Igby Goes Down

A notable directorial debut, Burr Steers' Igby Goes Down is thematically dependent on J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. A cynical, sarcastic 17-year-old, Igby Slocumb Jr (Culkin) is finding it increasingly difficult to reconcile himself to the levels of hypocrisy evident in his privileged family. His mother (a delightful Sarandon) is demonically self-obsessed, having lost interest in anything resembling a measured home life after she committed her husband (Pullman) to a mental institution. Her eldest son, Oliver (Phillippe) is a horrible yuppie, desperate to win the sort of wealth that Igby's godfather D.H. (Goldblum) possesses. Igby, on the otherhand, is doing his level best to discredit the family. Having escaped from military school, he goes to New York to hide out in the apartment of his godfather's mistress (Peet). It's there that he encounters the wilful Sookie (Danes), but it isn't long before his family catches up with him.

A refreshingly honest, emotionally satisfying take on the coming of age drama, Igby Goes Down is impressive piece of work. For the most part, Steers manages to keep the cliche count at a minimum and resists the temptation to tie everything up in neat, easy-to-digest packages. Despite being Macauley's brother, Kieron Culkin appears to have a lot of talent and inhabits the title role with skill and verve. The supporting cast, especially Goldblum and Phillippe, help a great deal.