Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-21 05:39:22

Never Recieved

This review is from: Igby Goes Down (DVD) Tried to contact, never received an answer and just plain never received anything in the mail, although I ordered another dvd the same day and I received in in a week form another seller.

AC 2012-05-20 11:35:17

You gotta love Igby!

What a great little movie!!! Igby Goes Down is the story of a teenage troublemaker who goes out of his way to make trouble for his shrewdish, unaffectionate mother. Kieran Culkin does an incredible job portraying a teenager who realizes, you just have to grow up. We follow him as he gets kicked out of school after school, cons his way into our hearts, and undergoes a series of sexual excapades. In a sense we watch Igby grow up and move on. Susan Sarandon also does an incredible job as the psychotic mother. Ryan Philippe also steps up in this movie, showing something I never thought he had in himself. All in all this is an artsy, well-done movie, that fans of movies with an Indie spirit will love. Hats off to Burr Steers who wrote and directed this great little movie. I recommend it to teens anywhere who are into a teen movie that is more than gross-out humor and slapstick comedy, something that goes beneath the surface.

duffster 2012-05-19 19:07:04

I wanted to like this movie.

Let me start be saying that the acting was wonderful.Let me also add that this should have been my kind of movie. Especiallyfromall of the comments on here.At the end of the movie, though, all that I could think about was howlittlethe whole thing interested me. Why, when the acting was so good, did Ifailto care about the characters?I've been thinking about this for a few days now, and the only conclusionthat I can come to is that it's hard for me to feel pity for the kinds ofcharacters in the movie.*SPOLIER WARNING*Should I feel bad for a kid who sells drugs because he "needs money," butgets handed wads of hundred dollar bills by his godfather practicallyeverytime that they meet? Or maybe what caused me to be totally disinterestedwasthe pretentious art student feel of everything. "Are those cloves?" etc.I,like others, was constantly reminded of The Royal Tenenbaums whilewatchingthis. The main difference, in my eyes, is that it was bizare enough thattheweird stuff seemed to work. It was weird enough of a movie that youactuallycare about the rich kids who seem to have everything but a family. In thismovie, though, two kids flying home to kill their mother just didn't workfor me. Another of my big disappointments was the lack of Igby's history.Ican think of three "flashbacks" that he had. All of them just made me wantmore of that. I really wanted to see more of what had happened between hisnon-biological father and his mother.Basically, what it boiled down to is that I didn't give a crap about Igby,or anyone else in the movie. I think that the primary difference betweenthis movie and Catcher in the Rye is that Holden is stumbling through aworld very unfamiliar to him. He's haunted by memories of his dead brotherand possibly by the expectations of a younger, more innocent sister. Igbyseems to know all of the ropes, but wants to find his own way to swingfromthe tree. He jumps into everything, whether it's sex or selling drugs,withcomplete success.Before I get blasted by a bunch of fans, let me say that just because Ididn't like it, it's a bad movie. However, if you aren't sucked into themovie after about thirty minutes or so, it's probably not going to happen,so don't stick around like I did, thinking that it'll surely turn aroundatany moment.

the_truth3 2012-05-19 09:59:43

Down Goes Igby

Normally I enjoy films that aren't traditional Hollywood, films that aredifferent and character driven and that could be classified as quirky.Thatbeing said I really didn't like this film. I liked it even less than Iliked Catcher in the Rye, i found the writing and plot to be extremelyselfindulgent, I just felt like the writers were screaming for the audience topat them on the head and tell them how smart they are, while leaving outanyreal sense of wit and humor(aside for one line about religion). I thoughtthe characters were very hollow, and perhaps that being the point, but Ididn't like a single one of the characters or even care at all whathappenedto them. if Igby would have decided to follow the fate of his mother imighthave even applauded it. There was nothing thought provoking or earthshattering in it, I didn't find it to be the glossy social commentary thatsome reviewers have labeled it as, I found it to just show that everyonehasproblems and images arent always as they appear, and doing so in the mostpretentious way possible. But for what it's worth i have never written areview before and this film has caused me to, so it atleast caused areaction, even it was one based on the bitter taste left in my mouth, soifthat is the aim of art, then it has accomplished its goal. I would adviseanyone to see Punch-Drunk Love instead, if they already haven't, truly abrilliant awe inspiring, thought provoking piece of art.

