Less Than Zero

"It only looks like the good life."

1987 1h 38m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 315

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A college freshman returns to Los Angeles for Christmas at his ex-girlfriend's request, but discovers that his former best friend has an out-of-control drug habit.

“It only looks like the good life.”

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Cast

Andrew McCarthy
Clay
Jami Gertz
Blair
Robert Downey Jr.
Julian
James Spader
Rip
Tony Bill
Bradford Easton
Nicholas Pryor
Benjamin Wells
Donna Mitchell
Elaine Easton
Michael Bowen
Hop

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Marek Kanievska
Writers: Harley Peyton
Languages: German, English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Marek Kanievska, shot by Edward Lachman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter E. Berger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Andrew McCarthy and Jami Gertz and Robert Downey Jr. carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It only looks like the good life.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0093407 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Marek Kanievska directs. Edward Lachman behind the camera. Thomas Newman scores. Peter E. Berger cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in German, English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

139 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, English, Spanish.
3Directed by Marek Kanievska, shot by Edward Lachman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Peter E. Berger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Andrew McCarthy and Jami Gertz and Robert Downey Jr. carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "It only looks like the good life.".
8IMDB entry: tt0093407 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 17 themes, including "based on novel or book", "self-destruction", "drug addiction", "cocaine".

The technical file

Cinematography: Edward Lachman
Original score: Thomas Newman
Editing: Peter E. Berger
Production design: Barbara Ling
Makeup / hair: Adam Christopher
Sound: Gregg Rudloff
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Box office: $12,396,383
Return: 155% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Less Than Zero (1987)

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Marek Kanievska

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What people are saying

Wuchak2018-02-11
★ 6/10
RELEASED IN 1987 and directed by Marek Kanievska, "Less than Zero" is a drama about a trio of rich 18 year-olds from Los Angeles. After graduation, one goes off to college (Andrew McCarthy), but returns for Christmas break wherein he finds his ex-girlfriend (Jami Gertz) and, especially, his buddy (Robert Downey Jr.) struggling with drug addiction in the Beverly Hills fast lane. James Spader plays a smug high society dealer. This is the furthest thing from typical 80’s youth flicks, like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “The Karate Kid,” “Valley Girl,” “Footloose” and “Can’t Buy Me Love” (where there’s, admittedly, a lot of range). “Less than Zero” has the epic, artsy style of Francis Ford Coppola films like “The Outsiders” and “Rumble Fish” (both from 1983) meshed with the chic melancholy of “Poison Ivy” (1992). My main issue is that it takes too long to get absorbed into the characters and their story. The filmmaking is gorgeous, however, which is ironic because this is a really downbeat movie. Gertz is fine, but she never did anything for me, while McCarthy is serviceable as the main protagonist, yet rather bland in a goody-goody way. Both Downey Jr. and Spader, however, de-shine in their roles (in a good way). If you favor arty, glum movies you might like this better than me, but it’s nowhere near as effective as “Poison Ivy,” a similar artsy, gloomy flick. The movie runs 1 hour 38 minutes and was shot in the Los Angeles area, including Malibu. WRITERS: Bret Easton Ellis (novel) and Harley Peyton (screenplay) GRADE: C+

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