Igby Goes Down
In watching a movie, the first scene is often a reliable indicator of the rest of the film. Take Igby Goes Down, for example. Two young boys stand by their mother's bed while she saws logs in her sleep. When it's time for her to get up, one of the boys puts a plastic bag over her head. After a few seconds, the mother wakes up from her multi-medication-induced sleep. If you like dark humor such as this scene, you'll be able to sit through the rest of the movie. If this sounds FUBAR to you, be thankful you didn't pay $4 to rent Igby. For me, Igby Goes Down started out weird and stayed there.
The life of Jason "Igby" Slocum Jr. is rapidly approaching the town of Nowheresville. He gets kicked out of every school he attends, including the military variety. Igby also smokes weed (which may have led to his expulsion from the schools). His dysfunctional family is no help. His mother is addicted to all sorts of drugs, and his dad is a schizophrenic living in a mental institution. Igby's brother Oliver is the only one in the family who is doing something positive with his life; he's studying economics at Columbia.
The purpose of Igby's existence is to find a better life than what he has been given. In search of a new environment, he accepts his godfather's job offer as a renovator. This opportunity leads to a few rendezvous with his godfather's mistress and a fellow pot-smoker, Sookie. The rest of the film details Igby's ineptness in growing up as a result of his rough upbringing.
The performance by Kieran Culkin is superb; it overshadows the slow pace and the obscure direction of the movie. Somehow, somewhere, Kieran graduated from riding his brother Macauley's coattails and learned how to act (and has surpassed Mac in talent). Kieran started out playing comic, yet forgettable, supporting roles as a leading character's brothers/sons (e.g. Father of the Bride). Now he's making a name for himself in lesser-known films such as this one and The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys.
The supporting actors also do a great job with their roles. With a cast filled with recognizable actors like Bill Pullman, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, Amanda Peet, Ryan Phillippe, and Jeff Goldblum, who would have guessed that Igby is an independent film?
There is some comparison between Igby Goes Down and J.D. Salinger's excellent novel The Catcher In the Rye. The film and the movie concentrate on the characters. Both Igby and Holden Caulfield try to keep their head up when shit is going down. However, Igby is more sarcastic, and Holden is sexually innocent and psychologically damaged. If anything, Igby Goes Down will be remembered as the film version of The Catcher In the Rye that didn't need Salinger's authorization.
Send any comments/ feedback to the author.
Mimi, a drug addict, is not the best advertisement for mood-altering substances.
Igby's trysts with Rachael (and later with Sookie) ignite less sparks than an empty lighter.
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