"Writer/director Burr Steers knows how to show irony, the trouble with kids, and New Yorkers taking casual sex for granted." Victoria Alexander FILMSINREVIEW.COM

"You'll gasp appalled and laugh outraged and possibly, watching the spectacle of a promising young lad treading desperately in a nasty sea, shed an errant tear." Shawn Levy OREGONIAN "One of those rare, exhilarating cinematic delights that gets even better in hindsight, as you mull over its every nuance in your mind." Rob Blackwelder SPLICEDWIRE "A lark, especially for all those who enjoy cheering for losers who maintain their own special weirdness as woes rain down upon them." Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH "There are some movies that hit you from the first scene and you know it’s going to be a trip. Igby Goes Down is one of those movies." Matt Easterbrook MATT'S MOVIE REVIEWS

"A strikingly intelligent and rueful comedy of disaffected youth." Marshall Fine THE JOURNAL NEWS "A highly personal look at the effects of living a dysfunctionally privileged lifestyle, and by the end, we only wish we could have spent more time in its world." Mark Dujsik MARK REVIEWS MOVIES "An original work filled with bracing wit and sharp observations about character, class and social milieu." Kirk Honeycutt HOLLYWOOD REPORTER "Although I hate Igby -- he's snotty, rich, emotionally brutal, cynical, treacherous, vindictive, manipulative -- I also love him. You can, truly, feel his pain." Stephen Hunter WASHINGTON POST "In all, Steers has insured that this teenage film will be recognizable to teenagers but not limited to them." Stanley Kauffmann NEW REPUBLIC

At A Glance

"A prickly coming-of-age tale in which everybody -- but especially Culkin -- shines." .... Steven Rea PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

