Igby Goes Down gets thumbs up

Igby Goes Down

Director: Burr Steers

Cast: Kieran Culkin, Ryan Phillippe, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, Jeff Goldblum, Amanda Peet, Bill Pullman

Cert: 18.

An all-star cast manage to pull out some all-star performances in Igby Goes Down.

The film is a reminder of the earlier Ferris Bueller adventures in the big city, but a lot darker, sharper and wittier ... and with the sort of cast a director tosses through a restless night dreaming about: Sarandon, Goldblum, Peet, Phillippe, Danes: any one of them would do.

But the star is, of course, Culkin, the level-headed brother of the ill-starred Macaulay and the one who escaped from the madness created by control-freak father 'Kit' and the break-up of his parents' marriage.

Actually, all of that has made young Kieran a decent human-being and the perfect choice for the role of Igby.

Igby comes from a deliciously dysfunctional family, the stunningly awful Slocumbs - brother (Phillippe) is a sneeringly ambitious jerk; father (Pullman) is in hospital with a nervous breakdown while mother (Sarandon) is a society climber.

His godfather (Goldblum) is a nasty, seedy no-good, while Peet and Danes contribute performances of quality which will further enhance their CVs - and decides to make a break for it, fetching up in the madness that is NYC, with its nutty characters and glorious venality.

The film is full of sharp observations and clever one-liners, and they serve to keep you marching alongside Igby as he makes his journey of self-discovery.

And from Culkin comes a performance of such skill and maturity that it is, somehow, astonishing ... it is a performance to remember for a long time.

Don't miss Igby, it's quite, quite wonderful.

Star Rating: 5/5