Igby

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.

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!

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.

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

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.