Charles Herold 2012-05-13 04:48:14

unpleasant

Movie about a snotty, self-involved brat surrounded by other snotty,self-involved people. Aiming for the Catcher in the Rye sensibility, themovie suffers because the main character is just as unpleasant andhypocritical as the characters he disdains. He was an arrogant little creepfeeling sorry for himself and somehow seducing women in spite of little realcharm. Of course, it would have helped if this movie had been, as so many people onthis site insist, funny. I watched an hour waiting for it to be funny, andexcept for a somewhat clever comment about Jesus Christ it's really notfunny in the least. In the end, a good cast was wasted on pretentiousdrivel about unlikeable people.

Brad Kinley 2012-05-12 16:52:03

Would have been great...

A dark coming of age film, which resembles American Beauty in a lot ofways.Igby is the emotionally deformed product of his mother and father -Narcissist and Psychotic respectively. Bouncing around a relatively broken(though well conceived and satisfying) plot, Igby and the characterswithinall receive the punishments that they deserve.I thought the movie quite good and cerebral until I (possibly unfairly)compare it to what it could have been before a series of important sceneswere cut. The DVD version included a few short scenes, which wereeventuallycut from the movie.The sad thing is that they were the strongest, most poignant andinterestingscenes 'in' the movie. It's frustrating to se just how much better thismovie would have been had the director (Burr Steers) not been so worriedabout time. As it is the movie clocks in at 97 minutes, so adding another7minutes of film wouldn't have affected the pacing that much. Yet, wouldhaveadded so much.

2012-05-05 21:14:07

Surprisingly entertaining, but not sympathetic to weak people

Igby Goes Down was by no means a terrible film. I would classify it asa dark comedy with a lot of drama. The movie was filmed well and has avery bizarre cast of characters. I thought Kieran Culkin did an awesomejob and was perfect for the character. My only problem with the moviewas the forced emotions that they tried to pressure on you. Everycharacters so called problems were simply self-created and I'm sorrybut I can't feel sorry for some spoiled kid who never had a job in hislife and can't handle the harsh upper-class lifestyle in New York.Claire Danes is a skank in the movie... nothing more. Her characterstarts off OK, but then ure like, WOW she is nothing but a whore andwhy should I feel sorry for her. Altogether I like this movie, it isthe definition of an independent movie.- VideoGameHollywood.com

2012-05-05 12:02:55

An very amazing and engaging film, from camera work to screen play, and most of all dialog.

This is one of the most creative and watchable films I have ever seen.Everyconversation sparks with intelligent and sarcastic remarks. I have alsonotseen a soundtrack mesh together so nicely with a film. Every aspect ofthismovie is wonderful, from cast to director. This is a mustsee.

SonnyDiba 2012-05-05 04:48:57

Igby Needs A Chaser

Sorry to say,but I expected something more than I got from thisfilm.It's not bad, but the critics have a tendency to ratemovieson how well they like the cast, not the actualfilm.(It should be evident if you notice how many bad actorsslip into good standings because of a bit-part.)I feel that such is the case here, and that they'rerelieved to see Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes(and to asignificantly lesser extent)Jeff Goldblum and RyanPhilippeback in the saddle.I won't give away anything big, but I WILL saythatthe story's head is in a better place than it'sheart,and that the core of this piece is akin to "TermsofEndearment"(the mother-son relationship, onlyIgby'sresolve comes at a harder place in life)There is resolve in the end, but not everything isaccounted for.(Igby asks a rather trying questionof a priest[not what you're thinking]that goesunanswered, both by the priest in his quartersand in the finale.)This brings me to the last, and worst, of itspratfalls.An independent film featuring good and recognizableactors,as opposed to an independent film driven bylesser(or un-)known actors, it loses some edge.We expect contemptuous from Philippe, obnoxiousfrom Goldblum, and spoiled from any of theapplesin the Culkin family tree.(Amanda Peet istheprize pig in this filthy barn--though underused,like Bijou Phillips in all of her work.)All-in-all it's worth a gander, and betterthanmost modern black comedies, but doesn't sticklike "American Beauty" or "As Good As It Gets".If you're a fan of standard black comedies withbetter-than-most casts(excluding Goldblum and Philippe),or any of the actors, go see it.If you're standards are set by the likes of Hopkins,Spacey, Keitel or the like, avoid it.(Unless you're a Catholicliving in a month of Sundays.)

underfire35 2012-05-04 15:15:26

Terminally Quirky...