"Ibgy Goes Down" is another of those precious little gems which brings so much joy to those who can really appreciate the message lurking behind a barrage of black humour. And, while its focus is on a young teenage male beset by problems, "Igby Goes Down" is a film whose audience appeal is certainly not limited to the teen market. Of course the beauty of "Igby Goes Down" is that there are plenty of Jason "Igby" Slocumb Jnr's in the world and many of us, in either our growing years or adulthood have come across someone remarkabley like him. Rebellion is for many teenagers just a phase in their 'hormonal' years. The pressures of growing up and conforming, meeting the expectations of parents and society, the demands of peer pressure, can all take a toll on their behaviour. Many parents demand their teenage children 'grow up' or act like 'an adult', but is that really what is expected of them. The downside is when teenagers do start acting like 'adults', parents sometimes discover it's not what they expected. Then they confront their son or daughter, shifting the boundaries which can lead to frustration, mis-trust and of course, rebellion. It's a testing time for parents and their precious off-spring. In the case of Igby [thats really Digby] the complications in his life have been eating away at his psyche for far too long. One sometimes wonders if life can ever be 'normal' for this rebellious yet highly likeable, dark, sarcastic teenager Igby.
Director and writer Burr Steers explains, "Igby Goes Down" is a movie about things seeming very attractive, pretty affluent on the surface, then underneath the surface you have turmoil. It's about being young and trying to find yourself, and feeling like an anomaly in the cloistered, suffocating world you've been brought into. It's about rebelling against people who are trying to force you to conform. He's a teenage boy who thinks his world and life are one way, but is set off on a sort of rampage when he realizes what he's accepted to be the truth about his family really isn't true." So finding the right person, that teenager who had the Igby qualities musn't have been easy especially when you consider it took some seven months.
"Burr and I auditioned this role for seven months," says producer Lisa Tornell. "We couldn't find anyone with the vulnerability and fragility of Igby who also had that acerbic, wry sense of humour and timing. Kieran gets it. He gets the intelligence of the dialogue without playing the joke." For Igby, most of his problems come from his family, in particular his relationship with his mother Mimi. He sees Mimi as the reason his father has suffered a mental breakdown. Kieran Culkin agrees.
"He's always looked up to his father and feels like Mimi destroyed him," says Culkin. "Mimi threw him in school and he didn't want to go, threw him in military school, and basically just put him through a lot of shit. He's got a lot of anger. Igby's rebelling against a lot of things, but Mimi has pissed him off the most."
Culkin is masterful as the errant Igby, the boy on the run. Even though you hope he will finally find his way out of the mess his life has become, you know it isn't going to be easy. It seems he is dogged by his pompous brother Oliver at every step. "He's repressed his emotions to the point of not knowing if they're there anymore," says Steers. "He's trying to awaken that little kernel of passion he's buried somewhere deep inside himself." Ryan Phillippe who plays Oliver found the character one of the most complex he has undertaken. "Oliver is dark and superficial," says Phillippe, "But he's also aware of that fact. He looks down on society the same way Igby does, but he tries to use it to his advantage. He rebels against rebelling." He went on to say, "He wants tons of money, that's what he's driven by." Burr Steers had a lot of admiration for Ryan saying, "Ryan was professional, mature and meticulous in his preperation. He's willing to do ugly things, to be ugly and not worry about it. He's not self-concious."
There's so much to love about "Igby Goes Down" and part of what drives both the film and the audience is the love hate relationship between Igby and Oliver. Igby is so loveable and Oliver is easy to hate. And if you love cheering on the under-dog then you'll find plenty of reasons to cheer on Igby.
"Igby Goes Down" was written and directed by Burr Steers and stars Kieran Culkin ["Home Alone", "The Cider House Rules", "The Music of the Heart"], Ryan Phillippe ["Gosford Park", "Little Boy Blue", "Cruel Intentions"], Bill Pulman ["Frailty", "Lake Placid", "Brokedown Palace"], Susan Sarandon ["Bull Durham", "Dead Man Walking", "Moonlight Mile"], Jeff Goldblum ["Jurassic Park I & II", "Independence Day", "The Big Chill"], Claire Danes ["Little Women", "The Rainmaker", "It's All About Love"], Amanda Peet ["Saving Silverman", "One Fine Day", "The Whole Nine Yards"] and Jared Harris ["Mr Deeds", "The Weekend", "Happiness"]. Note: This film contains adult themes and medium level coarse language that may offend some viewers. The Story Meet Igby, head strong, rebellious and troubled. His father is in a mental institution after suffering a nervous breakdown, his dominating mother pops pills and his brother is just a snobby prick. Igby has become a dark, rebellious teenager who hates authority and takes flight at every opportunity. Not that he ever gets very far. It's only a matter of time before his mother Mimi's dark angel [Igbys brother Oliver] manages to track him down. Finally Mimi has had enough. Igby has worn out his welcome and now Mimi has managed to force a midwest Military Academy to take him in, teach him what discipline is, make a little man out of of him. Fat chance of that working out. Then, by sheer luck, Igby's philandering god father, a New York tycoon, comes up with an idea. Why not bring Igby to New York for his summer vacation, to work for him. Everything is falling into place. Igby is about to attempt his biggest escape, right under everyone nose. It will lead him to discover a whole new world and the beautiful Sookie. But will it last. Freedom it seems comes at a price. The Verdict "Dysfunctional, sharply witty, dark, but compelling. Words which immediately spring to mind when one thinks of "Igby Goes Down". A wonderfully crafted film thanks to the wit, wisdom and forsight of Writer & Director Burr Steers. "Igby Goes Down" is blessed with a superb cast who produce superb performances and memorable characters. A film that will appeal to teenagers and adults alike." The Cast & Crew

Kieran Culkin Claire Danes Jeff Goldblum Jared Harris Amanda Peet Ryan Phillippe Bill Pullman Susan Sarandon Rory Culkin Peter Tambakis Bill Irwin Kathleen Gati Gannon Forrester Celia Weston Elizabeth Jagger Nick Wyman Amber Gross Jim Gaffigan Arnie Burton Eric Bogosian Cynthia Nixon

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Jason 'Igby' Slocumb Jnr Sookie Sapperstein DH Banes Russel Rachel Oliver 'Ollie' Slocumb Jason Slocumb Mimi Slocumb Igby [at 10] Oliver [at 13] Lt Ernest Smith Ida Little Cadet Bunny Lisa Fiedler Suit Girl O'Hare Hilton Manager Front Desk Clerk Mr Nice Guy Mrs Piggee

Directed & Written by Burr Steers Original Music by Uwe Fahrenkrog Petersen & Pete Yorn Non-Original Music by Courtney Taylor-Taylor Cinematography by Wedigo von Schultzendorff Film Editing by William M. Anderson & Padraic McKinley Casting by Richard Hicks & Ronnie Yeskel Production Design by Kevin Thompson Art Direction by Roswell Hamrick Set Decoration by Jennifer H Alex Costume Design by Sarah Edwards Run Time 98 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2003 - United Artists - All Rights Reserved Copyright ©2003 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved