Clay, an eighteen-year-old freshman, comes back from his first term at a college in New Hampshire to spend Christmas with his 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....
Anything to with the Eighties, and I'm already sold, as you may know if you read my other reviews. Bret Easton Ellis novels are difficult to turn into movies, but I've loved everyone that has been produced (even the Informers).
And this is no exception.
It's a film about greed and excess, and spoilt little rich kids getting into trouble and not getting their parents health.
As expected, Downey Jr. Is the best thing about this, totally believable as the young man living the high life, only depending on being high to live it. Eye make up and barking attributes are the order of the day for him, and he excels.
The same cannot be said though for Gertz and McCarthy, they are pretty terrible in this, just spending the film looking worried or a little bit distant, this may be trying to be cool and reckless, but they just looked moronic and boorish.
But funnily enough, they are not the pivotal part of the movie, yes they get back together and try to conquer the excess of the eighties for love, but its the Julian and Rip relationship that is the movies core and heart.
It looks good, a typical eighties movie where people stand on expensive looking balconies trying to find themselves, with a great soundtrack, and good looking people.
Shame about Gertz and McCarthy though.
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....
Anything to with the Eighties, and I'm already sold, as you may know if you read my other reviews. Bret Easton Ellis novels are difficult to turn into movies, but I've loved everyone that has been produced (even the Informers).
And this is no exception.
It's a film about greed and excess, and spoilt little rich kids getting into trouble and not getting their parents health.
As expected, Downey Jr. Is the best thing about this, totally believable as the young man living the high life, only depending on being high to live it. Eye make up and barking attributes are the order of the day for him, and he excels.
The same cannot be said though for Gertz and McCarthy, they are pretty terrible in this, just spending the film looking worried or a little bit distant, this may be trying to be cool and reckless, but they just looked moronic and boorish.
But funnily enough, they are not the pivotal part of the movie, yes they get back together and try to conquer the excess of the eighties for love, but its the Julian and Rip relationship that is the movies core and heart.
It looks good, a typical eighties movie where people stand on expensive looking balconies trying to find themselves, with a great soundtrack, and good looking people.
Shame about Gertz and McCarthy though.