What can you possibly say about a movie that is so incredibly well done that you can think of no way to criticize any part of it? This has been the question on my mind since I went to the Downtown Mall to see "Igby Goes Down."
It is a shocking, hilarious, tragic, beautiful and moving film. There is nothing to improve upon. The cast is made completely of phenomenal actors playing challenging roles, the script is witty and brilliant, the story line is entertaining and the combination of these factors actually makes the viewer contemplate life for a while.
The film chronicles the story of Igby (Kieran Culkin) in his Holden Caulfield-like romp through New York City after having been kicked out of every prep school on the East Coast and running away from military school.
His cold, "perfect" older brother Oliver (Ryan Phillippe) is at the top of his freshman class at Columbia, his equally cold mother (Susan Sarandon) is dying of breast cancer, his father (Bill Pullman) is wasting away in an insane asylum. Igby's rich, materialistic godfather D.H. (Jeff Goldblum) completes the dysfunctional family.
While shacking up with Rachel (Amanda Peet), D.H.'s drug-addicted dancer mistress, Igby bonds with some interesting New Yorkers. He falls in love with Sookie (Claire Danes), a college student taking a year off to find herself. He is employed by Rachel's performance-artist, drug-trafficking friend Russel (Jared Harris), delivering illegal substances to various customers, including his old art teacher (cameo appearance by Cynthia Nixon).
What is much more central to the film than the plot, however, are the emotions and interactions of the characters. The characters of this film are brilliantly drawn by writer Burr Steers and flawlessly performed by the stellar cast. I was extremely pleased to see many actors whom I admire playing roles completely different than anything else they have ever done.
Sarandon is frighteningly convincing as Igby's calculating mother. I have never seen her play a character who was not warm and fuzzy, and she pulls it off remarkably. Goldblum sheds his usual role as the awkward, nerdy scientist to take on the role of D.H., an extremely suave, wealthy playboy.
Danes is believable as a pseudo-intellectual 20-something in love with a 16-year-old boy, but then again, this isn't that much of a stretch for her.
Culkin, however, is the most amazing part of this film. He outshines actors many years and many films his senior. Through Culkin's skill, the character of Igby becomes so real, so true, that I forgot that it wasn't. His performance is beautiful and is far more mature than anything his older brother Macaulay ever managed to produce.
You need to see this movie. If you fail to partake, you are only cheating yourself. But let me warn you now -- it is not a particularly uplifting film. It is a very, very dark comedy. There were times when I laughed out loud and then couldn't believe that I had found something tragic so humorous. There were also times when my eyes burned with tears. The entire 97 minutes is a tour-de-force of emotion, and seeing it on the big screen is money well spent.
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