Less Than Zero

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Less Than Zero

R

Released Nov 18, 1987

1h 37m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

48%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Clay (Andrew McCarthy) comes home to Los Angeles after his first semester of college and encounters some disturbing developments. His former lover, burgeoning model Blair (Jami Gertz), has begun to abuse cocaine. But her addiction pales in comparison to the drug dependency of her new boyfriend, Julian (Robert Downey Jr.), who's also Clay's childhood buddy. Clay tries to help them get sober, but the process is complicated by Rip (James Spader), a callous dealer Julian is indebted to.

Critics Consensus

A couple of standout performances -- notably Robert Downey, Jr. and James Spader -- and a killer soundtrack can't quite elevate a somewhat superficial adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' story of drugged-out LA rich kids.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Ed Lachman's cinematography is letter perfect as always in its handling of light and color (assisted here by Barbara Ling's flashy production design), but it's a pity to see it wasted on such claptrap.

Feb 27, 2008

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Variety Staff

Variety

Perhaps this wasn't the best subject matter for British director Marek Kanievska (Another Country) to make his American debut. The feel for this distinctly Southern California story escapes him.

Feb 27, 2008

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

A movie that knows cocaine inside out and paints a portrait of drug addiction that is all the more harrowing because it takes place in the Beverly Hills fast lane, in a world of wealth, sex, glamour and helpless self-destruction.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A shallow film.

Rated: C

Aug 16, 2024

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Since the best seller could not be filmed, they opted, skillfully, not to film it. This film is something else entirely. [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 6, 2022

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Jas Keimig

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

It's an interesting spin on the "coming home for the holidays and finding everyone has changed and so have you" trope found in other Christmas films.

Dec 8, 2021

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Maddox G.

Second-best Robert Downey Jr. roles, next to his role in Natural Born Killers Both those roles remind you that RDJ is more than just Iron Man, he’s a brilliant and talented actor

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/21/25

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Keekhan H

My only gripe is it felt a tiny bit rushed, it could have been a bit longer besides that it’s clearly one of the 80s best films.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/08/25

Full Review

mark g

Visually hip, downright stunning cinematography, by far the strongest point of film. Moreover, the film does a great job of conveying the excess of the 1980s party lifestyle a common theme of the author. I am a big Brett Easton Ellis fan and had read the book. This movie is not even close to the darkness or storylines of the book. Downey and Spader carry their roles well. Where the film goes wrong is the casting of McCarthy and Gertz as Clay and Blair. Neither possessed the charisma or acting chops needed here. I also think many storylines of the book should have been included

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/15/24

Full Review

Chris B

I never thought I would say this, but read Roger Ebert's review of Less Than Zero. At a time when every critic in town was bashing that movie, he saw it in a context that would take many- including Brett Easton Ellis, years to come around to.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/01/24

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Jeffrey P

With a soundtrack better than other 80's flicks, this was not as much 80's cringe and cheese as I was expecting. Decent film about addiction that isn't candy coated, has some hard hitting messages despite feeling rushed at times.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/24/24

Full Review

Daniel J

One of the bests performances of Robert, Completely destructive if you associate the life of the character with the life of the actor at the time, great to know that he managed to recover from all addiction and today is about to win an Oscar for his work in Oppenheimer

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/24

Full Review

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Marek Kanievska

Director

Andrew McCarthy

Clay Easton

Jami Gertz

Blair

Robert Downey Jr.

Julian Wells

James Spader

Rip

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Synopsis

Clay (Andrew McCarthy) comes home to Los Angeles after his first semester of college and encounters some disturbing developments. His former lover, burgeoning model Blair (Jami Gertz), has begun to abuse cocaine. But her addiction pales in comparison to the drug dependency of her new boyfriend, Julian (Robert Downey Jr.), who's also Clay's childhood buddy. Clay tries to help them get sober, but the process is complicated by Rip (James Spader), a callous dealer Julian is indebted to.

Director: Marek Kanievska
Producer: Jon Avnet, Jordan Kerner, Marvin Worth
Screenwriter: Harley Peyton
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 18, 1987, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $10.8M
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Surround