Could someone please explain this movie to me.

Does Donnie have the power to travel back in time?
Is Frank a real person ?  That part confused me the most.
The jet engine fell off of the jet his Mom and sister were on?

PCP made a comeback in the screenwriting community.  

watched it twice still do not have a fucking clue  but i still liked the movie

Quoted: Could someone please explain this movie to me. Does Donnie have the power to travel back in time? Is Frank a real person ?  That part confused me the most. The jet engine fell off of the jet his Mom and sister were on?

SPOILERS BELOW
A person can travel back in time if they find the porthole with a vehicle that is large enough.  Hence, the airplane.

Frank is Elizabeth's boyfriend.  He's also the giant bunny rabbit.  To be honest, I"m not exactly sure why he keeps appearing and telling Donnie to do things, but they always have a purpose.  Donnie floods the school, school gets cancelled, he walks home with Gretchen and they get together.  Donnie burns down Jim Cunningham's house, the kiddie porn dungeon is discovered and everyone finds out what he really is.

The jet engine is Donnie's narrow escape from death.  Because he escaped death, all the events that followed lead to his girlfriend getting hit by a car.  Donnie puts all the things together and knows that the only way he could ever prevent Gretchen from getting killed is to stay in his room and the let the jet engine fall on him, how he was supposed to die in the first place.

That's my take on it.  First time I saw it I was like, "WTF?!" but now it's in my collection.

I watched it (director's cut) for the first time a few weeks ago.  Liked it.

Gabby's description/explanation pretty much sums up my thoughts on the film.

I've seen it like 5 times and still don't understand it all.

Took me about three times to begin to understand this movie, but now I love it.

Bottom line...SWEEEET movie!

What Gabby said more or less is the way I saw it.

I kind of though the "tentacle" that woul come out of Donnie was the path of time. If he followed that path things would follow through the way they were meant to. If he breaks that path then he is essentially controlling time but also creating an "alternate universe". It's said that the world is supposed to end because of his tampering with the way time is supposed to play out. He "saves the universe" by allowing himself to die by having the plane engine drop on him.

I guess Frank the Rabbit is kind of a guide from Donnie's possible future.



Here is an FAQ for trying to understand the movie.

Official Site

It is a confusing movie, IMO, but still a good one. The soundtrack was awesome.... Gary Jules "Mad World" is better than Tears for Fears' original version. The cast was incredible. I don't think they could have picked anyone better for any of the roles in this movie. The trivia on IMDb says Donnie was originally being played by Jason Schwartzman and that Both Vince Vaughn and Mark Wahlberg were lined up to play Donnie at one point. Jake Gyllenhaal was by far the best choice that they made for Donnie.

I loved his rant about Smurfette.  That was funny as hell.

Quoted: I loved his rant about Smurfette.  That was funny as hell.

Oh man...

"Beer and pussy.  That's all I need."
"What we need's a Smurfette."
"A what?"
"A Smurfette.  Like this cute little blonde that'll get down and dirty with the guys.  Like Smurfette does."
"Smurfette doesn't fuck."
"Of course Smurfette does, why do you think Papa Smurf made her?  All the other smurfs were getting too horny."
"Not Vanity, I heard he's a homosexual."
"Okay, so she fucks all the others Smurfs while Vanity watches."
"What about Papa Smurf?  He's gotta get in on some of the action, right?"
"What he does is he films the gang bang.  Later on, he beats off to the tape."
"First of all, Papa Smurf didn't created Smurfette, Gargamel did.  She was sent in as Gargamel's evil spy with the intention of destroying the Smurf village, but the overwhelming goodness of the Smurf way of life transformed her.  And as for the whole gang-bang scenario, it just couldn't happen.  Smurfs are asexual, they don't even have reproductive organs under those little white pants.  That's what's so illogical, about being a Smurf.  I mean, what's the point of living...if you don't have a dick?"
"Dammit Donnie, why do you have to get all smart on us?"

Oh, please, tell me Elizabeth, how exactly does one suck a fuck?

Kitty Farmer: "I'll tell you what he said - he asked me to forcibly insert the Lifeline exercise card into my anus!"

Kitty Farmer: [giving a pep talk to girls about to go on stage] "OK now, girls. I want you to concentrate. Failure is not an option. And Bethany? If you feel the need to vomit up there, just swallow it."

Rose Darko: "Do you even know who Graham Greene is?"
Kitty Farmer: "I think we've all seen Bonanza."

Kitty Farmer: "Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion."

ahem

CHUT UP!!

"(Pause)...What's a fuckass?"

Donnie's other classic rant:

"Good morning!"
"Good morning."
"How much are they paying you to be here?"
"Uh, what?"
"Are you telling us this stuff to try and get us to buy your book?  Cause I gotta tell you, that was some of the worst advice I've ever heard."
"Uh-"
"You want your sister to lose weight?  Tell her to get off the couch, stop eating Twinkies and maybe go out for field hockey.  You know what?  No one ever knows what they want to be when they grow up.  It takes some time to figure it out, right Jim?  And you.  Yeah, you.  Sick of some jerk shoving your head down the toilet?  Well you know what?  Maybe you should lift some weights, or take a karate lesson and the next time he tries to do it, you kick him in the balls."
"Do you see this? This is an anger prisoner. A textbook example. Do you see the fear, people? This boy is scared to death of the truth. Son, it breaks my heart to say this, but I believe you are a very troubled and confused young man. I believe you are searching for the answers in all the wrong places."
"You're right, actually. I am pretty- I'm, I'm pretty troubled and I'm, I'm pretty confused. But I... and I'm afraid. Really, really afraid. Really afraid. But I... I... I think you're the fucking Antichrist."

