Igby Goes Down

Rating:
Summary: A noble effort
Review: "Igby Goes Down" has both the strengths and weaknesses commonly associated with independent films. The premise is one often seen in indie films: a likable, independent-minded slacker trying to find his own way while being put upon by a conformist society. If this sounds anything like "The Catcher in the Rye," it should, because the resemblances are so obvious that they must be more than coincidental. The Holden Caulfield role in this case is filled by Igby (Kieran Culkin), who's been getting bounced from one ritzy school to another for years. He doesn't want to wind up like his father, who suffered a nervous breakdown from the pressures of his career, but there are some obstacles in his way. His mother is determined to shape Igby as she sees fit, and his smirky brother Oliver and bloodless godfather D.H. are only too eager to help. The plot basically consists of Igby avoiding military school, resisting his mother's schemes, and getting close (both emotionally and physically) with his new girlfriend Sookie. There is a lot to like about "Igby Goes Down." The movie is filled with offbeat and sharply-drawn characters, and the actors invest them all with depth (especially Ryan Phillippe, who seemingly was born to play the role of Oliver). The dialogue, as in many indie movies, is witty and realistic, and the relationship between Igby and Sookie gives the movie some much-needed tenderness. And while the theme of the young nonconformist trying to find his own way has been repeated numerous times in the past half-century or so, it's still worth repeating. If "Igby Goes Down" suffers from anything, it's that it's a bit too "Indie." It's hard to explain, but the movie has a somewhat self-congratulatory air about it, as if it holds the key to the meaning of life and viewers should be glad that they're getting to witness such an important film. In other words, "Igby Goes Down" comes pretty close to succumbing to its own hipness. However, the movie still manages to succeed, thanks largely to its good humor and winning cast. Hell, it's better than much of what passes for entertainment these days.

Rating:
Summary: Down But Not Out
Review: "Igby Goes Down" is one of those small, acerbic black comedies that some people find pointless and others love to the point of turning it into a cult classic. I would have to lean toward the latter category.

Igby, honestly realized by Kieran Culkin, is an angry, aimless teenager rebelling against the cold, loveless world of his well-to-do but ultimately miserable parents (Susan Sarandon and Bill Pullman) and extremely wealthy godfather, D.H. (Jeff Goldblum, in a particularly good role). The focus of the movie is his quest to find a place where he belongs, while his schizophrenic father wastes away in an institution and his cruel mother dies of breast cancer.

None of the characters in "Igby Goes Down" are very likeable, but they're REAL. Culkin does a wonderful job of conveying Igby's lost, angry restlessness, Susan Sarandon is wonderfully hateable as mother Mimi, and Amanda Peet is particularly poignant as Rachel, "a dancer who doesn't dance" whose friend is a "painter who doesn't paint", and who is having an affair with Igby's godfather D.H. There is a lot of rather unpleasant honesty in the lives of these miserable, screwed-up people, and writer-director Burr Steers succeeds admirably at peeling away the layers of unhappiness. And in the midst of pain, this movie is brutally, bizarrely FUNNY.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Timing
Review: Great movie, and perfect timing in my life. I, being the female version of Burr Steer's lead character, enjoyed this film more than I could possibly say. I watched it 20 times in 3 days, loved every repetition of every witty quip, and subsequently ran to my local electronics store and bought the DVD and soundtrack. As if that wasn't enough, I have developed a crush on Kieran Culkin, whose performance I was absolutely smitten with. Watch the movie ... and you should have a great time.

Rating:
Summary: Oh make it stop already
Review: Normally I can overlook the fact that I'm watching a movie about horrible losers. Normally I find artistic integrity in watching films about people I wouldn't normally hang out with. Normally there's something fascinating about these people that makes them watchable enough to forgive the director for presenting these horrible creeps.

Not in this movie. No, this movie is filled with horrible selfish people all across the map. From the crazy father to the wooden brother (Ryan Philipe should play Pinocchio one of these days) to the deranged mother there's not one character in this entire movie that you can like or even watch for very long. Igby is a snotty brat. His girlfriend played by My-So-Called-Life girl that cheats on him, then acts like he's the one at fault. Jeff Goldblum is just a bottom feeding creep. Amanda Peel is the only person that gets anything out of her character as the fashion model that's losing her life to heroin addiction. The scene where she's getting ready to go on a date and trying to cover up her scars is heartbreaking. Unfortunately it comes too late to redeem this movie and when you see her again on a nod you are too tired of her and the rest of the movie to care.

NOt only is this movie full of creeps but the director betrays the smug insincerity. A key scene in this movie is when a soldier from Igby's schools comes to find him. He ends up talking to Igby's drag queen roommate (surrogate father?) and gets flustered - because the guy he's talking to is gay, and we all know how funny it is when straight-laced military types have to talk to gay people right? I mean this is 1965 and that's pure comic gold right? No? Well, I guess you are just one of those vulgar masses that was watching action movies instead when this thing came out.

There is really nothing to recommend in this movie. It's like being trapped in a party full of people that you don't like or care about. I really don't even know why anyone else loves it. Maybe there's something about the New York society scene that others see that I don't. I just thought that everyone read those wedding announcements in the New York Times for laughs.

