Igby Goes Down **** (2002, Kieran Culkin, Susan Sarandon, Jeff Goldblum, Ryan Phillippe, Bill Pullman, Claire Danes, Amanda Peet) – Classic Movie Review 2645

Writer-director Burr Steers’s 2002 comedy stars Kieran Culkin, who proves a little superstar as Igby, a crazy, mixed-up 17-year-old kid with a really bad attitude and hateful folks in his life.

His dying mom Mimi Slocumb (Susan Sarandon) is a monster, his older brother Oliver ‘Ollie’ (Ryan Phillippe) is a nasty preppie making out with Igby’s bohemian girlfriend Sookie (Claire Danes), his nice dad (Bill Pullman) has gone mad, and his godfather DH (Jeff Goldblum) is a feckless slimeball, whose lovely mistress Rachel (Amanda Peet) Igby lusts after.

Kicked out of one prep school after another, Igby is moved by Mimi to live in New York with Ollie for the summer while working for DH on renovating.  Igby’s dad Jason Slocum Sr has been institutionalised in a Maryland psychiatric facility for several years as a medically diagnosed schizophrenic. Oh, and now Igby and his brother are about to kill their mother!

This hilarious black comedy is The Graduate, class of 2002, with a diploma-winning script, grade-A performances from the whole class, and a distinction-winning performance by ex-child star Culkin, who hereby graduates cum laude to adult roles. His younger brother Rory plays Igby aged 10.

Steers originally intended to make Igby a novel. He went on to write the screenplay of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) and direct 17 Again (2009) and Charlie St Cloud (2010).

Goldblum and Pullman reunite for Independence Day Resurgence (2016).

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2645

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