No, it’s not a controversial Netflix series, it’s a 2001 film. “You should watch Donnie Darko, and let me know if you can make any sense of it,” said my bar friend once. Since time travel is involved, of course I had to watch this Halloween cult classic. It’s a mix of great story elements, wrapped in sometimes cheesy dialogue, IMO.
Pros: Donnie himself is a complicated character, too honest for his own good sometimes. The idea of choice with limitations is explored, sort of like an angsty teenager contemplating destiny, versus Forrest Gump conquering the world to chase it. You get to see Patrick Swayze as an over the top motivational speaker. The time travel stuff is enough to have fans debate each other for decades. Re-watch value. It’s perfect for the Halloween season.
Cons: While there is interesting tension between characters with very different viewpoints, it comes across pretty heavy handed, and the dialogue is often not subtle. (An extra draft may have helped. There are clever ways to reveal information, without having it stated so obviously. Watch the first act of Back to the Future, to see it done well.) You get to see Patrick Swayze as an over the top motivational speaker. (You may notice this is both a pro and a con.)
The most ridiculous dialogue comes from the Christian cancel culture lady, though brilliantly performed by Beth Grant. (It is neat to recall how far the pendulum has swung; it used to be not woke leftists, but religious rights calling for destruction of all things Harry Potter!) It’s been a while since Darko’s late 80’s setting, so perhaps I’m being too harsh. We’ll have to see when we watch it together tonight to find out!
This will be the first of two consecutive Saturday movie nights, focusing on Halloween. Here’s the link to watch live, 9PM Eastern, and be sure to set up Notifications, to be warned when I’m streaming live.