IGBY GOES DOWN is another entry in the "oh-so-witty-screwed-up-teen"genre. Every character is ingrained with so many quirks and cleverasides that it is difficult to take any of them seriously. The onlyones that escape from this mess intact are Susan Sarandon (who has beenspreading herself rather thin) and Jeff Goldblum (former Mr.Blockbuster, who now toils in films like CATS & DOGS). These two actorsrepresent the only above average aspects of IGBY GOES DOWN. The otheractors range from serviceable (Danes, Peet) to bad, i.e. Kieran Culkin.(It's well time that the film industry cashes out of the Culkin family,they made money, great, move on and remember the good times.) KieranCulkin simply cannot carry this film, even though it is light-weightfare, and does not require much from any of the actors.The plot follows the exploits of Igby, a spoiled recalcitrant brat, whoupset with his life escapes to New York. There amongst carefully chosencolorful locales he becomes embroiled in the lives of his uncle, hisuncle's coked-out mistress, the cartoonish drag queen she lives with,etc... He falls in love and deals drugs, hates his mother, blah, blah.All this set to a trendy soundscape of top-forty pop songs and a scorethat desperately wants to have been composed by Thomas Newman. Oh yeah,Igby also has a painful past involving his mentally-ill father (BillPullman), which by the revelation in the third act, gains little groundin explaining why Igby is an ***hole.I simply do not understand the praise this film has received. Otherthan being slap-handedly amateurish in its handling of the material, itis for the most part poorly acted. The sloppy sentiment that crops upwhenever the film decides to care about what is going on, doesn't helpeither. The most complex thing about Igby is the dialogue he spouts,but it sounds written, rehearsed. Quirky does not equal good--Igbyreminds me of an ornate marsh reed...yes, on the outside it may seeminteresting, but on further inspection it is simply hollow. 1/10.

jayday 2012-04-29 14:09:10

igby is up!

Hey there, Igby goes down is a great movie. Meet Igby Slocumb (KieranCulkin), a young, yet full grown cynic boy who just can not fit in withhis family and environment. He will do anything to frustrate his motherand drops out of school constantly. "Igby goes down" is a dark comedy(or sometimes named bittersweet) and like many other fine (often indie)American movies in this genre the last years it stands out for me asthe best one (Garden state, Buffalo '66, confessions of a dangerousmind, ghost world, about schmidt, requiem for a dream, to die for,eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, secretary, election, rushmore,donnie darko, lost in translation, American psycho and some others.)They all contain elements of comedy combined with visible, believabledrama. The comedy is not explicit, but reflects more the absurd(corrupted) world in which the modern Western peoples sometimes livein.What I think is great about this movie is that you learn why Igby hasbecome like this. Even though Igby is a slacker, you will like himimmediately from the first scene. Igby is actually a normal boy whodoesn't care much for the superficialities his family (mother SuasanSarandon & father Bill Pullman) smothers him with. In fact, he onlycares much for his dad, a mental patient.Igby runs away from school and house and meets some great characters;his real father's heroin junkie mistress (gorgeous Amanada Peet), hertransvestite room mate, a slightly older college girl next door who hefalls in love with (Claire Danes). Yeah, Igby is living the life, butlike all good things, it comes to an end when reality steps in. Hisbrother steals his girlfriend. His roommates slip further into drugsand Igby must return home to his mother. She has become sick and in aconfronting euthanasia scene Igby can finally come to terms with her.He can even come to terms with his numb half brother (Ryan Phillipe), astiff, young republican, college boy.Forget those stupid Oscar movies. They are either unmanly tearjerkersor unfairly lobbied into winning by scheming execs. Develop your owntaste. Revolution now, art has to be made! Anyway highly recommended

