Igby Goes Down 2002
A dark and morose movie about 17-year-old malcontent who keeps getting kicked out of private schools, hates his mother, resents his overachieving older brother, and whose father is institutionalized. Sound like something you want to see?
I’m not sure the movie has much to say or any reason to say it, but the acting is good and there are some funny moments and enjoyable one-liner barbs and it’s never boring. This is like American Beauty from the kid’s perspective, filled with characters you don’t like only not directed as well. Susan Sarandon plays the selfish incompetent mother, Bill Pullman plays the insane father. Jeff Goldblum plays the rich uncle. A Culkin plays the 17-year-old kid who runs away to New York and some guy who looks like he came from Buffy the Vampire Slayer plays the evil patrician older brother.
All in all it’s a well-made movie if you can get past the loathsome characters and lack of plot or purpose. Unfortunately I don’t see much of a reason to go to such a movie. I’ll give it a C.