Less Than Zero

Ok, so it might be someone else's film title, but this is one of the essential 80s brat flicks and concerns the said heading in every aspect. Let's get the rubbish out of the way. The plot is twiddled with until it barely resembles the book. A lot of Ellis' humour gets lost in translation. Blair is a brunette unlike her published blonde doppelganger. Hmmm.
That said, Less Than Zero is probably the one film that epitomises the 80s like no other for me. The opening shots, with the Bangles brilliant cover of 'Hazy Shade...' clanging in the background, still invites chills.
Others have written the plot succintly, so I will say that if you want a cold, clinical, no exit look at being a rich, bored teen in LA, search no further. Blair (Jamie Gertz)is deliciously confused, drugged and flakey, and Clay, the solid rock in the middle of his friends' breakdowns is perfectly cast in a youthful Andrew McCarthy. Top honours go to Robert Downey Jnr, spookily playing out his own future as the drug addled Julian with frenetic highs and lows, insincere to himself and broken to his mates, and James Spader as the vile pimp and dealer Rip.
Wonderfully photographed by Edward Lachman, it's simultaneously lush and sparse. If the end scenes don't get you sobbing into a pillow, then take that stone out of your chest and get a heart. Less Than Zero has been unfairly mauled by many, but it stands up today as a film with much more going for it than you may think. For starters, it may be one of the only teen flicks that doesn't make you howl/cringe because of ropey dialogue and cheeseball disco moments. Its 'drugs message' is played out minus politics and simply invites you take a journey with the characters. Death, it seems to say, is inevitable for everyone, some just go a little faster.
Less Than Zero is sexy, frank and troubled. There could not have been a better antithesis to the whizz bang makeover! of other 80s teen films (John Hughes take note!). Helped by a storming soundtrack, this one should be in your collection somewhere.

Two words apply to this movie: Robert Downey. He gives an incredible performance as Julian a drug addicted pal of two old high school friends. Its astonishing to me that he wasnt at least nominated for an Academy Award. Downeys performance is beyond convincing, it will literally send chills down your spine.

See it for Robert Downey, it is truly his finest hour.

Perhaps the movie looked better than it was. Maybe the book was better than the film. It could be that there was just something missing.

All told, I wanted to like this film, a lot. All of the pieces are there for a good movie: compelling story line, sympathetic characters, interesting twists. For some reason, however, I was left feeling like something was missing. I just wanted more and I didn't get it.

The movie is not a feel good movie or a preachy movie (although it tries to do so with its drug message), but it does have some great things going for it. The music was excellent, Robert Downey Jr. is very good, and some of the cinematography (especially the last few minutes of the film) was inspired.

Still, you can't overlook some of the problems. The acting is simply uneven. Andrew McCarthy looks as though he is interviewing for a stuffy banking position. The relationship between Julian and his father is never really played out. Rip's henchman looks like a California surfer with an attitude problem, not a bouncer type that is out to do no good. The movie all but says that if you are 18, white, and live in Beverly Hills, your main entertainment venue is snorting cocaine.

For me, this film was truly a love/hate relationship. I simply wanted more to love and less to hate.