Igby Goes Down - 5

This is an interesting film about a rebellious high-schooler who grows up in a weird family and is attempting to be normal. The story doesn't flow very well, jumping from scene to scene sometimes without much connection. The main character, Igby, is trying to figure out what normal is. His family is so dysfunctional that he has to wonder if he is crazy or it is just everyone else around him. The struggle for him as the movie develops is the question: is his family worth loving? And does worth have anything to do with it? This film leaves too much for the viewer to do (viewing films is an active rather than a passive activity, but only up to a point), in thinking about these questions and initiating the conversation, rather than letting the story engage the viewer and draw out their own ideas.