| The
Review: |
Igby Slocumb is the type of movie
character you're either going to love or hate; it's that simple.
You either go along with "Igby Goes Down," in which yet another
disenchanted teenager living in a dreary world sets out to
find a reason for being, or you don't. Maybe I'm just a selfish
bastard who doesn't care about the emotions and lives of others,
but for me, Igby has little redeeming value or quality that
makes his life the least bit interesting. If the goal of the
filmmakers was to portray his life in a manner that evokes
the sheer boredom he himself experiences, they've done a striking
job. ***
The general outline of the story
focuses on the titular character played by Kieran Culkin,
whose earnest performance is suggestive of an acting career
with potential. As Igby, Culkin convinces us of the emptiness
of his character's life, from his distant, disaffected relationship
with his overbearing mother, Mimi (Susan Sarandon), to the
prolonged absence of his father, Jason (Bill Pullman), who
was institutionalized early in Igby's life. ***
The film does score points for
providing a backstory into the development of Igby's warped
emotions. Mimi, a high-class twit with snobbery to spare,
attempts to rear her youngest son in a manner worthy of upper-crust
society, courting him off to a variety of military and prep
schools. In a sense, she knows that her actions are all for
not, and to a certain degreen I don't think she really cares
anymore. Her awareness of the impact of her actions on Igby
doesn't seem to phase her in the least: at one point, during
a conversation with his older brother, Oliver (Ryan Phillipe),
she remarks, "His creation was an act of anomosity, so why
shouldn't his life be one as well?" One could go so far as
to say she's exercising her authority for kicks. ***
Not that Igby is any less reluctant
to give in to her demands. His escape from her clutches leads
him into the heart of New York City, where he crosses paths
with Rachel (Amanda Peet), the mistress of his godfather,
D.H. (Jeff Goldblum), who puts her up in an expensive loft
in exchange for her sexual favors. He stays with her for some
time, later meeting a slightly older girl named Sookie (Claire
Danes) with whom he connects instantly. ***
These events, while well-written
to a point and showing signs of good potential, don't mesh
together very well. Once things begin to progress towards
the anticlimax, the interest level dwindles, as Igby drifts
around from place to place, looking for life in all the wrong
venues, making all the called-for wrong choices that bring
about the necessary realizations and awakenings. There came
a point in the movie where I experienced my own awakening,
in which I discovered that despite a highly pretentious tone
of self-importance, this film isn't as original or important
as it portends to be. ***
The main problem that plagues the
material is the lack of intrigue surrounding Igby himself.
In trying to get in touch with his character, I dove into
the emotions of my own seventeenth year, and I came to a realization:
I don't know what Igby's been through. Although I do have
a deep affection for his line, "I'm drowning in assholes,"
I really can't relate to him on any level aside from that.
Writer/director Burr Steers creates the character in such
a way that we understand his plight from the outside, but
not from the inside. ***
If that isn't enough, most of those
surrounding Igby are icy cold. Sarandon's Mimi is extremely
harsh and overbearing, which makes it very difficult in the
end to swallow some of the plot twists of the finale. Goldblum's
D.H. doesn't really have much weight in the proceedings as
the screenplay provides for, while Peet's Rachel is empty
and hollow throughout. The only character who really survives
somewhat intact it Sookie, who provides a source of stability
and a voice of reason in Igby's life; unfortunately, they
sock her off with brother Oliver in another weirdly-conceived
plot development, and we lose touch with her. ***
This film reminds me of another
Kieran Culkin film, "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys," also
about disaffected teenagers living dreary lives and looking
for something that seems permanently unattainable. "Igby Goes
Down," while not as empty as that previous work, isn't much
better: there's a deep sense of unachieved greatness here,
bogged down under the film's inability to give us a reason
to care for or relate to it's main character. In the end,
he's just another disenchanted teen whom we don't understand.
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| Image
and Sound |
A good but not outstanding image
transfer. The 2.35:1 anamorphically enhanced picture has a
nice palette of colors that are well-saturated with no noise
or bleeding, and fleshtones that are accurate and warm. Edges,
while soft in some places, are sharp in others, and tend to
exhibit signs of artifacting halos. Contrast is so-so, with
blacks that could be improved upon. Like the movie, it's nothing
really special. ***
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is
also nothing to shout about. Aside from the music, which has
an ambiance that works in the film's favor, this is a mostly
dialogue-driven track that sounds clean but doesn't do much
for the rest of the spectrum. Deep bass is minimal and reserved
for the music, as are the surrounds. Dialogue sounds natural
throughout.
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