Writer/director Burr Steers’ freshman attempt, “Igby Goes Down,” is a clever, authentic piece of film with the excellent performance of a freshly-developing actor and a heart of humor unlike most recent movies. The film showcases a burgeoning talent in both Steers as an amateur and Kieran Culkin as an actor: they are perfectly comfortable in their positions and are ready to get down to business.
Wonderfully written and expertly acted, the movie is at times painful to watch. Nemeses surround the main character, Igby (Culkin) in his pursuit of happiness amid prep-school detritus.
His family counts as two strikes against him, as they are a collectively dysfunctional malcontents. His mother Mimi (Susan Sarandon) is a wealthy, malignant prude and child-rearing failure; his father Jason (Bill Pullman) has lived in an asylum for six years and counting; brother Oliver (Ryan Phillippe) attends Columbia and takes lessons in life and economics from Igby’s godfather (Jeff Goldblum), an organized, smug businessman who delicately balances an affair with Rachel (Amanda Peet), artist and smack addict extraordinaire.
The story begins as Igby’s expulsion from yet another preparatory school incurs his mother’s wrath. He escapes to Manhattan’s Bohemian side and lives with Rachel. His preoccupations include seeing quasi-girlfriend Sookie (Claire Danes), an intelligent, beautiful catering company waitress. The relationships prey upon each other, and Igby becomes both literally and figuratively a punching-bag for those associated with him.
It is a sort of coming-of-age film, and in that stroke, a coming-of-age performance. Culkin’s presence and humor are reminiscent of the jaded main character in Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye,” consistently ready for offhanded comments on any subject. Here Culkin glows, and the character’s sardonic aura adds infinitely. The film’s bone-dry wit adds a quality of angst-filled contemplation.
Expect nothing special from the DVD’s special features. The next-to-worthless director’s commentary and tedious “behind the scenes” short are not worth the time, and the deleted scenes usually contain only a few lines not in the movie. Apparently Steers knows how to write and direct a movie but not supervise its production on DVD.
The film is worth renting because of its fantastic script and inspiringly good acting. Culkin’s continuation of his older brother Macaulay’s acting bravado is apparent, and perhaps more can be expected. Steers, too, brings certain hope in a bright and newcomer director. The duo’s convergence creates a loosely-knit plot that works with a smart script and excellent craftsmen. This film grows on people after it is watched, and indeed may be worth two viewings.