"The characters of Igby Goes Down exist in their own little world that has the trappings of perfection and the dark underbelly, both distorted in a way to make them comical. They are physical extensions of their environment, maintaining outward appearances as things are falling apart under the surface. The film is also about the want and need to escape, as the titular main character finds a variety of ways to stay off the path of privilege—on one level as a simple statement of rebellion but on a deeper level because he knows what it does to people and is afraid of suffering the same fate. His existence is comprised of one passive-aggressive action after another. Writer/director Burr Steers balances skewed reality and a pervading humanism to give his characters depth where there would only seem to be caricature. This is Steers’ first film, and already he shows an impressive gift for developing quirky characters and setting in a streamlined fashion, a la wunderkind Wes Anderson. Igby Goes Down is a highly personal look at the effects of living a dysfunctionally privileged lifestyle, and by the end, we only wish we could have spent more time in its world."

Mark's Full Review