Igby Goes Down Review
Although it followed Tadpole and The_Good_Girl in 2002's "Catcher in the Rye" revival, this urgently cynical picture is a far cry from Gary_Winick's sweet fable or Miguel_Arteta's tragicomic treatise on good intentions. Playing the rebel without a cause for neither melancholy warmth nor laughs, Kieran_Culkin invests his bratty character with a black heart and an air of indifference, both of which he retains even when the credits roll; if this isn't a star-making performance, something's wrong. Meanwhile, a cast as varied in age as it is in reputation helps delineate the ugly truths that shape Igby's outlook. Thus far in his career, Ryan_Phillippe has been convincing only when playing toffee-nosed connivers, and here, once again, he proves that typecasting can be a good thing. Meanwhile, Amanda_Peet continues to display the deliciously nasty edge that made her role in Changing_Lanes such a surprising pleasure. As Sookie, the conflicted love interest, Claire_Danes overcomes a series of career missteps to remind us why she mattered in the first place. Meanwhile, old pros Jeff_Goldblum and Susan_Sarandon navigate their Upper West Side world with icy authority and deadpan comic timing. Confident first-time writer/director Burr_Steers, who has acted in films by Quentin_Tarantino and Whit_Stillman, shows a clearer affinity for the latter director's well-heeled angst, but he never treats his walking-wounded characters with flip humor or contempt. Elegantly acted, impeccably written and stylishly filmed, Igby Goes Down will prove unworthy only for audiences who require an uplifting emotional arc in even the most soul-weary story. Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
Browse More Movies:
