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Igby Goes Down
2002
Seventeen-year-old Igby Slocumb (Kieran Culkin) comes from a wealthy but dysfunctional family. His mother (Susan Sarandon) is a pill-popping lunatic, his brother (Ryan Phillipe) is a collegiate, money-obsessed snob, and his father (Bill Pullman) is a hospitalized schizophrenic. After Igby is expelled from boarding school, his .. Read more
| Starring | Susan Sarandon, Kieran Culkin, Jeff Goldblum, Ryan Phillippe |
|---|---|
| Director | Burr Steers |
| Run time | 96 mins |
| Genres | Comedy |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Writer/director Burr Steers's bittersweet comedy takes the first of many strange turns in an uncomfortable opening sequence: the asphyxiation of Susan Sarandon by sons Kieran Culkin and Ryan Philippe. Dark moments such as these permeate this offbeat coming-of-age tale, with acid-tongued Culkin often outshining his more experienced co-stars. It may take a while to tune in to the script's coldness of heart and the savage cynicism bursting from alienated teen protagonist “Igby” (a childhood nickname), who runs away from military school to hang out in New York. Yet, despite a contemptuous attitude towards familial relationships and romance, the film elicits sympathy via flashbacks to his unhappy childhood (featuring Culkin's brother Rory as his younger incarnation). Steer's amusing, barbed dialogue is another prime asset, adding bite to fine supporting turns from Claire Danes, Jeff Goldblum and Amanda Peet.
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This uneven black comedy, in which a poor little rich boy struggles towards manhood, makes more sense once you know... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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53 out of 55 people found this review helpful
An involving surprise
I settled down to watch Igby expecting little more than a light hearted peek into the privileged life of the American upper class, sort of Cruel Intentions with a smile. But what a wonderful, slowly evolving, surprise this film proved to be. First time director/screen writer Burr Steers delivers a truly involving story revolving around the titular Igby as a deeply troubled, fiercely independent teenager without direction. While we follow his descent form preppy school boy to preppy drug dealer, we are treated to a slowly developing picture of his dysfunctional family. With Susan Sarandon giving, for my money, one of her best ever performances as the mother from hell and the wildly variable Jeff Goldblum coming up trumps as an a-moral god father it is pretty clear why Igby is “going down” in life.
While there are elements to dislike about this film, from the over privileged world whiney characters to the self-indulgent feel of the big name cast (see the “behind the scenes” footage to really see luvvies at work), it still manages to be a film you can enjoy and recommend to others. As Mark Kermode (all hail the mighty Kermode) put it “it's hard not to applaud any 'mainstream' movie that allows loveable Jeff Goldblum to beat up one of the Culkin kids onscreen!” -
Most recent members' review
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10 out of 12 people found this review helpful
interesting
this film is a wierd one it has to be said. i did sit there wondering what direction the movie was heading in for most of the time. there were comical moments in it, of a very dark side. susan sarandon's performance was brilliant as always. it was good to see claire danes in the picture also. i guess this would be high end culture in the style of jerry springer, an insight into the dysfunctional world of the east coast upper class society. whilst its direction seemed aimless, it could be said that this is a reflection on life itself.
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