Less Than Zero (1987)

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

Director:

Marek Kanievska

Writers:

Bret Easton Ellis (novel), Harley Peyton (screenplay)

Stars:

Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz, Robert Downey Jr.

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Sarah Buxton	...	Markie
Lisanne Falk	...	Patti
Michael Greene	...	Robert Wells
Neith Hunter	...	Alana
Afton Smith	...	Kim
Brian Wimmer	...	Trent
Kelly Wolf	...	Lile

Storyline

Clay, an eighteen-year-old freshman, comes back from his first term at Princeton to spend his Christmas vacation with his broken-up wealthy family in Los Angeles. His former girlfriend, Blair, is now involved with his ex-best-friend, Julian. She warns Clay that Julian needs help: he is using a lot of cocaine and has huge debts. What follows is a look at the youth culture of wealthy post adolescents in Beverly Hills with a strong anti-drug message. Apart from the setting and the names, the film has very little to do with Bret Easton Ellis's book by the same title on which it was based.

---

Plot Keywords:

drugs | drug addict | self destructiveness | twenty something | loyalty | 

---

Taglines:

It only looks like the good life.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

6 November 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Corrupción en Beverly Hills

Filming Locations:

2138 Micheltorena St, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,008,987, 8 November 1987, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$12,396,383

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Amercent Films, American Entertainment Partners L.P.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite the rough experience of the shoot, Robert Downey Jr. considers this movie to be one of his all time favorite movies of his own, citing his performance of Julian Wells as "the ghost of Christmas Future," to his personal life.

---

Goofs

A camera man is seen when Blaire is in the broken in loft. The camera man is in bottom left corner of the window.

---

Quotes

Clay: You OK?
Blair: It's the cocaine... too much speed or something.
Clay: That's a relief.
Blair: What?
Clay: Well, you're fucked up, you look like shit, but hey no problem, all you need is a better cut of cocaine.

---

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Made in Heaven/Less Than Zero/Hello Again/Russkies/Hiding Out (1987)

---

Soundtracks

Psychotic Reaction
Words & Music by Ken Ellner (as Ellena), Roy Chaney (as Chaney), Craig Atkinson (as Atkinson), Sean Byrne (as Byrne) and John Michalski (as Michalski)
Performed by Count Five
Courtesy of Hot Shot Records

User Reviews

no white lies here

I can't say Less Than Zero is a good movie. I can't say that it's even got good performances. However. If you have EVER been curious, or currently are curious about using cocaine, I encourage you strongly to watch this movie. There is 90 percent chance or higher that you will not want to use it after watching this. I was 13 years old when I watched this, and wow, did it scare the crap out of me. The ending was a bit sad, but this is true to real life events then could happen, so the script demands that it be taken seriously, no matter how bad this film has aged. Again, if you've ever been curious about using cocaine, this movie will prevent you from using it. I can bet my 401k on it. Enjoy,