Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

wes-connors Boarding school drop-out Kieran Culkin (as Jason "Igby" Slocumb) and his Columbia-educated brother Ryan Phillippe (as Oliver "Ollie" Slocumb) put a plastic bag over the head of their bedridden mother Susan Sarandon (as Mimi), and watch as she suffocates. Next, we see them as young boys witnessing father Bill Pullman (as Jason Slocumb Sr.) expose himself, demonstrating cleanliness to the family. These two incidents occur during the opening credits; the former is foreshadowing, the latter is a flashback. The story's protagonist is Mr. Culkin. Other significant people in his life are vacantly sexy Claire Danes (as Sookie Sapperstein), "godfather" Jeff Goldblum (as D.H. Baines), his junkie lover Amanda Peet (as Rachel), and indeterminate Jared Harris (as Russel)...The interesting thing about the opening is how it sets up Mr. Culkin's character as both physically (via his mother) and mentally (via his father) threatened. However, this fodder for a literary-type analysis is disposed of by a later plot admission. The intent was for a "sane" future, possibly - in this case, the story is richer without the revelation. And, while it's certainly not a mistake to compare Burr Steers' "Igby" to J.D. Salinger's "Holden Caulfield" (from "Catcher in the Rye"), the conclusion they are very much alike is in error - most obviously, one is incredibly appealing and the other isn't. There's the rub - little or no admiration for our anti-hero. Appearing briefly, the thought-provoking Gore Vidal (as a priest) and the always spot-on Bill Irwin (as a lieutenant) are appreciated.***** Igby Goes Down (5/23/02) Burr Steers ~ Kieran Culkin, Ryan Phillippe, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes

copperncherrio This is some dark yo, but in a totally charming and addicting personality way. Kieran Culkin is my favorite new actor. He's smart, thoughtful, innocent yet utterly blunt and mature. It's a really strange combination, like you know why he does what he does, but surprises you beyond belief.He plays a rich boy who lives his life as a result of his father's tragedy, a man who went insane. The scene starts out with the two boys killing their mother. Yes, it went there. She's played by Susan Sarandon. Oh man, she plays the most passive aggressive controlling mother, who happens to have the wit and sarcasm that just brings her act all together.Igby (our main character) is determined not to live his life like his father, one that will lead to manic insanity. So he meets people unique to his circumstances and eventally we come to see why he and his brother ends up killing his mother. It's alright story wise, but great character wise.Except for the ho. She'll always be a ho, I hate her. You'll know…. and she should not have been forgiven. HO. Freaking Claire Danes

tnrcooper Sometimes I find films about eccentric rich families a bit too precious by half. Yes these might be goofy people with strange or unconventional habits, but unless we see some vulnerability, some sense that these characters are not soulless, and that they have some likable qualities, it is hard to muster any interest in their lives. Enough decency and empathy exist in the movie, and enough pain has been experienced that one feels that the behavior in the movie is not implausible or that of nitwits who have never known pain in their lives.This film is about some wealthy, eccentric folks in New York City, including one sensitive, smart boy named Igby (Kieran Culkin) and how he deals with some of the craziness that goes on around him, and in which he becomes involved.I liked this movie. The script was, as mentioned, acerbic without being glib. There is some amazing acting. Susan Sarandon just gets better with age, in this case embodying a woman whose self-absorption is seemingly boundless. Bill Pullman is exceptional as her ex-husband, haunted by the ghosts of mental illness. Ryan Phillippe plays a blue-blood named Oliver who is the half-brother of Igby. He knows he's a blue blood, is proud of it, but still may have a bit more sense than his half-brother who Kieran Culkin plays very well. He conveys the sensitivity, the passions, and the confusion which Igby feels regarding his place in his family and in society. Claire Danes excels as a woman named Sookie who he meets at a party in the Hamptons in whom Igby becomes interested. Jeff Goldblum gets a fun role as a high-rolling real-estate developer (think a more laconic Donald Trump) and he plays it to the hilt. Finally, Amanda Peet is exceptional as a troubled woman named Rachel who Igby also becomes interested in.The script is exceptionally good. It retains its acidity without veering into preciousness. First time director Burr Steers also wrote the script and deserves much credit for coaxing such a great number of excellent performances. New York features in such a lovely manner that it should practically get billing in this film.Ultimately, this is a lovely modern story whose heart might not want to fess up to being decidedly old-fashioned. This is a story about family, about friendship, about the demons that haunt people, and about how humans respond in sometimes mystifying ways.

Polaris_DiB Looking back, it seems American indie filmmakers in the late 90's, early millenial were just crawling over each other to find a way of representing the more dysfunctional family. Igby Goes Down is a good movie, and has its exceptional moments, but time is already starting to drag on this one.Igby is rich, he keeps getting kicked out of school, his father is insane, he hates his mother, his brother is a "Young Republican", his Godfather is Jeff Goldblum, and he just is feeling so darned existential all the time. He runs around New York being phony (hence the thousands of people comparing him to Holden Caulfield), attends parties in which he feels alienated (hence the thousands of people comparing him to Ben Braddock), and purposefully attempts to make things awkward to get the attention of his mother (hence my comparing him to Harold Chasen). He's also a teenager's wish fulfillment fantasy as he manages to sleep with hot women who are either not concerned with having a relationship or pleasantly reject him so that he can feel more alienated, run around New York being gloomy and hep, and, well, get his parents out of the way from time to time.Hey, I'm not complaining: all of that is good justification for watching this movie. However, not all of it was all that great. One of the things that kind of ruined it for me was the character Sookie's relationship with Igby and his brother. Now, I'm sorry, but who starts relationships with two brothers based entirely on their bemoaning hatred of their mother? Really, who does that? "Oh, give me more of that angry childhood trauma, baby, you talk so sexy..." Nonetheless, most of the beginning is funny, the scene that bookmarks the movie is really cool, and its episodic structure helps it keep moving (this movie is kind of like the weather: if you don't like the scene, it will probably soon change).Anyway, cute film.--PolarisDiB