Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant
Review: It is a stunning, heartbreaking film with excellent performances by the extremely talented and attractive Andrew McCarthy, James Spader and Jami Gertz, not to mention one of Robert Downey Jr.'s finest and most tragic performances as a charming, intelligent but hopelessly addicted crack addict.
Rating:
Summary: For all those Who Wondered About Life Imitating Art
Review: The movie rocked for it's time period! I grew up in the 80's - and I've hung out some in LA. I thought it did a nice job of showcasing a particular 'social class' of the day! I could even draw parallels between people I knew in Austin in the 80's and the characters in the film (minus the fat pocket books :-) I Fail to see why folks seem to want to rate this particular flick as bad because it did not follow the book - what movie does? You can't possibly be true to a book in one and a half to two hours or so. Rate the movie without stressing over the paperback. Yes, the book was awesome, I would highly recommend reading it. At the time it came out the author was widely praised, for being a relative unknown (first novel if I recall correctly). But see the movie as well! The acting may not be completely up to par at times, but in my humble opinion the movie itself more than makes up for this. This is a wonderfully entertaining tale of youthful excess at a time of comming of age. In a way it is kind of what you'd expect to get if the tv series 90210 and the movie Sid and Nancy had a baby (just watch it and you'll see what I mean :-). As an aside, I've seen a lot of comments regarding Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of Julian and his current woes - and, if I'm not mistaken, I seem to recall an interview somewhere way back when where he stated that in order to 'get into the part' he went out and did every drug he could get his hands on; and that that is when and where he developed his habit. Talk about a commitment to playing a part! Whether this is fact or fiction, he does one helluva convincing job portraying a seriously addicted/strung out junkie! I would have to agree with those who say they feel that Downey and Spader 'steal the show'. They both do great jobs. As for Andrew. . . well I think he did a more than adequate role of portraying the guy who probably dabbled in partying during high school and then ran off to college and tried to 'go straight'. Also, for those that would dis the movie based on the fact they feel that kids that age wouldn't shop where they did or drive classic corvettes - lets not forget these kids parents were apparently (thought the movie really never shows us their bank statements) Beverly Hills movers and shakers. I knew plenty of rich kids who drove fancey sports cars - IN High School. Anyway, to sum up; taken at face value, (and in my own humble opinion)this movie gets three thumbs up from me :-) (please direct all flames to /dev/null :-)
Rating: 
Summary: bah!
Review: i consider "less than zero" unfilmable in the sense that the novel was so emotionally powerful/well written for me that no film could live up to it. however, i did have actually a lot of hope for this film. i wanted to enjoy it. but what we have here is an excercise in pointlessness, more bumbiling than one can even imagine. i guess the film's purpose is to show: A. the powers of drug addiction on people B. the emptiness of our culture. but what i actually got out of this was: A. the powers of drug addiction as portrayed through horrible diolouge B. the emptiness of our culture through monotinous scenes but all is not lost. Robert Downey Jr.'s performance is actually quite good, however most of the rest of the film is, as i said previously, monotinous and bumbiling.
Rating: 
Summary: Foreshadowing . . . who knew?
Review: For the record, I haven't read the book. However, I saw this movie in the theaters back in the day, saw it again on video, and would likely purchase it were it made available on DVD. During the Eighties, we saw the Brat Pack rotated in and out of The Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful, Pretty in Pink, and Less Than Zero. The latter was one of the darkest of the time, and marked something of a departure from the happy, or at least bittersweet, endings of the trials and tribulations of young adults on the cusp of transitions. Less Than Zero, despite its shortcomings, has a certain amount of value for that alone; if one is collecting the spectrum of movies from this particular cluster of performers, Less Than Zero is a must-have for the bleak end. Spader and McCarthy turn in solid performances, Gertz is a forgettable weak link, but Downey was the real standout. Critics of the film version who complain that the focus of the movie shifted heavily to Julian as opposed to the character focus in the novel . . . perhaps it's just because Downey was a talent not to be wasted. I have no idea if it was a true situation in his life at the time or not, but the performance is powerful regardless, and especially poignant in hindsight. Perhaps the book is better, I haven't made the comparison, but . . . in a way, that seems such a pat comment to make. Books frequently have the perception of being better than the subsequent movies simply because the movies never match our mind's eye vision of the characters and places. For my money, if for Downey's performance alone, it is worth watching and is a necessary component of any Eighties genre completist's collection.
Rating:
Summary: it's gRRRRRReat!! this movie is fantastic!!
Review: this movie is soo good!! i recamend it to everyone!! this movie is soo great, i can't even put it in words!! but i will try, this movie is heart warming,touching,true,suspenseful,wonderful,fun,and EXCELLENT!! if you like suspencful,thrilling,wonderful movies, you WILL buy it!! pleease, if you don't you're missing out on a lot. plus Robert Downey Jr. is a HOT BABE!! ENJOY!!
Rating: 
Summary: Boring, pointless 80's movie...
