A thousand thank yous, Sr.]. All rights reserved. cinema legend is his own way of coming full circle. Remembers His Late Dad's Laughter in Emotional 'Sr.' Robert Downey Jr. tackles his father's life with 'Sr.' documentary Follow the tender but appropriately irreverent account of the life and career of Robert Downey Sr., the fearless and visionary American director who set the standard for countercultural comedy in the 1960s and 1970s. Smith started his documentary career with the story of an independent filmmaker making his lo-fi, now-budget dream come true in 1999s American Movie, and this look at a true D.I.Y. Its really raw, he says of the scene. Sr. calls himself an idiot for encouraging his son to try pot when Jr. was just a kid (both men suffered serious drug problems at stages in their lives). What is the Japanese language plot outline for Sr. (2022)? Downey Jr. has long earned the right to stop addressing his lost-weekend years, which has now become a career footnote, yet he opens up about it for Smiths cameras. Thats how life is like, maybe we dont always get the answers that were looking for, but in that is the answer that were looking for.. I was just playing a game of wanting to self-soothe or stay loaded rather than deal with the fact that things had gone off the tracks." He continues, "Honestly . The saga of Summerhouse concludes in September. Rittenhouse Square (2005) Robert Downey Sr. We want to hear it. The documentary "Sr.," which played at the New York Film Festival, sees the "Iron Man" star lovingly memorialize his late father, the renegade filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. The latters Parkinsons disease is also beginning to get the best of the octogenarian. I wouldnt say Chris was happy that it went this way but its much more like real life. Long before Jr. had his own career in show business, Downey Sr. had made a name for himself as a 60s New York underground filmmaker with a knack for pushing envelopes, offending timid sensibilities and giving the establishment the finger. [22], Robert Downey Jr. Inside The Actors Studio Pt. Starring:Robert Downey Sr., Robert Downey Jr. Watch all you want. If things had gone as originally planned, director Chris Smiths Netflix documentary Sr. might have been called Jr. instead. These meet-cutes will bring on all the feels. Its just what Sr. and Jr. do, and to not include such self-analysis because self-analysis is very much what it is would be to disregard a large portion of their lives. I knew of Robert Downey Sr. but I didnt really know him or his work that well, Smith said. The film explores Downey Sr.'s life and work, including his influential 1969 satirical comedy, Putney Swope. Did you look that up or was that a headline? she asked. Knowing what I know now, Smith said in a statement, its really the only way you could attempt to make something on the two Downeys. Paul Thomas Anderson was inspired by them. Theres a winking irreverence to these men and their work (theres a point when Jr. says of his father, I still feel like, on some level, hes fing with us) that underscores everything they do, which is where we further understand Arkins comment about benign nihilism. And theres the high-minded stuff sneaking in again, although it never undermines the tenderness of a quiet moment in which Jr. and his son Exton lean into an ailing, bedridden Sr. for a three-way hug. with updates on movies, TV shows, Rotten Tomatoes podcast and more. You know, Ive got a phone.. All Rights Reserved. [10], Downey initially made his mark creating very low-budget independent films aligning with the Absurdist movement, in line with counterculture, anti-establishment, 1960s America. To do it by making a movie or his version of it, it just kind ends up making sense.. while is dad is literally dying in the next room.That none of this vital last half of Sr. feels narcissistic or performative its the opposite of that infamously cringeworthy Truth or Dare sequence is a testament to Smith, his editors and his subjects. Library Films, But Downey Jr. was quick to point out that the filmmakers didnt set out to tug at the heart strings. Heres Everything You Need to Know, The Outer Banks Season 3 Trailer Just Washed Ashore. The documentary is part Sr.s project, a biographical retrospective of sorts that finds him visiting New York City locations where he shot some of his infamously wild underground films, and eyeballing the building where the Downey family lived in the 70s. Robert Downey Jr. on Making of 'Sr.,' Addiction and Father's Life - The 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. He ended up participating because he had the way he was willing to participate, which again, now in reflection makes sense because this is a guy who always communicated through his movies, much more than ever articulating any responses. could inspire a small experimental theaters ticket line to worm its way around the block. 