Igby Goes Down

There's no question aspects of this are quite brutal. But the theme of the story dictates they would be so. Igby Goes Down is about a kid in nowhere's land. He doesn't know where he's going in life and responds to this by being a rebel in everything. Add to this his parental instability with a schizophrenic father and a tyrannical mother and you can understand why he'd be a little mixed up. In many ways it is a coming of age story, but in others it is too dark to be that. Indeed there is an ambivalence of themes with hope and despair featured in equal measure. As Igby, Kieran Culkin excels. He's outstanding, the best thing in the movie - which given the quality of his peers, such as a sinister and agenda-ridden Jeff Goldblum, a monstrous and hierarchial Susan Sarandon, a confused and tortured Bill Pullman and a squeaky clean upstart in Ryan Phillippe, is no mean feat at all. Performances are uniformly excellent, the story involving, and the themes well explored. Well done all round.

My first thought when I finished watching this film was, `I can't believe I really enjoyed a film that starred a Culkin.' My subsequent conclusions about the film were not as easily reached. When I decided to watch this film, I was expecting The Royal Tennenbaums: Part 2. Rich family, the story takes place in a big city, eccentric characters. While both films share these elements, they are very different in that I considered The Royal Tennenbaums to be mostly a comedy; while Igby's few comedic moments are so dark one almost feels badly for chuckling. What this film is really about is family, but not just in the traditional sense. (What is more traditional than a disapproving mother who is more concerned about herself than anyone else in the family, a clinically schizophrenic father, and two brothers: the elder a narcissist (if not practical) and the younger, a rebellious 16 year old who is forced to change schools more often than most of us change our Glade Plug-Ins.) It is about family in any sense: Friends, strangers, anyone Igby encounters and tries to gain acceptance from. Culkin's Igby, who looks like a waifish Harry Potter without the `imp factor', is an extremely conflicted character. We have seen rebellious types portrayed ad nauseum in films for decades, but it is a rare occasion when this person is both sympathetic and extremely intelligent. The character draws you in enough that you actually want to know why he acts the way he does, and you truly want him to find happiness. Unfortunately, it appears that when a door opens, it slams just as quickly. Culkin is truly fantastic in this role. He shoulders a character that is both intelligent enough to defend himself, yet vulnerable enough to give the impression of fragility. The rest of the cast is also decent, particularly Jeff Goldblum as D.H., a larger than life character who is conflicted in his own right. The story was just complicated enough to keep me very interested, while endearing and thought-provoking enough for me to reflect on it long after it was over. I'm not entirely sure who I would recommend this film to, but if you are looking for a thought-provoking drama with some great acting, dialogue and story line I would definitely check this movie out. It has received some rave reviews and I believe they are well-deserved.

Because of the faulty review I read I feel I must submit another giving a better picture of the film then the other reviewer provided. All those things he said that weren't clear to him seemed very clear to me. Yes, Susan Sarandon's character did give birth to both of the boys; except that one was illegitimate by Jeff Goldblums character, and the other was her real son from her husband who was driven crazy by her meddling. Whereas the other reviewer felt that Igby was a mess of a movie and compared it to The Royal Tennenbaums (which I agree was an utter mess and thoroughly unenjoyable), I felt that Igby was a refreshing black comedy. Which is exactly what you get when you cross comedy and drama. It has a lot of heart, excellent and insightful direction, real wit and sharpness in it's approach to the material... I thoroughly enjoyed it. It came across as a cerebral experience for me. Highly recommended.

This film was amazing. The acting, the characters, the plot and the visual story were all so refined. This was a film that defines the new adage 'Quiet is the new loud' and sets a new standard for coming of age films. Much like The Royal Tenenbaums, this film was full of a dysfunctional family that although unlike anything in most viewers' experience, was real and honest and touched a part of all of us. Also like the aforementioned film, this movie's soundtrack was so well picked and so well executed, I was overwhelmed. Burr Steers, a first time screenwriter and director? Is he perhaps channeling his uncle, Gore Vidal, to write and direct this amazing tale? I can't wait to see more from him. Kieran Culkin is equally as promising. He acted the part with such a surreal mix of sullen intelligence, backwards bravery and touching empathy that Igby came to life the moment he hit the screen. Jeff Goldblum and Susan Sarandon were also perfectly cast and were outstanding... I can't mention each of them as there was too much to gush about. I highly recommend that you run out and see this, but bring a tissue and plan to go celebrate the irony of life and all it's imperfections after you go!

source: Igby Goes Down

ah, what a terrible, terrible movie. i rented it excited, hopeful that it would be different from all those other teenage angst movies. hahhhaaaa- how wrong i was. i could hardly sit through this movie it was so horrid. i'll admit, there were a few times i chuckled sarcastically under my breath, but that was about it. i really just didn't care about igby or any of his problems ("oh whyyyy was i born rich? whyyyyy? i HATE being rich...wah wah wah...") susan sarandon was wasted in this movie. and just when i thought claire danes could act, she proved me wrong. amanda peet was mildly amusing. if this movie is a true depiction of real life, i can see why igby hates it so completely and totally. final verdict- a terrible terrible movie.

Igby Goes Down is probably the best of this month. I never thought Kieren Caulken could be this good of an actor until now. Not only does this movie has great photography, but an amazing plot too. I must say that this movie shouldn't be rated R but maybe a heavy PG-13. Go see it. My take: 9/10 My MPAA rating: PG-13 for some strong language, sexual content, and drug use*

A subtler film than THE GRADUATE but one that will certainly connect with the same demographic. With excellent performances, fine writing and quality direction, the film has a sly, satirical quality that are most appealing. That said, the film may prove too sophisticated for some audiences but this will only further endear it to the audience of choice. Don't miss this one...has "breakaway hit" written all over it...

I am usually a fan of 'dramedy' indie films, but I did not like this movie at all. The only likeable and intriguing character in this film is Bill Pullman's mentally disturbed father, who, for some inexplicable reason, has the most powerful and important scene in the movie, and is yet relegated to the periphery for the rest of the film. Bad move, because the rest of the characters in this film you will find impossible to emphasize with, and about 45 minutes into the movie you'll probably actually be wishing death upon Igby himself. To be honest, this movie mostly fails at being funny and at being dramatic because of the grating characters. Do yourself a favor and watch 'The Royal Tennenbaums' or 'Trainspotting' if you want to see a good movie in this genre.

Despite good performances by Kieran Culkin, Claire Danes and Bill Pullman I didn't believe in this at all. The female parts were poorly written and there was an edge of misogyny to the whole proceedings - why Susan Sarandon agreed to be involved I don't know. Despite good reviews elsewhere I didn't really like this all.