robert downey sr documentary

How to Watch the Live-Action 'Peter Pan'. The film explores Downey Sr.s life and work, including his influential 1969 satirical comedy,Putney Swope. 2023 Rolling Stone, LLC. Is one powerful family to blame for the deaths of five people in the wilds of South Carolinas Lowcountry? 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A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? 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. 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. is a lovingly irreverent portrait of the life and career of maverick filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. that quickly devolves into a meditation on art, mortality, and healing generational. ), How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, Plaschke: Lakers live up to their legacy with a close-out win for the ages, At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Review: In Guardians 3, ultra-weird superhero fun doesnt have to be Rocket science, The new Tom Cruise just might be a London office worker with a taste for risk, Jonathan Majors accuser gets full temporary protection order ahead of court date, Review: A deep-cut masterwork, De Humani Corporis Fabrica is already one of 2023s best movies, Review: Girl power and freaky evil collide to make Polite Society a rowdy good time. 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". And very quickly the word came back that he was not interested, but he thought somebody should do a documentary on his dad.. So why not give him the chance to do his thing while they do theirs? ), But this is mostly a buoyant and affectionate portrait, one that enjoyably showcases Downey Sr.s sweet irascibility (and undeniable charm), Jr.s offhand jauntiness and the puckish duos mutual love of film, family and irreverence. Streaming Schedule, Season 5, Part 2 Debut Info, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved, Robert Downey Jr. 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. [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. Rittenhouse Square (2005) Robert Downey Sr. Did you look that up or was that a headline? she asked. If there is anything to be learned from Sr.'s output of irreverent, undefinable, sometimes incomprehensible movies is that they are a pervasive call to action, so beautifully lampooned in "Putney Swope," which is to raise an indignant finger at the established order. 1,935, This story has been shared 1,875 times. I was just kinda playing a game of just wanting to self-soothe or just stay loaded rather than deal with the fact that things had gone off the tracks a little bit. 55,770, This story has been shared 8,222 times. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. [12], National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary Feature, "Robert Downey Jr. But by the time he actually gets there to have this conversation, its almost too late, Smith said. Snippets of Sr.s acting stints in a few of his early works as well as a role in Paul Thomas Andersons Boogie Nights are also woven in, as are interviews with friends including Anderson (who provides personal archival footage), Alan Arkin, Norman Lear and Lawrence Wolf, the last a frequent performer in Downey Sr.s 60s and 70s films. limited, Release Date (Streaming): Coming Soon. Director Chris Smith Stars Robert Downey Sr. Zaina Ali Paul Thomas Anderson See production, box office & company info 1,100, This story has been shared 1,047 times. For those who only think of Robert Downey Sr. as the father of the guy from the Marvel movies, Sr. is happy to fill in some blanks from here to paternity. Link to Are You There God? The couple also shared with Feinberg how and why they approached the subject of addiction in the doc as both Downey Jr. and his father struggled with substance abuse in their lives. 1, National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary Feature, You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat, "Robert Downey Jr.'s Mother Dies: Read His Moving, Candid Tribute to Elsie Ann Downey", "Celebrity Jews: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Barbara Walters, Larry David, Ben Stiller & more", J. Things are unfinished. Smith took him up on the idea. He was 85. Downey Sr.'s relationship with his son, Robert Downey Jr., is a prominent part of the story. Occasionally, we see Sr. watching the footage hes shot and editing it with Fords help, giving the whole affair a hall-of-mirrors effect. Eventually, a chronological narrative starts to form, as we see early successes lead to other opportunities, a West Coast relocation, drugs, more drugs, a second marriage, and rehabilitation. Sr. made eight films between 1965 and 1975, most famously the satirical black comedy Putney Swope, which was entered in the National Film Registry. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Critics panned it. Hes already directing Smith on where to shoot, how to frame things, etc. Which isnt to say the film is nothing but raw nerves. 'Sr.' Director Chris Smith On The Things Left Unsaid Between Robert Downey Sr. And His Famous Son https://bit.ly/3LeHj8x #DeadlineContenders TV Documentary + Unscripted 29 Apr 2023 17:51:15 As a sort of bargaining chip, they let him make his own concurrent, alternate version of the doc while theyre shooting their take. In the new Netflix documentary Sr., the Iron Man actor, 57, pays tribute to his director dad Robert Downey Sr., who had Parkinson's disease and died in July 2021 at 85.At one point in the film . 