Less Than Zero

View Date: 3/12/10

This movie, based on a Bret Easton Ellis novel, is about a trio of friends from Los Angeles during their first year after high school graduation. Clay, played by Andrew McCarthy, comes home from college at Thanksgiving to find that his best friend had started a relationship with his girlfriend. At Christmas break, Clay's ex-girlfriend Blair, played by Jamie Gertz, asks Clay's help dealing with their friend Julian, as portrayed by Robert Downey, Jr. Julian had developed a major drug problem, and was in major debt to his drug dealer.

The casting in this movie was perfect, probably more perfect than the casting director knew at the time. Robert Downey, Jr. was completely wasted as he was filming this movie, which is exactly his character. Andrew McCarthy has always played the good guy friend well, and this time is no different. But the most perfect casting was James Spader as the sleazy drug dealer.

I think if I had seen this closer to the time of its release, I probably wouldn't have appreciated it as much. But seeing Robert Downey, Jr. totally out of his head and knowing he was really like that, then seeing him clean now, really helps me see the irony. I thought the movie was very well done, and appropriately showed the dangers of drug use.

10 words or less: A drug addict playing a drug addict- a powerful sight.