The first Robert Downey Jr. Christmas movie is actually pretty tough to watch, especially if you're a fan of the actor. In Less Than Zero, Downey plays Julien, a rich kid from Beverly Hills with a serous drug problem. Downey has since credited the role with leading him down the path of being a serious addict, but more on that later. However, it was his first major dramatic role after working in comedies like Back to School or Weird Science (following a brief stint on SNL), and it made people take notice of him as a serious actor. Alongside Andrew McCarthy and Jami Gertz, the trio of actors capture a slice of 80's Los Angeles that is nostalgic without becoming a parody of the decade. But Downey stands head and shoulders above the rest of the cast, including James Spader, as an addict unable to stop his life form spinning out of control. You cannot help but wonder where the line between fiction and reality blurs, but as an addict, Downey's Julien is scarily accurate. He lies, steals, bargains, promises and cajoles. He battles his addiction, but relents in the face of pressure from his dealer and succumbs to the addict's ultimate fate in the end.
If you haven't seen it, I recommend it highly as the first half of a Very Robert Downey Jr. Christmas. And for the second half? You'll find out tomorrow.
View the original article here
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
Co-starring with Val Kilmer, Downey is perfectly cast as Harry Lockhart, a petty criminal who literally stumbles upon the acting opportunity of his life. Flown from New York to Los Angeles, he tags along with Kilmer's private eye Gay Perry in an attempt to study for his upcoming audition. What follows is murder, mystery, long lost loves and laugh out loud one-liners. Downey and Kilmer play beautifully off each other as they try to stay one step ahead of the criminals while they try to figure out how to work with each other before they get killed. They're not the good cop/bad cop type of team, as Kilmer calls them, they're fag and New Yorker. The jokes fly as fast as the bullets but the real pleasure simply comes from watching Harry slowly frustrate to Gay Perry to profanity laced outbursts. Michelle Monaghan also co-stars as Harmony, Harry's childhood love who has become an out of work actress in Hollywood and crosses paths with Harry and Perry, enlisting their help in her own adventures. While the three actors have great chemistry with each other, again it is Downey who carries the film and as many dramatic notes as he hits in Less Than Zero, he is flat out hilarious in this picture, narrating the film, talking directly to the audience, apologizing for his bad narrating then maintaining the entire flow within the scene. Critics hailed his performance as one of the best of his career and rumors of a sequel have been floating around even recently on Twitter. But the movie stands alone as an underrated film that my friends and I love to use as a barometer of other people's humor.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the perfect way to end your Very Robert Downey Jr. Christmas because it ends on a note of optimism. Like Harry says, it was just last Christmas that he and Harmony changed the world. And the sight of Michelle Monaghan running around in a Santa one piece certainly help to make it a happy holiday.