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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). [18] Downey died of complications from Parkinson's disease in his sleep at his home in Manhattan, on July 7, 2021, thirteen days after his 85th birthday. Terms and Policies These concluding moments among three generations of Downey men are lovely and memorable. The treasure hunt is just getting started. His first marriage was to actress Elsie Ann Ford (19342014) in 1962, with whom he had two children: actress-writer Allyson (born 1963) and actor Robert Jr. (born 1965). The American Movie filmmaker thought that the former man in the iron suit would make a fascinating subject for a doc. And that would be his love for his father, Robert Downey Sr., the renowned filmmaker famous for turning New Yorks underground film scene of the 1960s and 70s on its head. So Smith and his fellow producer/cameraman Kevin Ford start rolling film on the old man, and it turns out that Downey Sr. is no more interested in someone telling his life story than his son is. 2,617, This story has been shared 1,935 times. ", Personality Crisis: One Night Only Finds Punk Pioneer David Johansen Recounting His Many Lives, Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Legacy of J Dilla' on FX/Hulu, Exploring The Life, Beats, And Career Of The Late Hip-Hop Hero, Stream It Or Skip It: Little Richard: I Am Everything on VOD, A Biodoc As Vibrant As Its Subject, Stream It Or Skip It: Dear Mama on FX, A Powerfully-Told Docuseries About The Life and Legacy of Tupac Shakur, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Peter Pan and Wendy' on Disney+, Director David Lowery's Lightly Visionary Disney Rehash, Where Was Peter Pan and Wendy Filmed? Dec 2, 2022, Runtime: 1,634, This story has been shared 1,370 times. Team Downey, Sound Mix: The film explores Downey Sr.'s life and work, including his influential 1969 satirical comedy, Putney Swope. He gets the shakes sometimes, he says. We catch up with Jr. and Sr. at Jr.s home in the Hamptons as they discuss naming this very film Sr.; Sr. doesnt like it, but obviously, it stuck. Robert Downey Jr.'s Most Personal Film Yet is About His Late Father During His Parkinson's Decline, Robert Downey Jr. on Why He Discussed Addiction in Doc About His Dad: 'Incomplete If You Don't', Robert Downey Jr. Larger than life, but open and human as ever, it was such a pleasure and life-affirming experience to capture some glimpses of the highs, lows and everything in between.. The countercultural filmmaker passed away in July last year. Daughter Allyson and son Robert Downey Jr. each made their film debuts in the 1970 absurdist comedy Pound at the ages of 7 and 5, respectively; Allyson would appear in one more film by her father, Up the Academy. Privacy Policy Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter Your AMC Ticket Confirmation# can be found in your order confirmation email. The website's consensus reads: "Sr. is an illuminating look at a fascinating filmmaker -- and a poignant tribute to a father from his son. He did have a list of questions on the brain that he wanted to get answered by his father before he passed. A Netflix documentary about counterculture filmmaker Robert Downey Sr, directed by his much more famous actor son, Sr. charts the last three years of the life of "Bob Sr" before he dies of Parkinson's disease in 2021 at age eighty-five. Name another billion-dollar movie star who would let someone film a virtual therapy session (!) Related By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Turns 58 as He Shares Video Celebrating His 'Blessings' and 'Sweet' Marriage. Regal Bring your cameras. and the 'Sr.' Review: Robert Downey Jr.-Produced Documentary Pays Tribute to His Underground Filmmaker Father Telluride: We watch the great Robert Downey Sr. in his final years, as he. Documentary From Chris Smith Heading To Netflix By Matt Grobar November 14, 2022 9:56am Netflix has unveiled a trailer for its Robert Downey Sr. documentary. 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. Although Sr. gets into some of the lunatic fodder that made Sr.s films great, it remains firmly rooted in recent years 2019, 2020, 2021. Trailer", "Review: 'Sr.' There's beauty in watching Sr. watch dailies, his spirit clearly buoyed by artistic possibility. Coming Soon. The saga of Summerhouse concludes in September. But as viewers can see in the doc, not all of those get answered in the final scene the two men share, which just so happened to be the last time they were together. That was no easy feat. Robert Downey Sr. and Robert Downey Jr. in 2014. See production, box office & company info, Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths. Just a bit of referencing might have helped round out some patchy family history. 