Product Details

• Actors: Marisa Tomei, Nicki Prian, Regina Hall, Ridge Canipe, Bailey Hughes
• Format: Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: First Look Pictures
• DVD Release Date: December 26, 2006
• Run Time: 80 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000IU37MK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,694 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Danika" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

DANIKA - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An overlooked gem in the crowded field of psychological thrillers, June 2, 2007

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Danika (DVD)

Marisa Tomei has always been one of my favorite actresses. With that pretty face, gorgeous red hair, and animated spirit, she should be one of America's biggest stars. She's won an Oscar, for goodness' sake, so no one can doubt her acting abilities. Why, then, does it seem like such a rare treat to actually see her play the central role in a film? The woman is fabulous in Danika. Say what you like about the story (it's one of those psychological thrillers, so audience reaction will inevitably be somewhat divided), but Marisa Tomei turns in a gripping, very believable performance.

Every parent (well, every good parent, anyway) wants desperately to protect his/her family, especially the children, so in this respect Danika (Tomei) is basically no different than the vast majority of wives and mothers in the world. All of a sudden, though, her life has taken a turn toward the surreal. She begins having awful visions which lead her to seek psychiatric help after what can only be described as a psychotic episode at work. Not only does she see awful things happening to her husband and kids, she also has psychic-like visions of other kids dying in horrible ways, and these things come about in such a way that she feels as if she could have saved them. This leads her to become ever more obsessive in terms of protecting her own family, and we all know how teens and pre-teens react to overprotective mothers. A lesser actress couldn't have played this role effectively, as the story is surreal and sometimes confusing as the tension builds toward a pretty powerful conclusion.

As with all psychological thrillers, the proof of the pudding is ultimately in the ending. It is possible to figure out, to some degree, what is really going on here - I picked up on it from the preview alone, although I didn't predict the final machination of the emotional climax - but I don't think it matters much whether you figure things out on your own or not. The emotional power of the final minutes is not to be denied, and the whole movie leaves you with plenty of food for thought. It's the kind of ending that viewers will want to discuss with one another after the fact, and I think that is a sign of the story's ultimate effectiveness. Any movie in this genre is going to draw one-star reviews from those who claim not to get it, but I think the majority of viewers will find this movie spellbinding and emotionally jarring.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Impressive Thriller, December 31, 2006

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Danika (DVD)

Relatively new cinematic team of director Ariel Vromen and writer Joshua Leibner pounce onto the scene with a surprisingly fine little film that has basically gone unnoticed. DANIKA is a story that demands the viewer's careful attention and rewards that attention with a finely wrought surprise ending. This is a tough movie to review: almost anything that is said about it diminishes the impact of a fresh look.

Danika (the superb and grossly underused actress Marisa Tomei) is a beautiful, well-dressed successful professional woman, loved by her husband Randy (Craig Bierko) and her children Kurt (Kyle Gallner), Lauren (Nicki Prian) and Brian (Ridge Canipe). Yet even from the opening scenes we can tell something is amiss: Danika 'sees' disturbing things, terrifying events and people that alter her attention to her job and her family. She visits a young psychiatrist Evelyn (Regina Hall) who becomes her confidant - the only person who accepts that Danika is witnessing disturbing sights. A mixture of critical pieces of disastrous events flash before Danika's eyes as well as flashbacks to some years back when her children were young. Danika overcompensates for her fears by being an overprotective mother, an unfortunate trait that begins to fracture her family.

The pace of the film changes to rapid fire events as the reasons for Danika's visions become clear: we finally see just what made this brilliant and strong woman the victim of a terrified and disturbed psyche and the manner in which each of the characters in the story impacts this discovery is well-illuminated. The surprise ending scene is a stunner and one that will haunt the viewer.

Marisa Tomei makes this very difficult, well-written role completely believable. She is an actress of enormous gifts. Likewise the remainder of the cast offers such fine ensemble work that credit must be given director Ariel Vromen for being a young talent on the rise. Yes, there are some portions of the film that beg credibility but then that is what delusional thinking is about. This is a tight little film that deserves attention. Grady Harp, December 06

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good family movie, a must for Marisa Tomei fans, she was AWESOME, August 20, 2007

By 

stedy "s t" (NorthEast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Danika (DVD)

I was in blockbuster after not being in one for a while, and lo behold what did I see...a current movie starring Marisa Tomei? She is still doing movies huh. I've been a fan of hers since I was little, ever since I first saw her in "A Different World", without knowing why. Now I know, it's because I've had good taste, duh! She is the most underused and underrated actress I can think of (while writing this review, that is) and wish she would star in more movies. I said STAR, not "appear". I also like phycological and mental thrillers (fight club, momento). Although Danika is NOT in the same league as those two, due to the ending, Tomei makes watching it all the worthwhile. I had to watch it over, because at first I didn't 'get it' .. the ending. It turns out, yep, i 'got it' alright, I was set too high on my expectations. Then I read other reviews and saw it is not just in my head, that this movie "commits cinematical treason" someone said -- by tensing you up, preparing you for an awesome ending, and then .... blah, unsatisfactory conclusion (but makes sense). Enjoy the ride but don't expect a grand ending. Oh yeah, and of course enjoy the treat of seeing a movie that actually stars Marisa Tomei.