Less Than Zero (1987)
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The story
Clay Easton, a strait-laced college freshman from the East Coast, returns to Los Angeles for Christmas to find his life has changed significantly. His high school girlfriend, Blair, has become a cocaine addict and is involved with his former best friend, Julian Wells. Julian's life has collapsed following the failure of his startup record company, leaving him homeless, addicted to drugs, and in debt to a former classmate named Rip. As Clay attempts to navigate these fractured relationships, Julian's situation becomes increasingly volatile, forcing Clay to confront the harsh reality of the wealthy, decadent youth culture in Los Angeles.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Clay Easton, a strait-laced college freshman, returns to Los Angeles for Christmas to find his high school girlfriend Blair addicted to cocaine and involved with his best friend Julian Wells. Julian, whose startup failed, is homeless and owes $50,000 to a dealer named Rip. Because Julian cannot pay the debt, Rip forces him into prostitution. After a night of overdose, Julian attempts to seek sobriety from his father, but Rip lures him to a Christmas party for affluent gay men in Palm Springs. Clay rescues Julian from a violent confrontation with Rip and his henchman. The three escape into the desert, but Julian dies of heart failure in the car the next morning. Following the funeral, Clay and Blair decide to leave for the East Coast together. The film concludes with a snapshot of the three friends at their graduation, a time when they were still happy together.
- First release year
- 1987
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Marek Kanievska
- Writers
- Harley Peyton · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Andrew McCarthy · Clay Easton; Jami Gertz · Blair; Robert Downey Jr. · Julian Wells; James Spader · Rip; Nicholas Pryor · Benjamin Wells; Tony Bill · Bradford Easton; Donna Mitchell · Elaine Easton; Michael Bowen · Hop/Bill
- Genres
- drama; crime; LGBTQ-related
- Themes
- drug addiction; decadence; emotional detachment; youth culture
- Tone and mood
- depressing; sentimental; harsh; cynical
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; substance abuse; homelessness; male prostitution
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1985 novel by Bret Easton Ellis
- Content notes
- bisexuality; drug use
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising the performances of Robert Downey Jr. and James Spader while others found it superficial or sanitized. It was eventually recognized for its portrayal of 1980s youth culture.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 50% · review count: 30; Metacritic · score: 48 · scale: 100 · review count: 13; CinemaScore · score: C+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs · Nominated · 2004 · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was voted the 22nd best film set in Los Angeles in the last 25 years by a group of Los Angeles Times writers and editors in 2008.; The Red Hot Chili Peppers were in the film, but the studio cut around them being bare-chested.; The studio changed the main character, Clay, because they felt he was too passive in the original novel.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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