Rating:
Summary: loved it
Review: it definately had a taste of Catcher in the Rye...
the acting was great too (Kieran Culkin is amazing)
it might not be a good choice for people who want physical, laughing out loud comedy...
but i definately enjoyed it...

Rating:
Summary: big whoop
Review: yet another movie that rips off catcher in the rye. yet another movie where ryan phillipe plays a jaded rich kid. yet another movie that was merely "ok".

Rating:
Summary: It's GREAT...if you like this sorta thing.
Review: A sarcastic, cynical, and at times psychologically brutal little movie that doesn't have one likable character to speak of. But the movie eventually grows on you, and all the good performances (esp. by Susan Sarandon & Jeff Goldblum) help flesh out the viciousness. Sarandon, in particular should've won an Oscar (or hell, at least been nominated!) for her edgy role here. She's perfect. Ryan Phillippe though is out of his league here, barely realizing his character in an awkward performance. The movie shocked me with it's oh-so-dark narrative, but it's is well done film-making, even if it falters a bit with it's balance of dark comedy and heavy handed breakdowns.

Rating:
Summary: anarchic, dark comedy
Review: ***1/2 Matricide, euthanasia, terminal cancer, alcoholism, drug addiction, adultery, attempted suicide - these are just a handful of the elements that comprise Burr Steers' latest "comedy" entitled "Igby Goes Down." Steers, who both wrote and directed the film, steers a clear course between comedy and tragedy, never allowing one element to dominate over or obliterate the other. In a courageous move, he has provided both an unconventional plot and a cast of characters who are not always easily likeable, but whom we come to like nevertheless. He is aided immeasurably by a sterling cast consisting of such acting heavyweights as Susan Sarandon, Jeff Goldblum, Amanda Peet, Ryan Phillippe, Bill Pullman, Claire Danes, and Kieran and Rory Culkin, who play the title character at different stages of his life.

Steers' point seems to be that a world full of neurotic, self-absorbed and dysfunctional adults will lead to a world full of neurotic, self-absorbed and dysfunctional children - all caught in a cycle that will never end until some new generation steps in to stop it. Igby, a senior in high school, is fast on his way to becoming a lost soul. Though members of the upper class Manhattan elite, Igby's parents have failed to provide Igby with the kind of paternal support a child needs to flourish and grow. He must endure a father whose response to the pressures of life has been to seek surcease in an emotional breakdown; a mother whose rampant drug addiction, domineering personality and general coldness have driven a wedge between her and her children; and a brother who, in some odd way, seems to love Igby, but who is more than willing to play by the rules to get to the top of the heap in the corporate world, a goal Igby soundly rejects as meaningless and empty. Igby also has a godfather who seems more concerned with bagging a young mistress for himself than in providing the wayward boy with any real direction or guidance. Add to the mix, two young women who are just as [messed] up and rudderless as Igby and you have a recipe for real disaster. Yet, despite the fact that Igby indulges in a lot of rather despicable behavior throughout the course of the film, we get the sense that there is some core of value buried deep within his being that will ultimately allow him to disconnect from and triumph over the people and circumstances that seem to be conspiring to bring him down.

Despite the fact that the movie is touted as a dark "comedy," the film ends up actually being more poignant than funny thanks to fine performances by Susan Sarandon, Clair Danes (who has dropped most of the annoying mannerisms that blighted some of her earlier film work and here has learned how to relax and go with the flow), and, above all, Kieran Culkin, who holds the center of the picture in his own youthful hands. Through Culkin's performance, we get the sense that Igby, though lost and confused, is a pretty sharp guy and knows enough to reject the false values that the people in his life are trying to instill in him. Although he is not above treating people with a certain amount of disrespect or doing what he knows may be wrong and hurtful, he also seems able to cut through the class-conscious phoniness and see life as it really is, which puts us on his side right from the beginning. We sense at the end that he has come to some understanding of his own imperfections and will endeavor to make something of himself once he has cut the tie that binds him to this wholly dysfunctional world.

"Igby Goes Down" isn't a film that provides a tremendous number of laughs and you may find yourself put off by much of what you see on screen. But the film's genuinely anarchic tone and spirit, along with the many fine performances, go a long way towards mitigating its few undeniable weaknesses.

Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly Surprised
Review: I usually look at the movie trailer when deciding to see the entire thing. I didn't like the trailer for Igby, but found the movie to be very enjoyable. Perhaps I need a new judging system. "Don't judge a movie by its trailer"

Rating:
Summary: Igby goes down, Culkin goes up
Review: I just finished watching this movie on DVD. I plan on buying it. It made me feel connected to people I shouldn't feel connected to. The characters were quick witty and lovable, cold, mean and hateable. Igby and Oliver are brothers. Oliver sternly embraces the life of affluence he has been born into. Igby fights with all of his might to free himself from it. Neither one of the brothers is entirely winning their battle. Mi Mi their mother is cold and superficial. Oliver cherishes her; Igby hates her. Igby's father is in a nut house driven there in Igby's eyes by the life Igby is now fleeing. It was wonderful and smart. It is a life you should eavesdrop on. Watch this DVD.