'Sr.' review: Compelling look at the life of Robert Downey - Los Back in 2000, Downey Sr. told Vanity Fair about the moment he gave drugs to Downey Jr. at age 6 when he caught him sipping wine. 'Sr.' Director On Things Left Unsaid Between Robert Downey Sr. And His Despite his blockbuster success, he also said he found it quite surreal to be see large scale promotions for Sr. across Los Angeles. Smith described the sage advice as the guiding light for the project, which has been acquired by Netflix following its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. Sunny Hostin Opens Up About Receiving Hurtful Emails on The View: Im Not Liked By Half The Country, Sunny Hostin Shades Meghan McCain for Scathing Column About 'The View': "Our Show Is a Wonderful Place", Sunny Hostin Rips Nikki Haley on 'The View' for Suggesting Biden Could Die During Second Term: "Crass", Joy Behar Tears Into Republican Lawmakers' "Transphobia" on 'The View': "It's Not Even Undercover Anymore". Performance Worth Watching: We all know Jr. and his inimitable personality (essentially a softer version of the flippant fast-talker we see on screen), so its fascinating to zoom in on Sr. and see how far the apple fell from the tree. The new doc series follows the ever-changing hierarchies of the Ngogo chimp community. Robert John Downey Sr. (n Elias Jr.; June 24, 1936 July 7, 2021) was an American filmmaker and actor. The treasure hunt is just getting started. "The story keeps getting repeated. He went on to have a kind of herky-jerky helming career until exiting the film scene in 2005 with the Philadelphia-set documentary, Rittenhouse Square., But its Downey Sr. the unconventional family man, as much as the subversive filmmaker, who gets his close-up here, as father and son share time on camera (in person and via COVID-necessitated Zoom and phone calls) from 2019 until Sr.s death in mid-2021 of complications from Parkinsons disease. In the end scene, he [says to his dad], Is there anything that you would want your kid to know? He doesnt get the answer that I think maybe he was looking for, but at the same time, it feels almost more poetic in a way. "Sr.," a documentary directed by Chris Smith, with Robert Downey Jr. providing a strong production hand and onscreen presence, highlights that charisma and curiosity even when it shows the. Robert Downey Jr. is reflecting on past drug addiction from a young age. All About Robert Downey Jr.'s Late Dad, Robert Downey Sr. Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey's Relationship Timeline, Robert Downey Jr. Regal Robert Downey Jr. on Making of 'Sr.,' Addiction and Finding Peace With Final Moments of His Father's Life: "This is Not a Disney+ Thing" The superstar actor joined producer-wife Susan. "Sr." Review: Robert Downey Sr. Documentary Premieres at Telluride Sr. (2022) - IMDb [5][6][7][8][9] He grew up in Rockville Centre, New York. Seeing cameras were a joyous thing, Jr. says early on, because that meant that hed get to spend time with his dad. Rittenhouse Square (2005) Robert Downey Sr. Documentary It's a kind of home movie,. Our Take: Sr. is shot in gorgeous, crystalline black-and-white, perhaps to reflect the aesthetic of Sr.s early work, perhaps to give it a nostalgic aesthetic, perhaps to render the relationship between father and son within a warm, soft, gray area where simple emotions love, respect, fondness can comfortably exist alongside the more complicated ones. Robert Downey Jr.'s documentary "Sr.," a tribute to his dying father, filmmaker Robert Downey Sr., is the stuff dreams are made on, a freestyle, loopy narrative, much like that of his father's films, that doesn't so much as unfold as unravel. English, Director: ), Shot in New York, L.A. and East Hampton in atmospheric black-and-white (effectively recalling the vibe of Sr.s early output), the movie features an array of clips from most of Downey Sr.s films, including 1975s alliteratively titled and narratively incomprehensible Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight and the iconoclasts one ill-fated (and admittedly terrible) foray into studio directing, the 1980 military-school farce, Up the Academy.. Theres a greater idea at play here that clearly supersedes any concerns that the film is a vanity project or navel-gazing exercise, and its spoken clearly during a Zoom session between Jr. and his therapist, the latter pointing out that he and his father have always found their personal lives inevitably tangled with their filmmaking, so it makes sense that theyd explore their relationship via their art. 'Sr.' Director On Things Left Unsaid Between Robert Downey Sr. And His DC Comics' 'Sweet Tooth' Receives Netflix Adaptation: Watch the Trailer Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday. Netflix Buys Robert Downey Jr. Father Documentary 'Sr.' - The Hollywood Netflix Buys Robert Downey Jr. Father Documentary 'Sr.' - The Hollywood