Donnie Darko
Newmarket Films | Release Date: October 26, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
4
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
New Times (L.A.)Jean Oppenheimer
Like gathering storm clouds, Donnie Darko creates an atmosphere of eerie calm and mounting menace -- stands as one of the most exceptional movies of 2001. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Kelly, the 26-year-old writer-director of this excitingly original indie vision, shares more artistically with Wes Anderson or Paul Thomas Anderson than he does with Spielberg or John Hughes, but the point is, he's out on his own here. He swings big -- with flair. Read full review
90
L.A. WeeklyJoe Donnelly
It is funny, sad and beautiful. And it's right on time. Read full review
88
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Appealingly, the movie has a certain lightness -- like the aforementioned butterfly -- which makes its foreboding qualities surprisingly user-friendly. Read full review
88
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
David Lynch lite. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Kelly is a supple and courageous storyteller, boldly free-associating as he mixes parody and satire with earnest psychodrama and coming up with plot points no one could anticipate. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesJan Stuart
If you let it be what it is, Donnie Darko will knock you flat. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
A stunning technical accomplishment that virtually bursts with noise, ideas and references, but it's fundamentally a gracefully crafted movie that's about human beings and not images. Read full review
80
Mr. ShowbizMichael Atkinson
The nerviest, oddest, most outlandish and idiosyncratic American indie debut since "Buffalo 66," Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko defies description.
78
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
So much here is equally befuddling and beguiling; I caught myself leaning in toward the screen repeatedly, trying to somehow get closer to the gorgeous impenetrability of the story, of the boy. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
Most experienced filmmakers wouldn't even attempt a film that's so blackly funny, that so rapidly shifts genres and tone, and that layers late '80s cultural references so thickly, from "E.T." to Smurfs. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
Its only constant is that it's strangely eloquent and quite original. Read full review
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Has plenty of problems. But most stem from a young filmmaker overswinging on his first time up to the plate and hitting a deep fly out rather than a home run. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Has plenty of problems. But most stem from a young filmmaker overswinging on his first time up to the plate and hitting a deep fly out rather than a home run. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeLoren King
The debut feature from 26-year-old director Richard Kelly shows plenty of promise, but it's somewhat self-involved and won't appeal to audiences who like a straightforward -- even if fantastical -- narrative.
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Donnie Darko is the one that got away. But it was fun trying to land it. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
The flaws are more than balanced out by the risks the earnest Kelly encourages his excellent cast to take. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
If this movie ever figured out what it wanted to be when it grows up, it would be a terrific one. Read full review
40
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
It's this compulsion to solder melancholy to weightlessness that constantly trips up the movie; Mr. Kelly doesn't have the assurance to pull off such a difficult feat. Read full review
40
Film ThreatChris Gore
This is really one of those Rorschach test films. You either love it or hate it. For those who loved it, I have only one word: overrated. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Just another self-absorbed teen chronicle, with the added twist of a little time travel and a surprise ending. Read full review
More From This Movie

71 Critic Reviews

7.9 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL