Igby Goes Down (2002) User Reviews

A film that will stay with you

[FilmOtaku · 7/10 · 14 July 2003]

My first thought when I finished watching this film was, `I can't believe I really enjoyed a film that starred a Culkin.' My subsequent conclusions about the film were not as easily reached.

When I decided to watch this film, I was expecting The Royal Tennenbaums: Part 2. Rich family, the story takes place in a big city, eccentric characters. While both films share these elements, they are very different in that I considered The Royal Tennenbaums to be mostly a comedy; while Igby's few comedic moments are so dark one almost feels badly for chuckling. What this film is really about is family, but not just in the traditional sense. (What is more traditional than a disapproving mother who is more concerned about herself than anyone else in the family, a clinically schizophrenic father, and two brothers: the elder a narcissist (if not practical) and the younger, a rebellious 16 year old who is forced to change schools more often than most of us change our Glade Plug-Ins.) It is about family in any sense: Friends, strangers, anyone Igby encounters and tries to gain acceptance from.

Culkin's Igby, who looks like a waifish Harry Potter without the `imp factor', is an extremely conflicted character. We have seen rebellious types portrayed ad nauseum in films for decades, but it is a rare occasion when this person is both sympathetic and extremely intelligent. The character draws you in enough that you actually want to know why he acts the way he does, and you truly want him to find happiness. Unfortunately, it appears that when a door opens, it slams just as quickly. Culkin is truly fantastic in this role. He shoulders a character that is both intelligent enough to defend himself, yet vulnerable enough to give the impression of fragility. The rest of the cast is also decent, particularly Jeff Goldblum as D.H., a larger than life character who is conflicted in his own right. The story was just complicated enough to keep me very interested, while endearing and thought-provoking enough for me to reflect on it long after it was over.

I'm not entirely sure who I would recommend this film to, but if you are looking for a thought-provoking drama with some great acting, dialogue and story line I would definitely check this movie out. It has received some rave reviews and I believe they are well-deserved.

Sarcastic and vitriolic

[rwirtz · 8/10 · 14 September 2003]

I had to drive to effin Antwerp, Belgium to see this movie, because it was taken out of Dutch cinemas after running just for one week. And that is something that I don't understand, or maybe I do, because this is not the typical Hollywood feel-good movie. The story could have been based on a early nineties novel by Jay McInerney or Bret Easton Ellis, but it is an original screenplay by writer and director Burr Steers. The mood is very dark, the acting is top shelf and the oneliners are sharp as razorblades. Kieran Culkin and Ryan Philippe are perfectly (type)casted and the choice of music is plain wonderful. The scene where Igby runs off through Central Park accompanied by Coldplay's Don't Panic is close to perfection. I enjoyed this movie very much and I think it paints a very accurate picture of the lives of spoiled, rich kids. Go see it!

Surprisingly good

[janv-3 · 8/10 · 11 October 2003]

I was very impressed by the movie and all the actors taking part in it. The story is very rich and allows the spectator to get emotionally involved in multiple ways. There is a good thing about a movie that finishes and leaves you with the feeling of wanting to know more about many of the characters in the movie. I particularly love all the unexpected moments, lines and situations in the movie without being exagerated or out of place. Excellent, for people who wants to see something different and still mainstream.

Brilliant Filmmaking and Acting

[intuitive7 · 11 October 2002]

Ten out of ten. One of the greats, with memorable characters you'll think about for days. This great film got caught in MGM/UA distribution purgatory. If it could have busted out of the indy circuit from day one and gotten into general release, it would have been favorably compared with "The Graduate" and Kieran Culkin's performance with Dustin Hoffman's debut performance in that Mike Nichol's classic. MGM/UA blew it.

Culkin is a great young player with a look and resources evoking both Hoffman and Robert Downey. He's naturalistic and great to watch. Smart, funny, urbane writing by first time director Steers is never "on the nose". Yet underneath the evasive, sarcastic stripped down dialogue he pulls hard hitting emotions from his ensemble. Not a false or wasted scene and more than a few really powerful ones. Every player is at the top of their game, from Kieran Culkin to Amanda Peet, Jeff Goldblum to Susan Sarandon, Bill Pullman to Claire Danes to Ryan Phillippe. They're obviously guided by a director who knows how to work with an ensemble to get an overall tone.

Igby is the anti Ferris Beuhler - a smart wanna be who's wise mouth and attitude usually piss off those around him - his mother, his brother, his godfather. Torn between those who don't get him and those who do (Peet, Danes), Igby paints all his relationships with the same sarcastic brush, his vulnerability only busting out when he's pushed to the limit. Culkin's perfomance is not to be missed. The key women, Sarandon, Peet and Danes all play fully formed characters. Goldblum is perfect for his role, his usual facile acting style well suited to the South Hampton prince he plays; his best turn in years.

Seers has style and flow, and his final cut is aided by the excellent music choices he and his music supervisor, Nick Harcourt arrived at. Cameron Crowe couldn't do better. The Igby soundtrack is tres alt moderne and every cut is great.

Warning: Actors are blocked (brilliantly) for wide screen format. So this film will suffer from TV / video screen ratios as the Graduate does. Either go see it in the theater NOW or wait for letterbox!

The Catcher in the Rye

[caspian1978 · 7/10 · 19 February 2004]

Cuklin is 100% Holden. The Catcher in the Rye will most likely never be made into a motion picture, still, they got to make Igby Goes Down and that is close enough. An excellent all around cast. Many surprises including a great story and an innocent ending that makes you 'glad' you saw the movie. Susan Sarandon is terrific in her supporting role and Culkin has proved himself as a leading man.

Rushmore redux

[quiet-4 · 6/10 · 26 February 2009]

I found this to be a second-rate rehash of Rushmore. Second-rate movies being almost as good as first-rate, that means this is a pretty good film. Just not as good as Rushmore.

I am not sure why they require a minimum of 10 lines in each comment, but the above three lines encapsulate all I have to say about Igby Goes Down, and the rest of this is just filler. I apologise, but then again I didn't make up the 10 line rule. I'm not sure if the blank lines between paragraphs count (probably not), but at this point I'm only up to 9 lines. Just a few more words of blather and I'll be good to go. Is this far enough? We'll see...

Holden Caulfield with a Harry Potter scarf

[Rogue-32 · 8/10 · 16 September 2002]

I'm very pleased to see other reviewers comparing Kieran Culkin's character Jason/Igby to The Catcher in the Rye's Holden Caulfield - while watching the film I was thinking the same thing, much to writer/director Burr Steers' credit. This is THE Social Commentary movie I have been waiting to see for a long time now - fearless, witty, arch, poignant without being sentimental, and, best of all, the characters are not one-dimensional, they all live and breathe and we feel the agony they are suffering behind their socially privileged masks.

Culkin is especially brilliant (and so sad, with his Harry Potter scarf - a young wizard without any magic), but everyone shines here - Sarandon, Pullman, Danes, Amanda Peet, Ryan Phillippe, Jeff "how-can-I-be-any-creepier" Goldblum, and of course Jared Harris, who positively reeks eccentricity without even having to open his mouth (but when he does, it's always good too). A fine first film from a director/writer who definitely bears watching.

Quirky, Darkly Funny Coming Of Age Story With An Amazing Cast

[gogoschka-1 · 8/10 · 11 February 2018]

Igby caught me by surprise; I hadn't heard much of the film before seeing it and rented it on a hunch. What a beautiful, weird, sad, funny coming-of-age story and what a cast. The performances throughout are amazing. I absolutely adore this film. 8 stars out of 10

In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites:

imdb.com/list/ls070242495

Impressive but dark

[rosscinema · 7/10 · 22 September 2002]

Very well written and acted but the whole theme and tone of the film makes it hard to root for. Very dark and satirical story is like "The Catcher in the Rye" written by an extremely angry person. The acting is good by Kieran Culkin who has easily surpassed his brother in the acting department but the performance that stood out for me is Claire Danes. She sort of looks like Franka Potente now but she's blossoming nicely into a solid actress. The writing is sharp but lets face it, no one really talks like this in real life. And that is why I didn't enjoy this film more. Also, Ryan Phillipe seems to be playing the same character he always does in movies. So while I was impressed with the acting and writing and the overall look of the film the black comedy and dark tone and theme make it impossible to embrace completely. I'll admire it, but from a distance.

unpleasant

[cherold · 4/10 · 5 June 2004]

Movie about a snotty, self-involved brat surrounded by other snotty, self-involved people. Aiming for the Catcher in the Rye sensibility, the movie suffers because the main character is just as unpleasant and hypocritical as the characters he disdains. He was an arrogant little creep feeling sorry for himself and somehow seducing women in spite of little real charm.

Of course, it would have helped if this movie had been, as so many people on this site insist, funny. I watched an hour waiting for it to be funny, and except for a somewhat clever comment about Jesus Christ it's really not funny in the least. In the end, a good cast was wasted on pretentious drivel about unlikeable people.

Weird and Wonderful!

[Spaceygirl · 10/10 · 5 January 2005]

Kieran Culkin astounds in "Igby goes down". While the supporting cast (Jeff Goldblum, Susan Sarandon, Ryan Phillipe and Claire Danes) are predictably good, he turns in an electrifying performance. The script is simply superb and the backdrop of New York is wonderful. The master stroke is the use of Rory Culkin as a younger Igby which lends an authentic air of continuity. The only disappointment is Amanda Peet who, as usual, overacts and hams it up as the highly-strung on/off girlfriend. Jeff Goldblum is surprisingly sexy in a role which he seems very comfortable with while Bill Pullman is surprisingly weighty in a minor yet key role which he pulls off extremely well.

Both Igby and the Story get lost

[Tiger_Mark · 7/10 · 11 March 2004]

"Igby Goes Down" is a little bit "Catcher in the Rye", a little bit "The Wonder Boys" and a little bit Fox television. It seems loaded with potential at the start with several clever one-liners and hip music. We see a Holden Caufield for the new millenium in young Igby, as confused as ever. However, as we watch Igby wander about aimlessly, we also see a plot wander with him. There seems to be no real structure here. I realize that the story is not traditional and therefore maybe it should not be structured as so, but it could still be tightened up a bit. As the film starts to move toward a more structured storyline in the end, it starts to feel somewhat uninspired and dull. I guess you can't win for losing. I won't give it a failing mark, because it was a film that took chances and I admire that. However, I cannot call it very good either. I guess both Igby and the director were a tad bit confused.

Man I hated this movie

[billbene · 1/10 · 7 April 2003]

From the first minute to the last, there was not a single likeable character in this film. Are we really supposed to be rooting for pathetic Igby? The slutty women he comes across? His philandering God-father? Not to mention his mother or brother. I hated every person, as not one of them had a single redeeming quality. Oh, Bill Pullman's character wasn't a bad guy, for what that was worth. Awful, awful film.

Smart movie with good performances

[Danny_G13 · 16 June 2003]

There's no question aspects of this are quite brutal. But the theme of the story dictates they would be so.

Igby Goes Down is about a kid in nowhere's land. He doesn't know where he's going in life and responds to this by being a rebel in everything. Add to this his parental instability with a schizophrenic father and a tyrannical mother and you can understand why he'd be a little mixed up.

In many ways it is a coming of age story, but in others it is too dark to be that. Indeed there is an ambivalence of themes with hope and despair featured in equal measure.

As Igby, Kieran Culkin excels. He's outstanding, the best thing in the movie - which given the quality of his peers, such as a sinister and agenda-ridden Jeff Goldblum, a monstrous and hierarchial Susan Sarandon, a confused and tortured Bill Pullman and a squeaky clean upstart in Ryan Phillippe, is no mean feat at all.

Performances are uniformly excellent, the story involving, and the themes well explored.

Well done all round.

Coulda, shoula been better

[=G= · 6/10 · 5 February 2003]

"Igby Goes Down" is a condescending, pedantic, darkly comedic misanthro-pic about a rich kid (Culkin) who has too little love and too much attitude...etc. In spite of its critical plaudits; excellent acting (no stretching); and slick, dialed-in synthesis, this film really sucked. Personally I was bored with it from the get go, utterly and completely detatched, and toughed it out with a piecemeal watch. What could have been a good drama was scuttled with a black skew, much too clever script, obvious but purposeless stereotyping, an unabashed absence of humanity, and zero audience empathy. Good fodder for self indulgent critics, buffs, dilettantes, etc. For those who just want entertainment, forget it. (B-)

very good, very unoriginal film

[miguelsanchez69 · 7/10 · 27 April 2003]

I really enjoyed this film on a personal level. It has terrific acting, a great script and wonderful direction. The one thing it doesn't have is much originality. The plot has many similarities to two other coming-of-age stories catcher in the rye and this side of paradise, not to mention its many filmic antecedents, such as the graduate. The script is rife with great dialogue and loaded with quirky characters straight out of the canon fitzgerald and salinger. Also, directed and filmed rather conventionally with too much annoying hippie music. This film isn't startlingly original or innovative on a cinematic level but it uses standard cinematic techniques and narrativity quite well. For a more interesting coming of age film further down on the socioeconomic ladder, watch SLC Punk, which is more relevant and revolutionary to this decade even though it was about the last one.