From Roberta Sparrow's book, The Philosophy of Time Travel:

Foreward I would like to thank the sisters of the Saint John Chapter in Alexandria, Virginia for their support in my decision. By the Grace of God, they are: Sister Eleanor Lewis Sister Francesca Goddard Sister Helen Davis Sister Catherine Arnold Sister Mary Lee Pond Sister Virginia Wessex The intent of this short book is for it to be used a simple and direct guide in a time of great danger. I pray that this is merely a work of fiction. If it is not, then I pray for you, the reader of this book. If I am still alive when the events foretold in these pages occur, then I hope you will find me before it is too late. Roberta Ann Sparrow October, 1944 Chapter One The Tangent Universe The Primary Universe is fraught with great peril.  War, plague, famine, and natural disaster are common.  Death comes to us all. The Fourth Dimension of Time is a stable construct, though it is not impenetrable. Incidents when the fabric of the fourth dimension becomes corrupted are extremely rare. If a Tangent Universe occurs, it will be highly unstable, sustaining itself for no longer than a few weeks. Eventually it will collapse upon itself, forming a Black Hole within the Primary Universe capable of destroying all existence. Chapter Two Water and Metal Water and Metal are the key elements of Time Travel. Water is the barrier element for the construction of Time Portals used as the gateways between the Universes at the Tangent Vortex. Metal is the transitional element for the construction of Artifact Vessels. Chapter Four The Artifact and the Living When a Tangent Universe occurs, those living nearest to the Vortex will find themselves at the epicenter of a dangerous new world. Artifacts provide the first sign that a Tangent Universe has occurred. If an Artifact occurs, the Living will retrieve it with great interest and curiosity.  Artifacts are formed from metal, such as an a arrowhead from an ancient Mayan civilization or a Metal Sword from Medieval Europe. Artifacts returned to the Primary Universe are often linked to religious Iconography, as their appearance on Earth seems to defy logical explanation. Divine Intervention is deemed the only logical conclusion for the appearance of the Artifact. Chapter Six The Living Receiver The Living Receiver is chosen to guide the Artifact into position for its journey back to the Primary Universe. No one knows how or why a Receiver will be chosen. The Living Receiver is often blessed with Fourth Dimensional Powers.  These include increased strength, telekinesis, mind control, and the ability to conjure fire and water. The Living Receiver is often tormented by terrifying dreams, visions, and auditory hallucinations during his time within the Tangent Universe. Those surrounding the Living Receiver, known as the Manipulated, will fear him and try to destroy him. Chapter Seven The Manipulated Living The Manipulated Living are often close friends and neighbors of the Living Receiver. They are prone to irrational, bizarre, and often violent behavior.  This is the unfortunate result of their task, which is to assist the Living Receiver in returning the Artifact to the Primary Universe. The Manipulated Living will do anything to save themselves from Oblivion. Chapter Ten The Manipulated Dead The Manipulated Dead are more powerful than the Living Receiver.  If a person dies within the Tangent Dimension, they are able to contact the Living Receiver through the Fourth Dimensional Construct. The Fourth Dimensional Construct is made of Water. The Manipulated Dead will manipulate the Living Receiver using the Fourth Dimensional Construct (see Appendix A and B). The Manipulated Dead will often set an Ensurance Trap for the Living Receiver to ensure that the Artifact is returned safely to the Primary Universe. If the Ensurance Trap is successful, the living receiver is left with no choice but to use his Fourth Dimensional Power to send the Artifact back in time into the Primary Universe before the Black Hole collapses upon itself. Chapter Twelve Dreams When the Manipulated awaken from their Journey into the Tangent Universe, they are often haunted by the experience in their dreams. Many of them will not remember. Those who do remember the Journey are often overcome with profound remorse for the regretful actions buried within their Dreams, the only physical evidence buried within the Artifact itself, all that remains from the lost world. Ancient myth tells us of the Mayan Warrior killed by an Arrowhead that had fallen from a cliff, where there was no Army, and no enemy to be found. We are told of the Medieval Knight mysteriously impaled by the sword he had not yet built. We are told these things occur for a reason. Notes Living Receiver Donnie Darko Manipulated Dead Frank Anderson Gretchen Ross (not her real name) Manipulated Living Edward Darko Rose Darko Elizabeth Darko Samantha Darko Katherine Farmer Elizabeth Farmer Jim Cunningham Kenneth Manitoff Karen Pomeroy Larry Cole Cherita Chen Seth Devlin Ricky Danforth Joanie James Susan Bates Susan Bailey Sean Smith Leroy Jones Michael Carter Linda Connie Roberta Sparrow Practically every one else in the movie

The dude in the bunny suit is the dude that ran over his gf. Right?

Quoted: The dude in the bunny suit is the dude that ran over his gf. Right?

Yes.  He's also Elizabeth's (Donnie's older sister) boyfriend.

In the opening scene as he's riding his bike home, right before home, Frank passes him on the road as he leaves the Darko residence.

I rented the Director's cut last night, and liked it pretty well.  I'd already read this thread beforehand, so I had an idea of what was going on for the most part.  

One thing I didn't understand, when all of the primary characters are waking up at the end of the film, did they all have the dream that was the alternate reality of the movie?  What I mean is, when Patrick Swayze's character is waking up, did he dream of his house burning down and his dungeon being found?  How about the rest?  Does everyone's lives change because they saw the potential future in thier dreams?

I question your committment to Sparklemotion.