Customer Reviews

Igby Goes Down [VHS]

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

In the history of film teen angst films are a relatively recent genre. The first classic teen film, in fact, might be REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. There have been a few additional good teen films, but most of them, by and large, haven't been terribly successful. IGBY GOES DOWN is a spectacular exception, and takes its place as one of the finest teen films ever made. Although it has many exceptionally sad, even tragic elements, it is nonetheless a comedy. But even at its sharpest moments, the comedy is very, very dark. At one point Claire Danes says to Kieran Culkin, "You're funny" and he replies, "Then why don't you laugh?" This could be emblematic for the film as a whole.

The movie begins with Culkin and Ryan Phillippe, playing sons of Susan Sarandon, placing a plastic bag over her head to kill her. It sets the tone for the rest of the film as effectively as any I have ever seen. Moving on from there, we are introduced to all the various broken individuals who inhabit Igby's world: His horrific, unaffectionate, hyper critical, coldhearted mother, played magnificently by Susan Sarandon. His loving father played by Bill Pullman, who nonetheless succumbs to mental illness and is institutionalized. His amoral, cold brother. His philandering godfather played by Jeff Goldblum. Goldblum's mistress, a heroin addict played by Amanda Peet. For a while, he apparently has a decent girlfriend, played by Claire Danes, but she ends up hurting him as much as any of the others. It is indicative of how wretched his world is when perhaps his greatest benefactors in the film are the heroin addict and her drug supplier.

Igby is no saint, but by the end of the film, you end up thinking that, given his execrable upbringing and acquaintances, he has turned out far better than one might have hoped. Kieran Culkin does a first rate job as the quick witted, verbally clever, emotionally messed up Igby. In fact, just about everyone in the film excels in their role. The true star of the film however, is first-time director/screenwriter Burr Steers. His direction is excellent, but the screenplay is nothing less than stunning.

This film has received a great deal of critical attention, but it hasn't received the kind of general attention that it deserves. I believe that over time more and more people will discover this film. It is far too good to become forgotten. Eventually, it should establish a significant base of fans, and could possible become a great teen cult film. If not, it still is a phenomenal film that deserves as many viewers as it can get.

Not every movie starts with a pair of teenage boys painstakingly killing their mother, and even fewer could make you like those boys. But "Igby Goes Down" actually manages to do this. It's a coming-of-age story (much as I hate the phrase) with humor and poignancy, and it's a hard role that the fantastic Kieran Culkin pulls off.

Igby's father (Bill Pullman) is in a mental home, his mother Mimi (Susan Sarandon) is a pill-popping harpy, his godfather D.H. (Jeff Goldblum) is humorously scruple-free, and his brother Oliver (Ryan Phillippe) is cold-blooded and mercenary. Igby himself (Kieran Culkin) is a perpetual dropout who deliberately fails at every prep school he's sent to, and then he runs away from a cab taking him back to military school. Free at last of his suffocating upper-crust life, Igby secretly moves into the loft apartment of D.H.'s dancer-junkie mistress Rachel (Amanda Peet).

At first, things are okay for Igby, especially after he meets and falls for a cynical, ice-cream-eating college student named Sookie Sapperstein (Claire Danes). But when his brother disrupts his love life, his godfather finds out about Igby's relationship with Rachel, and Mimi's cancer grows worse, Igby begins to go down... unless he can break away to freedom.

One of the most unique aspects of "Igby Goes Down" is that a concrete reason is given for the lead character to rebel. Most rebels don't have a cause. But Igby rebels not just out of unhappiness, but out of fear that he (like his father) will "go down." One of the most moving parts of this film is when a young Igby (played by Kieran's little brother Rory) sees his father come unglued in the shower. An equally memorable scene has Igby hollowly repeating his father's words at his own reflection.

The humor is mainly of the weirder sort, like half the people in the cast punching Igby (even his SHRINK!), Mimi sitting on the maid's head, or the disgruntled drag queen ("Lucky... CHARMS!"). The dialogue is witty and full of little quotable insults. Kids probably shouldn't see this movie -- there's nudity, a couple of bedroom scenes, cursing and a few scenes involving suicide.

Kieran Culkin is brilliant in this film, which has garnered some of the recognition he deserves. Susan Sarandon seems to revel in her role as the mother-from-hell, and while I didn't like Ryan Phillippe in "Gosford Park," his cold acting fits the role of Oliver. Goldblum seems to be revelling just as much as Sarandon as Oliver's future self; Claire Danes, when she doesn't cry, is fantastic as the wannabe-cynic Sookie, who is obviously just as confused as Igby.