'Igby Goes Down'

[rah604 · 7/10 · 18 May 2004]

'Igby Goes Down' is definitely in the 'Catcher in the Rye' territory. Although, the film is nowhere near as powerful as Salinger's novel, writer and director Burr Steers has made an indelible film about teenage rebellion. Kieran Culkin comes into his own with a career-making performance as Jason 'Igby' Slocumb Jr.

Right off the bat, we learn about Igby's rather dysfunctional family. His pill-popping and neglectful mother (Susan Sarandon in a icy yet hysterical performance), his schizophrenic father and prep-school jerk brother (Ryan Phillipe). Igby does not see eye-to-eye with his family, particularly his mother, whom he blames for his father's mental breakdown. Igby constantly p***es of his mother, by taking some of her pills and getting kicked out of school after school.

Igby refusing to 'go down' like his father, decides to leave home and make it on his own. He leaves to Manhattan, where he goes on a rather bizarre, yet memorable adventure to find himself.

Kieran Culkin has certainly come a long way from his sappy turns in 'Father of the Bride' and 'Nowhere to Run'. Here he rises above the material to create a sarcastic and emotionally charged character. It's an award-caliber performance that was sadly overlooked when the Oscars came rolling around. 'Igby Goes Down' may start slowly and awkwardly, but once it gets going, it grabs you.

Rating: 7/10 or (3 stars)

A Great Look At Teenager Angst

[tabuno · 8/10 · 26 January 2019]

23 February 2003. With biting humor, a wry sense of the absurd and some great off-beat acting by some well-known actors, this movie presents an excellent look at a young man growing up in the rich and powerful society and indirectly looks at death and the surrealistic world that in some ways may parallel our own youth's obssession today with a new generational way of thinking and behaving. This involving and slanted/angled view to view, breaks ground in American cinema by introducing European avante garde, new wave nihilism, rejecting the customary beliefs in morality and religion. But at the same time, it reveals a deeper subset of emotions and meanings in life that are becoming even more relevant in our lifetime.

Best film I've seen in 2003

[bluestrat · 7/10 · 23 May 2003]

If a typical Hollywood cliche ridden, predictable, cookie-cutter film is your comfort do not see this movie! Great performances along with well written and intelligent scenes are the foundation of this movie.

Self obsessed antics of wealthy New Yorkers

[slake09 · 3/10 · 30 November 2008]

Igby is a slacker born to wealth and privilege who spends all his time avoiding any kind of change to the life he hates.

This is vaguely like a J.D. Salinger story, as if the screenwriter was trying to emulate his hero almost to the point of plagiarism. Mostly it's a story of people who are so self-centered they don't even notice they are better off than they deserve, spending all their time doing drugs and boning each other. Picture the residents of a stereotypical trailer park if they had lots of money. Sadly, people from a trailer park would probably be a lot more interesting and a lot more grateful for having so much leisure time.

Igby is about as interesting as any teenage dropout; if you've seen one, you've seen Igby.

Come for the Cast, Stay for the Dialogue

[fatcat-73450 · 9/10 · 27 October 2021]

Susan Sarandon, Jeff Goldblum, and the kid from Home Alone (1992)...

OK, not literally the kid from Home Alone, but his twin brother...

OK, not literally his twin brother, but his brother who looks and talks exactly like him.

This is the story of what one would call the "aristocracy" of New York. The characters are the pampered, entitled, nonchalantly confident members of the wealthy class or the intelligentsia of New York.

Igby, played by Something Culkin, is a Holden Caufield-esque rich brat who hates his family. The film is mostly about him meandering around New York, meeting women, attending social events, and trying to stay away from his mother and brother, who are trying to straighten him out or, barring that, get rid of him.

He claims he hates his brother because of his political beliefs. It does indeed look like the sibling has a more uptight personality than him. It's unclear why he hates his mother, but she's shown to be domineering and uptight as well. You can essentially sum it up as a biography about an emo kid raging over first-world problems.

There are some good plot twists and you get to see Goldblum in as close to an action role as I think he's ever done. The directing is also well-done - calm, serene, and what I would characterize as "clean drama" directing.

Yet the star of the show here is the dialogue. The writer of this film could be the next Oscar Wilde. The dialogue is among the wittiest I've heard in film and the actors really deliver it and play off of each other well. It reminds me of "The Importance of Being Earnest."

