8 Small Details You Only Notice Rewatching Donnie Darko
1. E.T. Connection
In line with its excellent rendering of '80s suburban America, the movie features a subtle nod to the hit 1982 blockbuster E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The scene in which Donnie and his friends ride their bikes through town is a homage to E.T. and the direction style of Steven Spielberg.
Not only is E.T. one of Richard Kelly's favourite movies, both Donnie Darko and E.T. star actress Drew Barrymore. Though, Barrymore had a greater involvement in the project than just her screen-time as teacher Karen Pomeroy.
Barrymore saved the Donnie Darko project, which was considered by many to be too bizarre and niche to be successful. Her production company, Flower Films (co-founded and co-owned with Nancy Juvonen), agreed to produce Donnie Darko for $4.5 million. After a discussion on the set of Charlie’s Angels, Barrymore also agreed to star in the movie, too. The involvement of Flower Films helped boost the profile of the project, allowing Kelly to raise further funds.
Without Barrymore and Flower Films, Donnie Darko would not have been able to have a cinematic release, with Kelly himself predicting that it would likely be a straight-to-video release or premier on cable TV.