Corrupción en Beverly Hills

I'll start saying that I haven't been in LA at that time and I didn't read the novel, so my impressions are of someone just watching the movie.

I was moved by Robert Downey Jr. Performance, it definitely raised this movie above what it was on its own.

The very ending really bothered me though, it felt silly, unrealistic and forced. It was quite disappointing and I felt like it ruined the story. I could see what happened coming it's only that how it happens is just stupid and a bit ridiculous.

Still, I enjoyed the movie, it kept me interested throughout and again, Downey's performance was heart breaking.

They tried to make Less than zero into a movie, but they had to censor some parts, probably too hard for the movie. But the success of the novel was the traumatizing things that happened to Clay and his friends, and if you censorship that in order to make a 'watchable' movie, you are going to fail.

Let's remember that in the novel there are the rape of a twelve year old, a pimp injecting heroin into Julian's arm, and a dead boy of an overdose in an alley. You lose all that in the movie by censuring it. And I'm not defending the horrible things that happened in the book, I'm just saying that Less than zero was kinda of a morbid reading.

Another thing they ignored (and it couldn't be because of censorship) was the ad that said 'DISSAPPEAR HERE', that constantly followed Clay through the city.

I lived in L.A. in the Eighties and remember the club scene with a chill. From Eddie Nash's joint on Hollywood Blvd[The Seven Seas] to Club Lingerie to the small venues in Long Beach and Orange County, this movie catches the ennui like a manic firefly in a jar. From the 'powder' in the ladies' room to casual sex, it shows it as it was--callow and shallow and a line/hit away from degradation and death.

It's heart-breaking to watch Robert Downey Jr.'s character surrender his dignity to a free base pipe. Other posts complain about the James Spader's performance, but he was dead on. Pushers are not nice people. This is an early cinematic example of truth about the nature of drug addiction. Are you frightened? NOT FRIGHTENED ENOUGH!

Scare yourself straight tonight. Watch 'Drugstore Cowboy', 'Less than Zero', and 'Rush'.

Here's hoping that Robert Downey Jr.'s talent will not be eclipsed by his addiction. He's an amazing actor. ['Chaplin' & 'Restoration' alone earned him a place in cinematic history.]

Having lived right in Hollywood and been addicted to crack myself I am impressed by how darn true it really is. Sure, the acting may lack and the directing could be better... I remember watching this in '87 when I was in high school and an innocent young girl. After watching this again (and being drug free for 2 years now) I am floored at how close to reality this film is. It is stylized, but it is a film after all. The desperation, the loneliness, the hopelessness, all were captured and imprinted on film. Until you have walked the walk and talked the talk this film may be cheesy to you. Once you've walked down those same streets (literally!) this film is a reminder to me of what can happen if I make those same choices again. I laughed and I cried.

What saddens me most is that hindsight is 20/20 for Mr Downey. I've read that he allegedly WAS high and using during the filming.

A college freshman (Andrew McCarthy) returns to L.A. for the holidays at his ex-girlfriend (Jami Gertz)'s request, but discovers that his former best friend (Robert Downey) has an out-of-control drug habit.

Writer Bret Easton Ellis hated the film initially but his view of it later softened. He insists that the film bears no resemblance to his novel and felt that it was miscast with the exceptions of Downey and James Spader. There really is no argument that Downey as a drug addict was a great piece of casting and this film somewhat foreshadows his downfall in the late 1980s / early 1990s.

Hearing the production stories, it's interesting the film was pulled off at all. New scenes had to be shot, some scenes were cut. It seems like the crew was switched out part-way through. The finished product is far from a masterpiece, but it is still a good film, and has an even better pedigree now (2017) given the success of its main actors.