2012-04-29 03:38:39

A noble effort

"Igby Goes Down" has both the strengths and weaknesses commonly associated with independent films. The premise is one often seen in indie films: a likable, independent-minded slacker trying to find his own way while being put upon by a conformist society. If this sounds anything like "The Catcher in the Rye," it should, because the resemblances are so obvious that they must be more than coincidental. The Holden Caulfield role in this case is filled by Igby (Kieran Culkin), who's been getting bounced from one ritzy school to another for years. He doesn't want to wind up like his father, who suffered a nervous breakdown from the pressures of his career, but there are some obstacles in his way. His mother is determined to shape Igby as she sees fit, and his smirky brother Oliver and bloodless godfather D.H. are only too eager to help. The plot basically consists of Igby avoiding military school, resisting his mother's schemes, and getting close (both emotionally and physically) with his new girlfriend Sookie. There is a lot to like about "Igby Goes Down." The movie is filled with offbeat and sharply-drawn characters, and the actors invest them all with depth (especially Ryan Phillippe, who seemingly was born to play the role of Oliver). The dialogue, as in many indie movies, is witty and realistic, and the relationship between Igby and Sookie gives the movie some much-needed tenderness. And while the theme of the young nonconformist trying to find his own way has been repeated numerous times in the past half-century or so, it's still worth repeating. If "Igby Goes Down" suffers from anything, it's that it's a bit too "Indie." It's hard to explain, but the movie has a somewhat self-congratulatory air about it, as if it holds the key to the meaning of life and viewers should be glad that they're getting to witness such an important film. In other words, "Igby Goes Down" comes pretty close to succumbing to its own hipness. However, the movie still manages to succeed, thanks largely to its good humor and winning cast. Hell, it's better than much of what passes for entertainment these days.

trish-64 2012-04-27 02:17:32

Great film with a very sharp script

This is a very funny, sharp and witty film that's a joy to watch. I sawit twice in a week, owing to scheduling on my satellite package, andenjoyed it even more the second time.The script is unashamed about the sheer awfulness of adolescence andreminded me of how clever, smart and in control I too THOUGHT I was atIgby's age. The central performance by Kieren Culkin is a gem and whenhe's 40, he'll look back and wonder how he could have been this good,this young.The other performances are also sterling, including Susan Sarandon,playing a mother with claws, Ryan Phillippe as a near-psychotic WASP,Jeff Goldblum as a steely, oversuccessful godfather and a touchingperformance by Amanda Peet.I suppose for those with chips on their shoulders, the mega-rich NewYork glitterati setting might be offputting, but I didn't find it so.As an added bonus, the music soundtrack is great.

Lee Eisenberg 2012-04-26 08:14:34

The first movie that I ever saw with my college friends.

Macaulay Culkin quickly became a has-been, but his brothers have takensome interesting roles, particularly Kieran in "Igby Goes Down". Themovie portrays teenager Igby Slocumb, who - although he seems reallymessed up - has a perfectly good reason for it: his relatives. Hismother Mimi (Susan Sarandon) tries too hard to be a socialite; hisfather Jason (Bill Pullman) had a breakdown; his stepfather D.H. (JeffGoldblum) turned his brother Ollie (Ryan Philippe) into a youngRepublican; and so on.Obviously, many movies deal with screwy families, but this one does agreat job the way that "The Royal Tenenbaums" did. Much like a wholeslew of great movies came out while my parents were in college, so manyhave come out while I've been in college ("Igby Goes Down" was in factthe first movie that I saw with my college friends). It's movies likethis that make life worth living.

howie73 2012-04-21 07:20:19

Smart-ass comedy with indie pretensions

This self-consciously outré dark comedy has some funny moments but thecharacters are so unsympathetic that we don't really care enough to seewhat happens as the film progresses. Igby Goes Down embodies anaffected hip vibe that seems a bit forced at times. It's at its bestwhen moments of eccentric comedy happen. The performances are all goodbut the lead character played by Culkin is too self-absorbed in his ownCatcher in the Rye- style trials; although he is the most sympatheticof the bunch which is saying something. The only other noteworthyperformance is from Susan Sarandon who has much fun playing the awfulUpper East Side WASP mother. Clare Danes is wasted in a slight part.Despite these misgivings, there are some bizarre moments that provethat American film can still be inventive.

