Igby Goes Down

This uneven black comedy, in which a poor little rich boy struggles towards manhood, makes more sense once you know writer/director Steers played the snippy nightclub doorkeeper in Whit Stillman's The Last Days of Disco. Despite tantalising rumours, there's been nothing new from US cinema's finest living screenwriter in the last five years. Still, this may tide admirers over until the real thing comes along. It's pure Stillman territory, i.e. the fanciest corners of Manhattan. Traversing the not so mean streets is 17-year-old Jason 'Igby' Slocumb Jr (Culkin). Very much the black sheep of his over-achieving, neurotic family, Igby runs away from military academy in search of offbeat adventures and romance. Yes, it's The Catcher in the Rye all over again - with generous helpings of Rushmore, The Graduate, Bret Easton Ellis and The Ice Storm. Igby never reaches those heights, mainly because Steers lacks the ear for sharp dialogue needed to carry off his characters' tricky banter. His directorial contributions, meanwhile, veer erratically from the fresh and bold to the tired and unexceptional, though he does elicit some terrific performances.