"Igby Goes Down" is worth watching, if nothing else, because of Culkin's fantastic acting. But it's also witty, sad, weird, and quite well-written. One of the best indie films of 2002 -- and that's saying a lot.

This unconventional film about a teenage boy struggling to escape the crushing pressures in his life defies categorization. While one could describe it as a dark comedy, it is funny only in places, and then in a desperate, cynical way. But it doesn't take itself as seriously as a true drama. "Igby Goes Down" works best as a film that is what it is: the story of Igby (Kieran Culkin), who has been kicked out of every private school his mother Mimi (Susan Sarandon) has enrolled him in and who goes on the lam to avoid the next one. Igby's father (Bill Pullman) has been in a mental hospital for the past six years, and his mother is a snooty matron dying of breast cancer who spends her time fiercely trying to get Igby into yet another school. His brother Oliver (Ryan Phillippe) is a snobbish self-important Columbia undergrad. Igby's life is truly messed up, and no one can stand to be in his company for long before they feel like hitting him. The one thing Igby has going for him is an often charming wit, and that, combined with so many things beyond his control, endears him to the viewer.

Culkin shows surprising range as Igby, moving convincingly from sarcastic to resourceful to desperate - and back again to sarcastic. Claires Danes is spunky and perfectly edgy as the Bennington drop-out Sookie, and Amanda Peet is even better as the sensual non-dancer dancer and junkie Rachel. Jeff Goldblum turns in a fine performance as DH, Igby's godfather, who, as Oliver says, is finely-tuned for only one thing: making money. Susan Sarandon seems to float through this movie until the end, when she, too, reveals astonishing aspects of her character. Every last character is this film is quirky.

This is an offbeat, unpredictable film that mainstream film goers probably won't like as much as those who gravitate toward the unconventional. Rather than being driven by plot, this is a character movie, with its strength resting in idiosyncrasies, smart dialogue, and acting.

Every once in a while I run across a movie that is absolutely wonderful in every way possible, yet is seen by a total of seven people. This unfortunately seems to be the case with one of the best film releases of 2002, "Igby Goes Down".This pitch black comedy basically channels the spirit and the atmosphere of J.D. Salinger's classic "Catcher in the Rye" for the new millenium.In this case the 'poor little rich boy' is a smart mouthed, seventeen year old named Igby (well played by Kieran Culkin), who is on his way to being kicked out of every good private/parochial school on the East Coast.The source of Igby's rebellion is his wealthy, dysfunctional family, that includes a tyrannical, pill popping mother (suberbly played by Susan Sarandon), a cold, yuppie, older brother (Ryan Phillippe) and a mentally unbalanced, institutionalized father (Bill Pullman). To top it all off, he has an advice spewing Godfather (Jeff Goldblum in one of his best roles ever), who has a hidden vicious streak.Igby decides he has had enough of school and goes on the lam (in a pricey rehabbed loft) in New York City.It is here that he meets a variety of colorful, NYC residents (artists, junkies, drag queens etc.) as he tries to survive in the concrete jungle. Eventually Igby must come to terms with his family and it's past.Did I mention this was a comedy? This is a film that has both pathos and a very dark sense of humor, that will have you laughing thoughout. Writer/Director, Burr Steers has crafted a comical script that is both witty and literate. The conversations of these characters are infinitely interesting to listen to.This is also a film in which the casting is perfection. All the actors in this ensemble cast are performing at the top of their craft. The performances are funny, yet full of nuance.As mentioned before, both actors Susan Sarandon and Jeff Goldblum, put in excellent performances as some rather nasty characters. A special mention should also be made for actress, Claire Danes, who is very good as Sookie, a pseudo-bohemian college student (on break of course), who just might be Igby's only friend.The DVD to this movie is both crisp and clear. Extras include a Director's commentary track, a movie trailer, a featurette with actor interviews and a wonderful compilation of deleted scenes.If you are a fan of Holden Caulfield or just dark humor in general, then I would highly recommend this acerbic, confection of a film.