Walter Frith 2012-04-20 11:51:28

What's the point?

'Igby Goes Down' is TOTALLY pointless coming of age film. It has the mostunattractive characters you're ever likely to see in a movie. SusanSarandon, Jeff Goldblum and Ryan Phillippe are the stuffed shirts with icewater in their veins and rigid personalities throughout the entire film. Now let's look at that point, shall we? In developing characters likethese, you have to give the audience something to hate as you will see thatthese characters truly are despicable. However, you don't love to hatethese people, you hate hating them. And that is the problem. The noblepeople in the film such as Claire Danes and Kieran Culkin, who plays Igby,are just bitter pot heads, never shown the true meaning of proper directionin their lives as they move from one scene to another, on the verge ofwasting their entire lives. And what's worse, you don't root for them, eventhough they are the characters with feeling in the movie. Dopey dialoguedoesn't help this film which feels like sitting at an outdoor stadium eventwhere one of those airplanes with an advertisement tag tied to its rutter,goes around and around the stadium in circles until you get sick of it. Congratulation, Igby, you've accomplished this feat with flesh and blooddone in a total style of amateur film making.

rachel 2012-04-19 18:53:20

by accident

What i think about Igby Goes Down. Well i actually loved it and byaccident too. i was doing some channel surfing and came across thismovie, The first thing i noticed was Kiern Culkin i haven't seen himsince Home Alone so i wanted to see if he was a better actor then hisolder brother. and he proved me right he is a better actor. I got sointo this movie, the dialouge, the irony, sarcasm throughout the movie.usually when i watch a movie by myself i cant sit threw it, with thismovie i sat threw the whole thing. All the characters have their ownpersonality and contribute to the movie that draws you in. i loved thismovie i wish i would have seen it sooner!!

2012-04-19 14:44:37

no good

A clever script doesn't make for an enjoyable film. I find every Culkin to be a disgrace to acting, while the other actors are just plain annoying. Much of the dialogue seems sophisticated beyond the characters intellect. The plot is dollar-paper thin and a steal from various books and films. By the end of the movie, you hope that not only does Sarandon's character die, but that Igby goes six feet down.

ArchObler 2012-04-19 12:35:08

Igby goes lots of places

Kieran Culkin stars in both this and The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys andboth have a very similar feel. But Igby Goes Down is a lot more believable,since the dramatic tension comes directly and honestly from the charactersand their situations, instead of just throwing "shocking" twists in thestory to get a reaction from them (and the audience). The movie is full ofcharacters who have lost their way in one sense or another and Igby is ourguide through them as he tries, increasingly desperate, to find his own way.Igby Goes Down is really a great comedy, but it really only seems that waylater when you're thinking about it because a lot of the humor comes fromthe most painful scenes. There's no split between the drama and the comicrelief, they go hand in hand as that is the way Igby has learned to dealwith life, especially concerning his completely self-absorbed mother, playedwith energy by Susan Sarandon. The actors bring out the magic in Burr Steersperceptive, tough, potentially tiring writing. Amanda Peet finally earns thepraise she received quite a bit of for Changing Lanes and Jared Harris is asalways one the best character actors. This is one of the better films of theyear. ***1/2 out of ****

2012-04-18 23:50:35

Tiring

It's not that I can't see good in this movie...I can understand why so many people like it. I, however, found it very hard to watch--it was like a chore, and by the end I felt wrung out. It's not that I am not a fan of depressing films--I am. I've seen my share of Requiem and other such movies. This time, however, I just couldn't take it. The characters were intresting--well, mainly Igby. Claire Danes portrayed the typical cool, jaded, older college girl that is seen in so many films nowadays--you know, the character who always has an answer for everything, who never hesitates or slips up. Oh, and is it me or does Ryan Phillipe play the EXACT SAME CHARACTER in every movie he is in? Deju vu... Anyway, Igby was precocious and funny and carried the movie well (or as well as he could). Otherwise, it was a long hard journey that tried to be unique and original but was full of cliches. It was not without its moments but they were not enough to make up for the struggle it put me through. Bottom line: enjoyable for some, but not for everyone.