Igby Goes Down Details

2002

Rated:
60
from 8039 members

Starring	Susan Sarandon, Kieran Culkin, Jeff Goldblum, Ryan Phillippe
Director	Burr Steers
Genres	Comedy

Igby Goes Down

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 mother sends him to a military academy where he is brutalized by the other kids. He escapes to the Hamptons, where he meets Sookie Sapperstein (Claire Danes), an enigmatic and artistic vegetarian on a break from Bennington College. Igby then goes to New York, where he holes up in the loft of the heroin-addicted mistress (Amanda Peet) of his reptilian godfather D.H. (Jeff Goldblum). He once again runs into Sookie, and the two begin an affair, which eventually falls apart as Igby realizes that he has never had anyone to trust, and he decides to try and change his life for the better.
Burr Steers' impressive debut is clearly inspired by THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, though his film takes more pains to graphically show the familial reasons for its young protagonist's instability. At times a black comedy and sometimes something darker, IGBY creates a world where everyone's warmth and humanity is inversely proportional to their wealth--and most of the characters have money to spare. Culkin deftly carries an altogether impressive cast filled with strong performances.

Starring	Susan Sarandon, Kieran Culkin, Jeff Goldblum, Ryan Phillippe, Claire Danes, Amanda Peet
Director	Burr Steers
Studio	MGM ENTERTAINMENT
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 36 mins
Certificate
Genres	Comedy
Language	English
Released	DVD: 20 Oct 2003 Production year: 2002
Format	DVD

Critics' reviews (3) of Igby Goes Down
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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.
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
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
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
Most helpful member's review of Igby Goes Down
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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!”
- - JimH from Cambridgeshire
  - Posted 24 Feb 2004 17:51
Most recent members' review of Igby Goes Down
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15 out of 18 people found this review helpful

If you're cool, then this movie needs you!

I can't decide. Was this a thought provoking tale of a direction-less teenager or a story so aimless it made me think nothing? Well, I answered my own question by sitting here deciding whether it was a good movie or not. It was thought provoking but still pointless.

I think if you are one of those film buffs who thinks themselves a bit cool, you will love this movie. You won't really have a good explanation for liking this film other than how cool and trendy it is to like it. Definitely a movie with the appearance of a bigger picture or a life changing lesson but falls short when delivering the goods. Still, people will watch this movie and proclaim how they understand the bigger picture only to sound cool. If you sometimes find yourself sitting under a tree in the park reading (or pretending to read) a copy of either 'Catcher in the Rye' or 'On the Road' then rent this movie as it will improve your already cool self image.

All that aside, Culkin really does a good job to show up the more prestigious acting talent. Demonstrating that his and Claire Danes performances were enough to keep me interested but not entertained.
- - Craig Sketchley from Eastbourne
  - Posted 09 Jul 2004 10:50
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