55. Less Than Zero
Less Than Zero is based on the novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis. It's a tale of drug use and morality between 3 friends fresh out of high school in the decadent 80s.
The story is decent. It tells the story of 3 friends who have just graduated high school. One moves on to college in New York while the other two stay in California and wind up falling into bed together causing a large rift in the group. The college student stays on the straight and narrow while the others begin a downward descent into drug abuse. Come Christmas time, the student goes home to visit family and gets sucked into the madness surrounding his old friends.
This flick stars 80s luminaries Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz and James Spader. The best performance is Robert Downey Jr's. His turn as the spoiled rich kid who gets in way over his head is just excellent. Seeing the depths he'll sink to to maintain his high is sad. Also a bit ironic, given his own battles with personal demons later in his life. Spader is also solid as the drug dealer/prick. This was the type of role he excelled at at the time and this performance is really just no different. McCarthy and Gertz give it their all but their performances definitely pale in comparison.
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