Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great teen angst film that could become a cult classic, January 30, 2003
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.
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39 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kieran Culkin's triumph, February 27, 2003
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.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quirky characters, fine dialogue, and sparkling performances, June 19, 2004
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.
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