Don McKay is an independent drama thriller film starring Thomas Haden Church and Elisabeth Shue together with Melissa Leo,James Rebhorn,Keith David and M. Emmet Walsh.The story is about a about a man who returns to his hometown after receiving a letter from his high school sweetheart,who claims to be dying.It was written and directed by Jake Goldberger. It's been 25 years since Don McKay turned his back on his hometown, and he never imagined he would ever return. But when a letter from his former girlfriend Sonny appears in Don's mailbox, he can't resist visiting his old flame one more time, before her light disappears forever. When Don comes home and realizes that his memories of Sonny don't match up with the woman she is now, it quickly becomes apparent that he harbors a shameful secret from years gone by. Meanwhile, Sonny's doctor and caretaker don't warm quickly to the returning visitor, and a chance run-in suddenly compounds Don's buried secret.The movie had its moments, but it never manages to maintain the consistent tone so crucial if a black comedy is going to actually be funny.Greenberg's tyro script was both dark comedy and slick whodunit and he handled his material and fine cast with a deft hand that belied his freshman status.The cast did very well in this film although they weren't able to elevate it to a better film.Overall,Don McKay entertains just like any other film despite of its label as an independent film.

Well, I started watching this movie in high hopes, reading previous reviews. And, at first, I thought this is going to be great movie. But as the time passed away, I started to doubt. Everything was great to the half of the movie, and then all disappeared. Some of the scenes were too unconvincing. I simply got the feeling that something was missing there. There were some laughs, but for me, they didn't belong in this movie. I mean, if they are trying to make a suspenseful thriller, then make a thriller, don't try to make it funny by adding unnecessary jokes from time to time. This just ruins the atmosphere. And the revealing of truth at the end... I got the feeling that the actors were trying to explain the truth to me, not to Don (he had his arms in his pockets all the time, looking unconcerned). Acting was good, but only if you analyze it separated from the movie. Otherwise you will see that the actors were overreacting sometimes, and sometimes didn't put themselves into the movie enough. M. Emmet Walsh did a good job as a taxi driver (very convincing). Others were OK from time to time. Music is also the problem. Sometimes well chosen, but not always. The credits song, for example, makes you wander, what have you watched - romantic comedy or thriller.I think that the biggest problem of this movie is that the makers tried to make this movie as a thriller with elements of comedy. I also think that it had great potential, but just need polishing.

Thomas Haden Church stars as the soft-spoken and slow-moving (but not necessarily slow-witted) titular character in this surprisingly entertaining black comedy.Why do I say surprising? Oh, because it faded quickly into oblivion and has such a low score here at IMDb. And I admit that I at first had trouble getting into the film's weird (and I don't think always intentionally so) rhythm. Like a lot of black comedies, it takes time to establish its tone and cue you in on what you should and shouldn't be finding funny. Unfortunately, Church isn't up to the task of being our confident guide. His attempts to play Don McKay, a janitor who's summoned back to his hometown by a dying ex-girlfriend, as a shuffling and seemingly dim bulb come across instead as stiff and baffled. But the film is saved by playful performances by Elisabeth Shue, as this sordid crime film's femme fatale, and especially Melissa Leo, as a suspicious nurse who channels Judith Anderson from Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca." It's up to these two, who are clearly having a ball with their roles, to get the film and us firmly into the black comedy spirit, and once they do so, the film plays as a quirky and entertaining bit of fun.Grade: B

If you read the few reviews on here that bashed the movie, you will believe it was pointless. They missed it entirely. I can only say that this was a very enjoyable tale start to end, and well worth watching particularly for anyone who enjoys a slow build to a finale. I am always looking for an original story and original telling of it, and highly recommend this nice little gem that you will not regret seeing.Don McKay is a suspense crime thriller that you will want to watch a second time because the reveal at the end makes you re-examine the entire movie. I give this 8 out 10 stars because the movie did get a little bit into the unbelievable realm when the puzzle started to unravel, but the final payoff is so filled with revelation that you forgive that.The first half of the movie was paced and shown in a very similar style to Shutter Island, and I felt was extremely well done. (However, if you don't like a slow build and pacing that takes it's time, then you probably won't like this movie.) I personally started to believe that this little movie could have gone for a major ending of epic proportions -- it was that well done in my opinion. But, Act Two did keep the movie on a smaller scale and got a bit quirky in parts, which was a disappointment. However, it was all worth it as you finally understand what was going on the entire time in the final minutes. It keeps you guessing the entire time, and even when you do guess right, which I had done, the ending still took it to a whole new level that I did not expect. Total surprise.I will also add that I was laughing out loud during several sequences of the movie. The dark humor was really good.Acting was excellent, although I say that after understanding the whole situation at the end. During the movie I felt it was more like average, but that ending puts it all in a new light.Cinematography, score, and sets were excellent, felt just right for the tone and added a nice reinforcing effect on the movie.