Honourable Mentions: 1: OC and Stiggs (1987) is stylistically very similar in terms of the pacing and camera work. It's also similar in other regards. It's about two characters without real problems who are determined to make some up to pass the time. And they're impossibly smooth and calm while doing it.

2: Quigley Down Under (1990): A cheap white saviour action flick about an American (Tom Selleck) who saves aboriginals in Australia with a modified supergun and the skills to wield it. It has no connection to this movie except for the title which is, amusingly, very similar.

Solidly enjoyable movie if you enjoy non-mainstream movies

[philly-17 · 7/10 · 28 May 2003]

Solidly enjoyable movie if you enjoy non-mainstream movies. The last 25%-30% of the movie seemed a little longer than I would have liked, but maybe that is because I was starting to get a bit tired.....this is a movie that one should be awake when they see; not because there is a difficult plot to follow, but because there is no extreme action or humor to grab your attention and wake you up. Despite this, I found the storyline to be unique, the acting to be very good, and the continuous underlying dark humor that was there to make the movie worthwhile seeing.

Rather pointless, I'd say

[Nog · 2/10 · 23 December 2012]

Igby is sort of like Holden Caulfield, but without a serious thought in his head. It's hard to either like or dislike the character, since we only have his cheeky one-liners to define it. The people around him are quite horrible in their own unique ways, so that kinda makes him look better, but they are basically one-dimensional manifestations of various narcissistic types. So, the setup is that Igby is your basic disaffected youth, presumably intelligent (although that is never really established), navigating amongst these jerks for most of the film. It didn't seem quite plausible that these women would be so anxious to sleep with him -- Culkin has this sort of baby-fat thing with his face, he's rather short, and he doesn't seem to do anything to warrant such instant passion. The film goes on and on, without a bit of dramatic tension, only a series of scenes that I suppose are meant to elucidate the incredible range of self-conscious egos striving for hipness in the Big Apple. There are scenes that should really draw the audience in for some emotional connection to Igby's difficulty with his parents, but once the one-liners flee the screen, so does any hope for believable drama. And there's one of the weakest endings I've seen in some time. What is most surprising is that Susan Sarandon and Bill Pullman read this script and decided they wanted to be part of this mess. Perhaps the only point is to draw attention to how many phonies there are in the world. Problem is, Holden already did that about 60 years ago.

Coming of age for the new millenum.

[JANorris · 23 September 2002]

This film was amazing. The acting, the characters, the plot and the visual story were all so refined. This was a film that defines the new adage 'Quiet is the new loud' and sets a new standard for coming of age films. Much like The Royal Tenenbaums, this film was full of a dysfunctional family that although unlike anything in most viewers' experience, was real and honest and touched a part of all of us. Also like the aforementioned film, this movie's soundtrack was so well picked and so well executed, I was overwhelmed.

Burr Steers, a first time screenwriter and director? Is he perhaps channeling his uncle, Gore Vidal, to write and direct this amazing tale? I can't wait to see more from him. Kieran Culkin is equally as promising. He acted the part with such a surreal mix of sullen intelligence, backwards bravery and touching empathy that Igby came to life the moment he hit the screen. Jeff Goldblum and Susan Sarandon were also perfectly cast and were outstanding... I can't mention each of them as there was too much to gush about.

I highly recommend that you run out and see this, but bring a tissue and plan to go celebrate the irony of life and all it's imperfections after you go!

Igby got me a bit down!

[meeza · 6/10 · 2 March 2003]

`Igby Goes Down' is a tale of modern preppie teenage rebellion. Even though it did have its share of youthful intelligence & coming-of-age eccentricities, I must say I do have to give `Igby Goes Down' a marginal thumbs down. Kieran Culkin stars as Igby- our young protagonist who rebels against his controlling mother, spoiled brother, demented father, and egocentric godfather. He finds affectionate comfort in the arms of 2 twenty-something expressive hotties played by Claire Danes & Amanda Peet. I must admit Culkin does have an unfledged cinematic charisma, and I am sure that Kieran does have a bright acting future. He might even star as himself in his own `E Hollywood Story' adaptation of `The Dangerous Lives of Young Hollywood Actor Boys' if he is not too careful. Writer-Director Burt Steers strains too hard to create `Igby Goes Down' as an updated mentally-complex version of `The Graduate'. Unfortunately, Steers steered too far away from the simplistic elements that made `The Graduate' one of the best coming-of-age films ever made. Even though many critics have praised upward positive remarks to `Igby Goes Down', it is more as an up & down cinematic cruise to me. *** Average