Review: about cocaine-addicted, california trust fund babies and the horrors that they must endure when they have to try and live life on their own. Stilted, ineffective dialog and characters with the depth of an ashtray do very little to impress us in this film. Inexplicably, I cannot find a single twinge of identification with the spoiled, overindulged rich kids in this film. They remind me of the pompous priveleged teenagers that I've met who persist in their mistaken belief that boredom plus too much money equals existential torment. While watching this film, you want to take all of the characters by the collar, shake them, smack them around a bit and tell them to get a life. A definite pass...
Rating:
Summary: tha sheeot
Review: A nihilistic infused, downward spiral - ala NIN undercurrent type movie this is - Yoda anyone. But seriously, Rob is so awesome in this movie, look at the burns on his lips (yeah i know, that wasn't his talent producing that response) and his heartwrenchingly desperate desire to give up on being a drug addict at the very end with that scene with his dad, yet alas my friend, it was too late - did he die of myocardial malfunction, yeah i think he did. What about Spader as the product of the underbelly of beverly hills education? = he likes to evaporate and sell the old coca cola everyone! I know people beotch about the movie not being up to par with the book and deviating from its faithfulness. Of course these people have heard of the argument of keeping book separate from movie since book is always more meaningful and worthwhile, so no friggin Duh, I haven't read the book but im sure it rocks all over the movie, but for this deeply textured, tightening movie i give five stars because i judge it on its own merits. Dance scenese like a former homey said are kewl and long live the freakin bangles - ll cool j's song is kewl too, jamie gertz is a babe, and andrew mcarthey mouth just moves so sensuously in jamie gertz modeling room - I love that! check it out ya'll.
Rating:
Summary: WORSE THAN BAD
Review: It's unfortunate that I can't give this film "less than 1" star. I remember seeing it in 1987 when it came out and was furious that I shelled out money to see this mess. I thought that a viewing on video 12 years later might help me appreciate it but it did'nt. The problems begin with a warped, unrealistic look at "life in the fast lane" 80's style and continue with insipid performances by Andrew McCarthy and (especially) Jami Gertz (what happened to her anyway ???). Most of the publicity surrounded Robert Downey Jr's performance, which for a time was considered brilliant. Now we know he was merely playing himself, which makes his character Julian all the more pathetic. Only James Spader, as Rip (and where did that name come from??)is suitably effective..although he looks far too young for the part.
Rating:
Summary: a great showcase for Robert Downey Jr.'s talents
Review: I haven't yet read the novel, but I have heard of all the lashings both critics and Bret Easton Ellis alike have thrown at the film version of "Less Than Zero." It's nothing new when Hollywood takes liberties with a good book (Kubrick's hack-job with "The Shining" is an ideal example), and very rarely do adaptations hit the screen flawlessly. Well, that being said, I must say that "Less Than Zero" is one of my favorite movies at the moment, not because of its commitment to the source material but as an affecting tale of addiction among the jaded and ruined of the L.A. club scene circa 1987. Clay (Andrew McCarthy) returns home for Christmas to see his friends Blair and Julian (Jami Gertz & Downey, Jr.) and finds them immersed in the ruins of drugged-out living. The movie is basically his attempts to tag after and save Julian from himself before he--duh--gets in too deep. The recent troubles in Robert Downey Jr.'s personal life make his portrayal of the drugged-out Julian all the more resonant and convincing. "Less Than Zero" is really his movie, and he shines in spite of the grunge his character is pulled through. Andrew McCarthy is well-cast as the heroic, boyishly handsome Clay. Jami Gertz does well, but her appeal as a sex symbol must have lived and died in the 1980s: she shows capable acting ability, but it's hard to watch her monstrous facial expressions. In a supporting role, James Spader is typically excellent as a sleazy drug dealer. Some have said the film is hollow and lacks the spirit of Ellis' novel, but I'm not in a position to say. Judging "Less Than Zero" only by the movie alone, I would have to reply with nothing but enthusiasm. It's a drama that doesn't manipulatively pull at the viewer's heartstrings with cliche, but instead is honest about its subject and as a result, more genuine.
Rating:
Summary: Less than Zero gets an eleven
Review: Reviews written by people who didnt grow up in the 80s cant reflect truly, the depth in which we all fell into these movies. The movies of the 80s were our guidelines for how to live or in this case how not to. None of my friends went to the lengths Julian goes but then again I didnt grow up in LA. But we could all relate to the movie becuase back when we innocently drank stolen liquor from mom and dads liquor cabinet and got drunk on a 6 pack, we all had that friend who went too far every time. We all had a Julian. That is the beauty of this movie. The loyalty of true friendship and the lengths we would go to in order to protect or help. But for entertainment, the movies of the 80s with the brat packers we love to hate, are our ancestors. We love Rob Lowe and Demi even now. And as geeky as Andrew was/is, the McCarthy era was alive and well then and now as we can relive our adolescence on video. And how cool was that car? :-) AWESOME ON THE KELLY METER. Age 30 adn a true Reaganite movie fan. Own them all.
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