I was in a hotel room recently in Carmel-By-The-Sea, waiting out rain and cruising their cable TV, when I came across a reality show that dealt with a group of spoiled rich prep school kids living in Manhattan, spending their parents' money on expensive clothes, cars and spa treatments. One, 16, said to the camera, "I will go to Princeton [she hadn't even taken her SATs yet], graduate, become the vice president of a genetics firm, and at 40 be married with two girls." She said it without irony and as though reciting a shopping list, which in essence it was.

The moment made me think of Igby Goes Down, the brilliant, sardonic comedy written and directed by Burr Steers, whose directorial debut is as polished as it is confident. Steers, the son of a Republican congressman and a stepsister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and a half-sister of the writer Gore Vidal, allegedly grew up in the Hamptons and knows all about the people he spears in this deliciously nasty film. (And if that pedigree isn't enough, his great grandfather was the founder of Standard Oil.) The film centers around Igby Slocumb (Kieran Culkin, in what should have been his breakout film), the 17-year-old son of Park Avenue parents. Dad, played by Bill Pullman, has already had a nervous breakdown, and now lives in the "Maryland home of the befuddled, cuckoo for Coco-Puffs," as Igby explains. Mom, also known as Mimi ("Medusa was already taken," Igby explains of the name) and played by Susan Sarandon, already has everything planned out for Igby: prep school, university, and an executive position at some white-shoe firm where he will earn the big bucks, and, even more importantly, further the good family name. But Igby's rebellious maneuvers keep thwarting her plans. Igby's older and domineering brother, Oliver, played by Ryan Phillippe (who's still looking for a breakout film), is more to mommy's tastes, as he emulates the slick and oily rich uncle of the family, DH (we never do find out what the initials stand for) played by Jeff Goldblum in a turn away from his usual types of performances. But Igby can't go this route, despite his mother's attempts to push him into the direction she wants for her son. And so Igby, somewhat immaturely but understandably, goes on a rampage to assert his freedom, skipping out of one private school after another, shaking up with DH's mistress (Amanda Peet), and having a relationship with another snotty, bratty child of Park Avenue privilege, Sookie Sapperstein (Claire Danes), who is closer in age to Oliver but as messed up about what she wants and who she is as Igby. Neither is as grown up or secure as they pretend to be, nor are many of the other characters in the film (particularly Russel, a performance artist/drug dealer played by Jared Harris in an amazing performance). But Igby knows this, subconsciously, and throughout the film he grows--subtly. Early on he gets a lesson from an older boy (Igby is always surrounding himself with older people) in "reverse Darwinism," a social adaptation in which less-evolved and intelligent people actually do better in life than the more advanced, because the world is set up to favor the cruder, the baser, the more coarse. At this point Igby doesn't seem to understand the point and stares blankly, but later he adapts the philosophy--temporarily--to his own requirements, in one of the darker moments of the movie, as he reverts to Russel's low level. Those who have criticized the film because Igby doesn't have an epiphany or change, however, aren't watching close enough, and there is one scene involving Igby and his mother, or her corpse, that is almost too painful to view. Indeed, one of the reasons this film got slighted by many critics is because it is far more subtle than they gave it credit for. Steers doesn't hit you over the head with the meaning and the character beats. To get them, you have to pay close attention, and that's a lost art today.

Steers' dialogue is razor sharp in a way movie dialogue rarely is these days, and his direction is rich without his techniques ever getting in the way of the story. There are all sorts of devices used--fast-motion and slow motion and camera tilts, flashbacks and dissolves and even a fantasy sequences where Igby imagines his father sitting on a bench talking to him. Yet, unlike Wes Anderson and inferior films like The Royal Tenenbaums, Steers does not overdo. There are lots of low-key moments of humor, such as Amanda Peet's "dadaesque" apartment furnishings and the name of the military school commander who comes in search of Igby; the uncredited cameos by Gore Vidal and Mick Jagger's daughter. I think Steers thought the film, which requires its audience be culturally-literate in that special "east coast" way, would find its niche in more arty theaters on that coast, but alas, it did not. Perhaps the fact that it came out shortly after 9/11, when most of the country was not in the mood for a downbeat film set in New York, was part of the reason. Whatever, the cast was so impressed with the script that many signed on for scale to be in the film, being that Igby Goes Down was a very low-budget production. The love and hard work by everyone involves shows. This film is indie, but it does not look indie.

