone watches anything? It doesn't make it any less of a good movie. (any movie in particular; since Donnie Darko was only alright)

calm the fuck down, it was a tiny jab, not even directed to you. the OP took it well. get off my nuts.

lol no shit man, ive been wanting to watch it for a while and my buddy next door has the original and the directors cut, so i watched the original today and will watch the directors cut tomorrow.

I hear the directors commentary explains a bit more

try this too, idk if you're into the biblical kind of thing or not
http://metaphilm.com/philm.php?id=10_0_2_0

[Hitoshura]

Oh I guess the word fuck means I am just full of rage.

[Jotaru]

1. Reading too far into their behavior.

Not so sure about that.

Donnie Darko had a website that correlated to the movie, gave some more information. In it there were excerpts from the book Rosa wrote, some of them indicating that in the path of time travel it was possible that some of the people closest to Donnie would have some knowledge of what was going on and be working towards some goal, or memory of such after the time 'rift' was fixed, or just a solid 'feeling' when things were set right (this would correlate to the second to last scene panning across characters awake in bed)

Wish I had more time to type as I love this movie and I think there's more than one way to view it, and I think they intended it to be taken in one of a bunch of different ways. I don't think that it can simply be written off though that they act the way they do.

Edit: it also makes it hard to explain the movie as things change a bit depending on how you personally take different things. Director has stated he did it intentionally.

[Bloodanaki]

Guys The movie is just about jesus giving some kid another chance to get laid and do cool shit, like burn down a house.

[Remyo]

1. Reading too far into their behavior.

Not so sure about that.

Donnie Darko had a website that correlated to the movie, gave some more information. In it there were excerpts from the book Rosa wrote, some of them indicating that in the path of time travel it was possible that some of the people closest to Donnie would have some knowledge of what was going on and be working towards some goal, or memory of such after the time 'rift' was fixed, or just a solid 'feeling' when things were set right (this would correlate to the second to last scene panning across characters awake in bed)

Wish I had more time to type as I love this movie and I think there's more than one way to view it, and I think they intended it to be taken in one of a bunch of different ways. I don't think that it can simply be written off though that they act the way they do.

thats true because gretchen and his mom seem to recognize each other at the end.

[Tricen]

Shit split, said split opened up a can of shit, while Donnie had to figure some shit out. When shit got learnt, that shit had to be corrected, and closed before other shit could happen. If that shit didn't get closed, then some serious shit was about to go down. Ie, the universe would fold on itself and end everything.

[Jotaru]

thats true because gretchen and his mom seem to recognize each other at the end.

Bit too lazy and busy atm but want to find parts of it and link it cuz it would make a lot more sense than how I explained it.

Basic premise is, there is SOMETHING else going on, or why did Frank go back/forward/sideways in time to change things. Obviously at least someone was affected; the book excerpts went on to explain how the other people may have been.

Edit: (spoilers? Statute of limitations on this shiz?)And for my own clarification... He never ended up doing anything in the end, save for dying in his bed... Going up to that cliff on that date was kinda pointless, save for him learning what he had to do yadda yadda. I donno.

[Pirian]

One of my favorite movies Always gives me the same feeling every time I see it even though I know what is going to happen. As for your questions well hmm, the movie was filmed in a way as to give different impressions, and you should definitly see it again it will make much more sense seeing it through and knowing what is about to happen!

[Tricen]

As hyped up as it were, and how popular as it was.. It was an ok movie, I suppose. Coulda used a little more explanation/detail

[6souls]

watch it every day for a couple months and it makes a lot more sense.

[Arcana]

i thought that drew & her husband were sort of purposly put there to place donnie on the path of time travel/correcting the universe. the husband gives donnie the book, drew leaves the cryptic words "cellar door" on the board as she's fired which eventually leads to donnie going to the old ladies home, and into her cellar. leading to corrected events.

[thestalkmore]

Hated that piece of shit movie each of the 3 times I saw it.