Igby Goes Down

Year: 2002

Runtime: 98 min

Language: English

Director: Burr Steers

Budget: $9M

DramaComedy

Seventeen-year-old Igby Slocumb rejects the privileged lifestyle of his wealthy family, feeling alienated by their dysfunction and superficiality. He leaves behind a mentally unstable father, a self-absorbed mother, and a callous older brother, setting out to forge his own path. Igby’s journey is a darkly comedic exploration of rebellion, identity, and the search for genuine connection in a world that feels profoundly isolating.

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Last Updated: November 15, 2024 at 16:56

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Movies about dysfunctional wealthy families like Igby Goes Down

Rebellious youth confronts the dark secrets and emptiness of privilege.If you liked the biting critique of privilege and family dysfunction in Igby Goes Down, you'll find similar themes in these movies. Discover other stories of rebellious youth confronting the dark secrets and moral emptiness of the upper class.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern centers on a young protagonist, often alienated and intelligent, who becomes a reluctant investigator of their own family's pathology. The plot unfolds through their rebellion, which exposes long-buried secrets (affairs, mental illness, betrayal) and challenges the family's carefully maintained facade, leading to a painful but necessary separation.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their shared focus on wealth as a corrupting force and the specific brand of alienation it breeds. They combine a darkly comedic tone with heavy emotional themes, creating a consistent vibe of cynical observation and tragicomic family collapse.

Bittersweet coming-of-age stories like Igby Goes Down

A heavy coming-of-age story where freedom is earned through painful loss.Fans of Igby Goes Down's heavy emotional journey and bittersweet ending will appreciate these films. Explore movies where young characters undergo painful self-discovery, earning a complex freedom from their traumatic pasts.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a linear but emotionally complex path of a protagonist enduring a series of traumatic events and betrayals. The climax often involves a final, painful separation from their source of trauma (like a family), leading to an escape or new beginning. However, this resolution is bittersweet, acknowledging the high cost of their freedom and the lasting emotional damage.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread share a specific emotional arc: a heavy, sometimes melancholic tone, a steady pacing that builds emotional weight, and a conclusively bittersweet ending where survival comes at a price. The focus is on the raw, unglamorous process of escaping a damaging environment.

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Igby Goes Down Summary

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More About Igby Goes Down

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