Igby Goes Down

Sardonic, silver-spoon-raised Igby Slocumb (Kieran Culkin) has been booted out of every prestigious (and not-so-prestigious) prep school on the East Coast--not to mention one military academy. A bored, intelligent, resourceful, and willful teenage screw-up, he's almost proud of his record, even though he'd be the first to admit it's a cry for attention from his sad yet comically dysfunctional family. Having escaped the limousine taking him to yet another boarding school, Igby's now on the loose in Manhattan and determined to make it on his own (with the help of his mother's American Express card). Sharp, sagacious, and zestfully tangy, Igby Goes Down is packed with droll dialogue, gloriously glib personalities and crackerjack acting from an excellent cast that includes Claire Danes as bohemian college cutie Sookie Sapperstein, a suave and smarmy Jeff Goldblum as Igby's flippant, millionaire godfather, with Amanda Peet as his saucy, dancer-junkie mistress--all of whom aid Igby's efforts. Trying to bring Igby down: his high-strung, pill-popping mom (Susan Sarandon) and his greedy proto-yuppie brother (Ryan Phillippe). A nuanced and exhilarating, yet wistful and pensive, dark comedy delight, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary with writer-director Burr Steers and star Kieran Culkin, the 16-minute “In Search of Igby” featurette, 11 minutes of deleted scenes with optional director commentary, a behind-the-scenes photo gallery, and a trailer. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an excellent film.] (R. Blackwelder)