If Gandhi had hung out with you for any period of time, he would have beat the shit out of you.

Whether be in inference, style or actual portrayal, stereotypically the psychoanalytical basis for most of the diagnosis of Sigmund Freud centered around two things; sex, and mothers.  Separately of course, but the genesis of most peoples quirks and/or problems seem to originate in one of these two areas, according to most who proclaim to be in the know.  In Igby Goes Down, first time director Burr Steers (aka Flock of Seagulls from Pulp Fiction) has tailored a movie that seems to have its basis in this theory.  It is brutally, sometimes painfully honest and full of people with problems, quirks and personality disorders, while giving the aesthetic appearance of all being well.  While unconventional in its delivery,  and pretty much forsaking a progressive plot for a series of situations exposing these characters true insides, Igby is a movie that is both hard to watch, and hard not to.  Thanks to strong performances, headed by Kieran Culkin and Susan Sarandon, but also including Ryan Phillippe, Claire Danes and a surprisingly egotistical Jeff Goldblum, Steers has crafted a story that is high on attitude and wordplay, but slow on pace and convention, which works in its favor in the end.

There isn’t as much a plot to Igby as there is a roadmap showcasing the children and aftereffects of the various forms of destructive mental illnesses.  Parental pressure, depression, narcissism, obsessive compulsive disorder and ambivalence, these are the ingredients in the issue-laden soup that Steers dishes out.  Our protagonist Igby is a self-destructive rebel whose actions don’t reflect indifference as much as they are a cry for help.  During his coming of age years, his material mother worries more about the appearance of things to others than her own family, while his father currently resides in Maryland mental hospital after finally succumbing to the pressures of life.  He is the luckiest member of the cast because he is shielded from the personal ugliness that this story exposes.  Igby’s Stepford brother seems to be the perfect son, but his persona relates the anger and pain in a vain and indifferent way.  Igby has bounced in and out of schools, private, public and military, finally ending up living on his own devices in New York City.  He shacks up in the studio of the mistress of his uber rich godfather D.H, who solves all his problems by throwing money at them.  He falls for a young catering waitress, Sookie, who appears to be more together than she is.  These are all people living on the fringe of life, teetering on the edge trying to keep their balance as the winds of fate and expectation blow at them furiously. They are victims, damaged by the machinations of others, but still trying to survive and keep their head above water any way possible.

While it has been obvious for some time that Kieran got the lion's share of the acting ability in that family, this is and will be his signature role.  As Igby, he explodes on the outside while doing a slow painful burn on the inside, just wanting someone to accept and listen to him.  He is desperate without being anxious, calm and cool, without being cocky.  Great balance from a young actor and great potential abounds for years to come.  He is the main reason to watch the movie and easily upstages the likes of Goldblum's financial egotism, and Sarandon's icy materialistic indifference.  Phillippe seems to shine in roles where his looks and arrogance carry him, and this one is no different. 

These are people damaged by their upbringings, fighting to survive in a relentless and persistent existence.  The nymphomaniac daughter of free thinkers who became a pet project, the son who intentionally and vehemently flies in the face of authority and conventional thinking, the hypocritical god father who seems to have it all figured out with money, but is really no more together than any of them, he just gives the appearance and tries to let money beget happiness

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