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| Twentieth Century Fox | Release Date: November 6, 1987 |
Starring:
Andrew McCarthy, Donna Mitchell, James Spader, Jami Gertz, Lisanne Falk, Michael Bowen, Nicholas Pryor, Robert Downey Jr., Sarah Buxton, Tony Bill
Summary:
A college kid (Andrew McCarthy) returns to Beverly Hills for the holidays at his ex-girlfriend's (Jami Gertz) request, but he discovers that his old best friend (Robert Downey Jr.) has an out-of-control drug habit and has become beholden to some really bad dudes. (James Spader et al) Great soundtrack includes tracks by L.L. Cool J. and Poison.
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At heart, the film version of Less Than Zero is deeply conventional, with its underlying notion that these young people's lives are ruined because their rich parents neglect them. However, Mr. Kanievska gives it a superficial stylishness that is quite spectacular; every scene revolves around one ingeniously bizarre touch or another (the lighting effects are especially dazzling), and the cumulative effect is as striking as it means to be.
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The film glamorizes drug use as much as it condemns it, and the world in which the film is set-Beverly Hills and Malibu-is terminally boring. [6 Nov 1987, p.41]
Marek Kanievska (Another Country) directs with relentlessly fancy visuals in a series of opulent southern California settings; Ed Lachman's cinematography is letter perfect as always in its handling of light and color (assisted here by Barbara Ling's flashy production design), but it's a pity to see it wasted on such claptrap.
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Only Downey elicits the kind of sympathy to distinguish this drama from a photojournalist essay of the kind that might run in Vanity Fair. Of the secondary roles, James Spader as Downey’s pusher is terrifically smarmy. Unfortunately, this sick relationship doesn’t become involving until the last third of the film, when Downey really begins to fall apart and is forced into male whoring to pay his drug debts. Visually the picture is a treat.
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My advice to moviegoers: Just say no. [16 Nov 1987, p.108]
Jun 30, 2023
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Nov 12, 2021
Great performances from Downey Jr and McCarthy. Considering the fluff that passed as filmmaking in the late 80s, this is a stand-out.
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