My one minor complaint is that Mimi, the mother, wasn't *quite* nasty and vindictive enough in my book. I've seen meaner mothers. One was mine. Fortunately I didn't turn out like Igby, but I can relate to what a cold mother can do to one's development, especially when you get to see her last moments on her deathbed, and how you react with both love and hate. There were some scenes showing an even nastier mother that were cut from the movie, but are in an outtakes section. A few of these, I think, should have been put back in. (In the commentary track for the deleted scenes [yes, these deleted scenes have a commentary track] the director explains why he had to cut some of Sarandon's nastiness. Let's just say it's sad what you have to do when too many chefs have a say over the soup.)

This is a small quibble, however. Ignore the critics, and enjoy this wonderful movie. It's sad, funny, happy, filled with pathos, love and hate, all at the same time, and with a stylish look and, for once, a soundtrack of pop songs that actually works. (The original scoring, by Uwe Fahrenkrog Petersen, is also quite good.) DVD extras include a making-of documentary that's lots of fun, outtakes, commentary by Steers and Culkin (I would like to have heard from the rest of the cast as well), and a trailer.

"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.

There's nothing new under the sun. This is a theme that's been tackled before but not quite so well. What makes this movie work is the performances--most notably by Kieran Culkin (and, as his younger self, by real-life younger brother Rory Culkin. (Is there a limitless supply of gifted Culkins?) With Bill Pullman offering a harrowing, entirely believable portrait of mental illness as Igby's father, and Susan Sarandon (who gives, sadly, the least believable performance in the film) as the pill-popping, relentless and utterly loathsome mother; with Ryan Philippe doing a convincing job as a driven, upwardly-mobile older brother, Igby doesn't stand a chance. Betrayal on all sides is the hallmark of his life and it's a testament to the character's intelligence and powerful life force that he doesn't crumble under the multiple assaults on his sensibilities. Igby lives in hope--something necessary to survival--and we hope along with him.

There are some hilarious scenes and some that are positively shocking in their unexpected brutality. Jeff Goldblum is flawless as Igby's super-rich godfather--helpful and seemingly feckless at moments only, at other moments, to reveal a cruelty stunning in its efficiency. Clare Danes (who, one must hope, will be around for decades to reveal more and more of her depthless talent) is lovely as Sookie--a layered, thoughtful performance with great substance. And Amanda Peet is like a live wire on wet pavement as Goldblum's girl-on-the-side.

Don't miss this. It offers a genuine insight into the mind of a bright, troubled (not without cause) young man and his innate resourcefulness in seeking something better and finer for his future.
My highest recommendation.

When I started to watch this, I immediately compared Igby to Holden, there were similarities that I couldn't dismiss. However as I came to the end, Holden was nowhere in my mind, only Igby and his incredibly touching presence throughout this story. Kieran Culkin brought Igby to life in so many detailed ways, he made Igby more clever than I think even the director imagined him to be. What a pretty picture he painted, leaving me wanting more but being satisfied that I got to be a part of his life, even if it was only for a couple of hours. Those hours were golden. Pete Yorn's "Murray" is played as the end credits rolled. What an amazing surprise. Amazing song to end an amazing movie.

I cant believe how closely this resembled my high school life going to a new england prep school-the same angst..the weight that Igby talks about...the end of innocence. I thought that the main actor was incredible in this part. Beautiful and gawky with the right amount of smart ass and broken little boy. This movie combines this sad wistful spirit with an amazing sarcastic humor. The Characters are wonderful, the story is amazing, the setting (NYC) is perfect and the soundtrack is perfect. This movie reminds me of a beautiful Japanese poem; wistful, deep, entertaining and an experience to dwell on and repeat.

There could have been a great movie here, maybe even two great movies, but there's too much on the plate. The obvious comparison would be with "Catcher in the Rye" but the action in that is compressed into a short period of time, whereas "Igby" has enough backstory and sequel story to fill a mini-series, much less an hour and a half movie! The film is truly exhilarating from the moment Igby jumps out of the limo to escape prep school to the moment he catches his Godfather with his pants down -- I would have liked to have seen the movie concentrate those months and not try so hard to paint a larger canvas. The filmmaker/writer can't resist a clever line or poignant situation until the whole thing collapses in melodrama. It's even untrue to the "black comedy" it attempts, backing away from the provocative first scene to make it almost sentimental and giving Igby a very mechanistic explanation for being so difficult. The middle section deserves to be amplified and I think there's also a good movie about a disfunctional family with a schizophrenic dad and an uptight mom in here but this isn't it!