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Diversions
'Igby Goes Down' explores dark comedy
By John Behling
Published:
Thursday, February 6, 2003
John Behling -- Film Critic
There are more than a few movies that show the division between the rich and poor, or attempt to bring the viewer inside the mansion of a cold-hearted, tight-fisted miser, with his distant wife and his disciplined yet, alienated children. There are also more than a few stories that show a son rebelling against the privileged life that is laid out for him.
So if "Igby Goes Down" represents these sub-genres of the social commentary genre, how does it differ from the rest? For starters, everyone's a junkie. Also, everyone is either eccentric or insane (depending on their social status).
Igby, played like a modern Holden Caulfield by Kieran Culkin takes his name from his early mispronunciation of a childhood friend, "Digby the Bear," which becomes his moniker after his cruel mother, depicted heartlessly by Susan Sarandon uses it to scold him every time he lies. And like Holden Caulfield, he lies a lot.
Igby lives as the antithesis of his prep school brother, played pretentiously by Ryan Phillippee, who attends Columbia as well as attending to Igby's frequent escapes from private school. The rest of the cast is filled out with an odd sprinkling of character actors including Claire Danes, Jeff Goldblum, Amanda Peet and Bill Pullman as Igby's father, whose loveless marriage with Sarandon's character culminates with a nervous breakdown, an event that haunts Igby as he grows into adulthood.
In this snapshot of life everyone is heading towards that impending breakdown. The well-dressed businessman, whose ambition leads him to the top, finds himself alone, meticulously stacking cigarettes into the drawers of his gigantic desk in his enormous corner office.
The struggling junkie dancer/artist tries to foster dreams of being saved by a rich handsome knight in shining armor, but instead falls deeper into her addiction.
The frigid, souless, pill popping, hard drinking, chain smoking mother with four different doctors independently filling her prescriptions, decides to end her own life rather than face a terminal illness.
In the middle of this is Igby, raised into the riches he despised, obsessed with the idealistic bohemian life he finds on the streets and tethered to his family by a few quickly-dissolving bonds which even he can't entirely explain.
On paper this is very depressing. In a movie this is also depressing, that and funny. Clever dialogue delivered deadpan is the driving force of this satire.
But weighing in against funnier drama/comedies such as "Trainspotting," "Igby," doesn't have any extraordinary laughs.
Although its message may have more appeal than its comedic value, that message laid bare doesn't seem to be all that original. Sure the situation is on the extreme end, but isn't it just the same old tale of a boy coming of age and releasing himself from his family? I think so, but I also don't think this message isn't poignant or appealing today.
At a certain point in everyone's life they have to make a split from their family and put their childhood to rest. In the case of "Igby Goes Down," this is done in a dark and disturbing final act. This act of severance reflects the film's broodingly satiric tone, yet somehow avoids being too much of a downer.
"Igby Goes Down," has been labeled a comedy, and you will laugh although you may forget that you did by the film's conclusion. All said, the film's powerful cast collaborates nicely to make a sick, sad, disturbing, yet redeeming and overall original film.
