Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Great title. Great website. Great trailer with a great punchline. The good Culkin in a starring role. Claire Danes being interesting again. I gotta admit... I’m interested.
So what did you think, FanGrrl?
Hey Harry!
I'm a talkbacker and occasional Aint It Cool chatter (chatterer?) and I finally have something to send you!
I had the chance to see a movie called "Igby Goes Down" a week or so ago and I thought it was pretty damn good, even if there were one or two parts that frustrated me. Nonetheless, about a third of the way through I realized I didn't want it to end.
Kierin Culkin, who was so awesome in "The Mighty," plays Igby, who is called Igby (spoiler!) because when he was a kid he blamed all the wrong things he ever did on his Teddy Bear (mistakenly referred to as Igby rather than Digby because he couldn't pronounce the name) and the nickname stuck - sort of a clue as to how his life would go from that point on.
Igby is one of those screw-ups that can do nothing right, sabotages all of his chances at success and, as he likes to say, he's always knee-deep in assholes (or maybe he said "swimming in assholes").
But Igby is maybe not destined for a life of failure - maybe he won't be like his parents (rich, cold snobs who have nervous breakdowns and send their kids to boarding school so as not to have to deal with them). Igby is tormented further by a big brother whom everyone adores (played by the gorgeous Ryan Philippe).
After getting kicked out of military school (itself his last resort) Igby ascends upon New York City where he gets caught up with a gaggle of fairly sad and unsatisfied New Yorkers
The thing is, even though it seems like he has money and all the material things he could want, he knows it's hollow and is wading through life's problems trying to find his place in the world. Even though I'm not exactly rich I really identified with that. I felt sad for the guy - I wanted him to fix his life, stop seeking the love his bitch of a mother will never give him (incidentally, the bitch is played by Susan Sarandon who is fabulous).
Clare Danes is also good (where has she been anyway?) as Igby's girlfriend and Amanda Peet has yet another scene-stealing scene as a drugged out artist (looking beautiful but like she could use a cheeseburger or two).
(Spoiler!)
The only problem I think with the story is that I didn't really buy that Danes' character would so easily hook up with Phillipe. It was just frustrating because it was hard to believe she would go for the hot guy rather than Igby.
(End Spoiler!)
But aside from that, I think this is one of the best movies I've ever seen about being seventeen and not really knowing what you want but knowing exactly what you don't want. Igby has an incredibly biting sense of humor despite getting himself into a lot of extreme situations and I couldn't stop laughing in some parts even though it was bittersweet. He was a great character. And, like I said, I didn't want it to end.
Felicia aka Fangrrl
P.S. Hope you have fun in China!!!!
