Recent PostsLess Than Zero
Directed by
Marek Kanievska
Produced by
Jon Avnet
Jordan Kerner
Marvin Worth
Written by
Harley Peyton (screenplay)
Bret Easton Ellis (novel)
Starring
Andrew McCarthy
Jami Gertz
Robert Downey Jr.
James Spader
Music by
Thomas Newman
Cinematography
Edward Lachman
Editing by
Michael Tronick
Distributed by
20th Century Fox
Release date(s)
November 8, 1987
Running time
98 minutes
Language
English
Gross revenue
$12,396,383 (USA)
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile
Less Than Zero is a 1987 film based on the novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis. It stars Andrew McCarthy a college freshman returning home for Christmas to find his ex-girlfriend (Jami Gertz) has been having sex with his high school friend who is also a junkie (Robert Downey Jr.) and being hassled by his dealer (James Spader) to whom he owes money. The movie presents a look at the culture of wealthy youth in Los Angeles and has a strong anti-drug message.
Less Than Zero received mixed reviews among critics. Ellis hated the film initially but his view of it has softened in recent years. However, he insists that the film bears no resemblance to his novel and felt that it was miscast with the exceptions of Downey and Spader.
Contents
- 1 Plot
- 2 Departures from the book
- 3 Production
- 4 Reception
- 5 Soundtrack
- 6 References
- 7 External links
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Plot
Clay (McCarthy) is a college freshman who returns home to Los Angeles, California, for Christmas, and finds things to be a bit of a mess. His ex-girlfriend Blair (Gertz) has been having sex with his high school friend, the drug-addicted Julian (Downey), who is being hassled by his dealer, Rip (Spader), for the $50,000 he owes. What follows is Clay’s effort to help clean up Julian.
Departures from the book
The movie focused on a strong anti-drug message, something that never existed in the novel, rather than the emptiness of the characters’ lives as displayed in the novel.
Also, in the book, Clay must decide whether he wants to continue his relationship with Blair, while in the movie they have already broken up and Blair is now involved with Julian. Though Blair called him while he was back east, Clay seems to have given up on both of them. It is after the scene when Clay is swimming that Clay appears to have decided to re-involve himself with Blair and Julian, while in the book he seems uncertain he wants to continue with her the whole time, even saying at one point that he never loved Blair. Also, in the film, Clay is determined to clean up Julian’s drug abuse and debts, but in the book Julian’s behavior only seems to disillusion Clay with the people in Los Angeles even more. In addition, many of the characters in the movie never existed in the book.
Other minor changes include: Clay and Julian are not blonde and tan like they were in the novel. Rip is Julian’s dealer in the movie, when in the book Rip was Clay’s dealer (Clay was a frequent drug user in the book) and Julian is a dealer himself but is also indebted to a dealer named Finn; in the book, Clay goes both ways sexually and romantically, while in the movie, he’s strictly hetero, and Clay’s friend Trent, who was a major character in the novel, has a greatly reduced role in the movie.
Many important, plot-bearing scenes from the book were also removed in the translation to film. These removals are arguably the most obvious strays from Easton Ellis’ novel. Of these are: a very profound scene describing in great detail (to show the importance, contrary to the rest of the novel’s loose details) Clay and Blair running over a coyote and Clay seeing it die; a scene where Clay and friends see a dead body in an alley, which helped show how exposed to the world the teenagers were at such a young age; and the famous final scene where a 12-year-old girl is tied to a bed and raped in Rip’s apartment.
Production
Ellis’ book was originally optioned by producer Marvin Worth for $7,500 before is publication in June 1985 with the understanding that 20th Century Fox would finance it.”
20th Century Fox assigned the film to producers Jon Avnet who had made Risky Business. He felt that Cristofer’s script was “so depressing and degrading.”
Harley Peyton was hired to write the script and completed three drafts.
At an early test screening, the studio recruited an audience between the ages of 15 and 24; they hated Robert Downey Jr.’s character.
Reception
Less Than Zero opened on November 8, 1987 in 871 theaters and made US$3 million. It went on to gross $12 million in North America.
The film has had mixed reviews among critics. It currently has a rating of 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote, “Mr. Downey gives a performance that is desperate moving, with the kind of emotion that comes as a real surprise in these surroundings.”
Upon its initial release, Ellis hated the film but has gotten very sentimental about it in recent years.
Soundtrack
Produced by Rick Rubin, the original motion picture soundtrack includes songs by Aerosmith, The Count Five, Glenn Danzig & the Power and Fury Orchestra, Natural Athlete (WAFM Detroit), Joan Jett, Roy Orbison, Poison, Public Enemy (“Bring the Noise”), Run DMC and Slayer. Two singles from the soundtrack reached the Billboard Hot 100: The Bangles with their remake of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Hazy Shade of Winter” at No. 2 and LL Cool J’s “Going Back to Cali” at No. 31. Thomas Newman’s original score, however, remains unavailable (except as heard in the film itself).
The Red Hot Chili Peppers were featured in a scene of this movie, playing “Fight Like A Brave”.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Harmetz, Aljean. “Sanitizing A Novel for the Screen”, New York Times, November 18, 1987.
- ^ Crimeen, Bob. “Death in the Fast Lane – Hollywood Home Truths”, Daily Telegraph, December 31, 1987.
- ^ “Less Than Zero“, Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2007-12-13.
- ^ Maslin, Janet. “Less Than Zero, Young Lives“, New York Times, November 6, 1987. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
- ^ Kempley, Rita. “Zero: Paying Through the Nose”, Washington Post, November 6, 1987.
- ^ Ansen, David. “Down and Out in Gucci and Gomorrah”, Newsweek, November 16, 1987.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. “Less Than Zero“, Chicago Sun-Times, November 6, 1987. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ a b “Bret Easton Ellis Interview”, HillZoo.com, September 20, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
External links
- Less Than Zero at the Internet Movie Database
- Less Than Zero at Allmovie
- Less Than Zero at Rotten Tomatoes
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Less_Than_Zero_%28film%29”
Categories: 1987 films | Coming-of-age films | Crime drama films | Drug-related films | Romantic drama films | Films based on fiction books | Films based on romance books | Films set in Los Angeles, California | 20th Century Fox films