Igby Goes Down is the latest entry in our list of most contentious films, and rings in with a respectable FCQ of 48.08 (Film Contentiousness Quotient — details here).

The film centers on the titular Igby, played with cool disaffect by Kieran Culkin (yup, Macaulay’s brother), who is a rebellious teen from a very wealthy, predictably dysfunctional family. Igby goes to the military, hates his brother, takes drugs, meets women and finally ends up in NYC — throughout it all, we witness his progression from “smug, unlikable bastard” to “smug, unlikable bastard who we’ve come to partially understand”.

Debut director Burr Steer‘s film, and particularly Culkin’s performance, won positive reviews from critics, pretty much without exception. But Criticker users have proven a hard lot to convince — although the reviews seem to tend slightly towards the positive, there are a surprising number of red scores out there. The negatives? Pretentiousness (often a harbinger of “contentiousness”); unlikable characters; too clearly a Holden Caulfield ripoff.

Personally, we loved this film — the performances were great, and even though watching rich kids pout and “rebel” can get old after awhile, Igby Goes Down stayed engaging throughout. We have a feeling you all agree, but perhaps there’s a surprise in store. Decide!

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Here are a couple battling opinions from Criticker users.

mlightle3: “It’s such a solid study of adolescence and rebellion, with a protagonist you’re rooting for, even as he destroys himself. Kieran Culkin needs to make more films, he’s captivating on screen. Go see it before you die.”

FitFortDanga: “Otherwise known as Culkin in the Rye. Sorry, whenever I see one of these movies about spoiled, aimless, unhappy New York prep school kids, I think of Salinger. Lots of funny lines, but ultimately unsatisfying. Igby is likable, but unsympathetic.”

In the last poll, you voted on Chicago, this feature’s second musical in a row. By an extremely narrow margin — you named it GREAT!

And here’s our up-to-date list of the top 10 most contentious films at Criticker:

1. Across the Universe – FCQ 57.75 – Poll Result: GREAT!
2. Eyes Wide Shut – FCQ 57.26 – Poll Result: GREAT!
3. The Rocky Horror Picture Show – FCQ 54.89 – Poll Result: GREAT!
4. Stay – FCQ 51.39 – Poll Result: GREAT!
5. Saw – FCQ 49.86 – Poll Result: TIE!
6. Brotherhood of the Wolf – FCQ 49.54 – Poll Result: GREAT!
7. Dumb & Dumber – FCQ 49.33 – Poll Result: GREAT!
8. The Butterfly Effect – FCQ 49.31 – Poll Result: GREAT!
9. King Kong – FCQ 48.49 – Poll Result: GREAT!
10. Igby Goes Down – FCQ 48.08 – Poll Result: Pending