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OK so it has been a LONG time since I have written anything. In my own defense…hmmm…let’s see…I think I last checked on here during my last semester of classes…then I had my graduation ceremony…then I had to still finish my internship…take a couple of board exams during all of that…so yes, I think I will not be too hard on myself for not keeping up over the last 6 months or so…maybe…

 

Back to Less Than Zero.

I had not watched it since it was first available for rental…probably. Still a teen. I was kind of anxious about seeing it again. I loved it then. What if I didn’t like it now? I’m a different person now (maybe)? What if I see that it was actually completely stupid?

And I remember it was very sad…

I asked my friend/hair dresser…did she remember it? Had she seen it recently…again…as an adult? She said she indeed had seen it more recently…again…as an adult. And she described it as “disturbing”. As in, it still had an uncomfortable impact on her…that kind of “disturbing”…the upsetting kind, not the stupid kind…

I was also avoiding sad, painful and intense sorts of entertainment. I was trying to be “cheery”.

But I was trying to catch up and watch Robert Downey Jr’s movies (explained previously in the blog).

And maybe it really was stupid and I had nothing to worry about.

If you haven’t seen Less Than Zero, you should do so now. Then come back to read the rest.

********SPOILERS**********

Robert Downey Jr is definitely the scene stealer. Actually, no. He just steals the entire movie from the wonderful Andrew McCarthy and Jamie Gertz. In fact, since I was also avoiding entertainment that was “romantic”, I ended up forwarding through all of Gertz/McCarthy love/sex scenes. It really wasn’t important to me. And honestly, those scenes didn’t seem necessary at all.

And I do have to say that when I first watched the movie many years ago, James Spader’s character scared the hell out of me and I did not like him at all (as was the point of the drug dealer character). He is cold, mean, and FANTASTIC.

But it was all about Robert Downey’s character, Julian.

As I watched, the memories of almost every scene (and song!) came back to me. I love the scene when Julian is sneaking into his friend’s mother’s home to steal her jewelry, and yet he stops to talk to the little girl (that knew him because she is his best friend’s little sister). Gahhhhh (with pleased feet lightly stomping), they did a great job in this movie of showing the contrast between this wonderful, lovable, talented and charming Julian that everyone would want to be around and the Julian that drugs were taking down into someone heartbreaking, frustrating, and desperate to their lowest possibility.

I remembered what an impact this movie actually had on me. “Say no to drugs!!” NO PROBLEM. The scene where he is going through withdrawal? I just don’t have words.

I even made my daughter (at 13) watch the movie hoping for the same impact on her. MINUS the sex scenes, though, again. Haha.

And then that ending. I knew what was going to happen. There should be no reason to be upset, right? I was going to be fine. It is just a movie.

….and TEARS!!!!

Ugh!!