If a film is distancing itself from making the viewers care nothing at all on the characters, it needs to have a thumping story line to support. “Igby Goes Down” does not live up to it at any given moment during this short ninety seven minutes longer than two and half hours. The film attempts on the darkness of this rebellious kid Igby (Kieran Culkin) alias Jason Slocumb Jr. What happens is a miserable attempt by him and director to have a funny portrayal of what life is a slow expectancy towards failure. And it is a thought to be pondered and the concept of life, happiness, family and aim are targets to be hit upon only to miss it way off the chart.
Igby decides to grace the presence of failure which eventually will happen in life to accept it early on. Instead to thrive on this constant social expectation, it is better to succumb to the fiasco the living span of him has left. He flunks and drops out. Why is he like that? A schizophrenic father (Bill Pullman) and his mother Mimi (Susan Sarandon) has no bit or trace of love for this kid looks like a reason. To top it is a narcissistic brother Oliver (Ryan Phillipe) to rub the ignorant screw up on him every possible opportunity. Every character is a failure in some way or other. Failure not defined by the financial or social status but as a human being itself.
He falls in love with a slightly older girl than him, Sookie (Claire Danes) and she really is the only one who shows some symptoms of sane human. But she falls right off too with Igby’s brother. Nothing but a sexual tension and an age factor is quoted for her decision. I am not here to point for her betrayal which in reality not necessarily seems to. She realizes it cannot go in long run and backs off. But to fall for his brother should have been given more explanation. Not a slight flirting and brushing himself on her to get seduced and eventually decide to take the serious step. When Sookie is with Igby she questions him of his insane activities and stand still future. In every way she seems to understand and wake Igby up. The evidence of that with Oliver is unimaginable to be honest. It is not the hate on Oliver along with Igby it generates. It is just a big hole in the torn screenplay.
If he is taking a run on his life, he should have been ridiculously adventurous or left in the streets. But he knows it is tough and opts for drugs, sex and of all a bum. There is no sympathy being generated for this spoiled and confused boy. He does not have friends and reaps every chance to run away from an already messed up family. Is being in a dysfunctional upbringing is good enough for an unreasonable outlook towards life? It might be but you have to back it up with dialogues, chemistry good and bad to be presented upon to support those.
The characters pops up for no reason and as Igby is full of pessimists and lazy junkies. They sleep around with no sun to rise for and do not live in fantasy. Every one especially Igby perfectly understands his way of living. There is nothing holding up for him. The acting is a stiff faced look and easy “f” word utterance acting as not realizing but wants it to be razor sharp on the person it aimed upon appeals at first and then fades away and then becomes boringly annoying.
So I was expecting something mildly darkly from vehemently dark to be seen as a positive which generally emerges from a movie like this. Igby may not suddenly take a big shift in his life but realize what he is throwing away. He does and yet it is not satisfying. By that time, we have given up on the film and the characters. The last hope of having quirky and interesting dialogues dies away with two chuckles in the whole film.
If one thing impresses in the film, it should be its song selections or soundtracks. I should appreciate director Burr Steers for the independent and different styles of music for the film. All are hits which many do not know. It is a perfect soundtrack to purchase. He has a very good sense of music and collecting it too. When some one has that sense and likes those songs, you make a CD compilation, not a movie.
Igby decides to grace the presence of failure which eventually will happen in life to accept it early on. Instead to thrive on this constant social expectation, it is better to succumb to the fiasco the living span of him has left. He flunks and drops out. Why is he like that? A schizophrenic father (Bill Pullman) and his mother Mimi (Susan Sarandon) has no bit or trace of love for this kid looks like a reason. To top it is a narcissistic brother Oliver (Ryan Phillipe) to rub the ignorant screw up on him every possible opportunity. Every character is a failure in some way or other. Failure not defined by the financial or social status but as a human being itself.
He falls in love with a slightly older girl than him, Sookie (Claire Danes) and she really is the only one who shows some symptoms of sane human. But she falls right off too with Igby’s brother. Nothing but a sexual tension and an age factor is quoted for her decision. I am not here to point for her betrayal which in reality not necessarily seems to. She realizes it cannot go in long run and backs off. But to fall for his brother should have been given more explanation. Not a slight flirting and brushing himself on her to get seduced and eventually decide to take the serious step. When Sookie is with Igby she questions him of his insane activities and stand still future. In every way she seems to understand and wake Igby up. The evidence of that with Oliver is unimaginable to be honest. It is not the hate on Oliver along with Igby it generates. It is just a big hole in the torn screenplay.
If he is taking a run on his life, he should have been ridiculously adventurous or left in the streets. But he knows it is tough and opts for drugs, sex and of all a bum. There is no sympathy being generated for this spoiled and confused boy. He does not have friends and reaps every chance to run away from an already messed up family. Is being in a dysfunctional upbringing is good enough for an unreasonable outlook towards life? It might be but you have to back it up with dialogues, chemistry good and bad to be presented upon to support those.
The characters pops up for no reason and as Igby is full of pessimists and lazy junkies. They sleep around with no sun to rise for and do not live in fantasy. Every one especially Igby perfectly understands his way of living. There is nothing holding up for him. The acting is a stiff faced look and easy “f” word utterance acting as not realizing but wants it to be razor sharp on the person it aimed upon appeals at first and then fades away and then becomes boringly annoying.
So I was expecting something mildly darkly from vehemently dark to be seen as a positive which generally emerges from a movie like this. Igby may not suddenly take a big shift in his life but realize what he is throwing away. He does and yet it is not satisfying. By that time, we have given up on the film and the characters. The last hope of having quirky and interesting dialogues dies away with two chuckles in the whole film.
If one thing impresses in the film, it should be its song selections or soundtracks. I should appreciate director Burr Steers for the independent and different styles of music for the film. All are hits which many do not know. It is a perfect soundtrack to purchase. He has a very good sense of music and collecting it too. When some one has that sense and likes those songs, you make a CD compilation, not a movie.
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