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Because moviegoing carries risks during this time, we remind readers to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by the CDC and local health officials. (Clearly still a director in his bones, the elder Downey also worked on a kind of shadow version of a bio-doc, bits of which are seen here. Succession Recap: Logan Roy Makes Shock Return, Shiv and Tom Get Kinky, We also get the requisite clips of Sr.s movies, and a sense of the era in which avant-garde, grainy 16mm movies about a guy marrying his mom (big up Chafed Elbows!) Jr. remembers his father as being driven by his filmmaking vision always people around him, always working, always writing, always turning the house into an editing bay. Coming Soon: Sr., a New Documentary About Robert Downey Sr. There are no featured audience reviews for "Sr." at this time. "Sr." is set to screen at the New York Film Festival on October 10, 2022 with an encore screening on October 11, 2022. By creating an account, you agree to the RITTENHOUSE SQUARE is an. Paul Thomas Anderson was inspired by them. Downey 1.0 has spent his entire artistic life breaking rules or simply ignoring them outright; the dial on his gruff, Gotham-born-and-bred attitude is still permanently set somewhere between IDGAF and GFY. Since the content itself is inherently poignant, it's remarkable how stubbornly uninvolving much of the film is. [12], In 1961, working with film editor Fred von Bernewitz, Downey began writing and directing low-budget 16mm films that gained an underground following, beginning with Ball's Bluff (1961), a fantasy short about a Civil War soldier who awakens in Central Park in 1961. 1,340, This story has been shared 1,100 times. Copyright Fandango. The Team Downey-produced film is an intimate portrait of art, fatherhood and healing generational trauma. His work in the late 1960s and 1970s was quintessential anti-establishment, reflecting the nonconformity popularized by larger counterculture movements and given impetus by new freedoms in films, such as the breakdown of codes on censorship. 'Sanditon' Ending Explained: Does Charlotte Marry Colbourne? Rating: And then a funny thing happens on the way to Sr.s portrait of an artist: It ends up becoming about not one but two men, dual reluctance be damned. This whole project sadly started off for me, honestly, it was an avoidance pattern. Coming Soon. [Full disclosure: I saw that 69 acid-tipped comedy about race relations, revolution and the counter-culture getting a consumerist makeover, as a kid a few weeks after our first neighborhood video store opened. Team Downey. They have to be ready. Even a casual viewer can tell that Jr. keeps wanting to ask his dad questions that Sr. might not want to answer, and that they both know that time is running out. 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 wasnt thinking about any of this, he admitted. List of Movies and TV Shows", "Film director Robert Downey Sr dies at 85", "Robert Downey Sr. We here about the effect that a bohemian lifestyle has on kids and what happens when one artists demons mirror anothers. could inspire a small experimental theaters ticket line to worm its way around the block. As perhaps is true of most father-son relationships, some sensitive matters between the Downeys appear unresolved. He told the camera, "I was a drug addict. I wont give the example but theres just so much of it that you kind of go, that just reeks of bullshit., Feinberg then asked Susan Downey about the coincidence that both Downey men turned their lives around while in relationships with women who had great impact on their lives. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. 4,590, This story has been shared 4,235 times. Starring:Robert Downey Sr., Robert Downey Jr. Watch all you want. 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. with updates on movies, TV shows, Rotten Tomatoes podcast and more. In addition, where exactly was Downey Sr. not to mention Downey Jr.s actress-mother and Downey Sr.s first wife, Elsie (they divorced in 1982) during Downey Jr.s darkest days? Dies: 'Putney Swope' Director, Father Of Actor Robert Downey Jr. Was 85", "Robert Downey Sr., Actor and Counterculture Director, Dies at 85", Eclipse Series 33: Up All Night with Robert Downey Sr. on The Criterion Collection, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Downey_Sr.&oldid=1150210554, Senior Secret Service Agent Thomas Bateman, This page was last edited on 16 April 2023, at 22:13. [21], A 2022 documentary film simply called "Sr." was made by Chris Smith of American Movie fame and was produced by his son. ", Downey Jr. reflected on his dad's addiction as a disease in a recent Deadline interview, saying it's an "uncomfortable" conversation in general since "nobody wants to admit complete defeat over trying to deal with something like alcoholism or addiction. However, there is a thread that holds this narrative together: the chronology of Downey's short career, beginning with "Chafed Elbows" in 1966 to "Putney Swope" in 1969, the film for which he is best remembered (accepted to the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress--an argument can be made for "Greaser's Palace" from 1972, a worthy film, fully realized, and borderline coherent). Documentary, Original Language: Netflix, Production Co: I wouldnt say Chris was happy that it went this way but its much more like real life. ", He recalled becoming addicted around the time he made the 1987 film Less Than Zero. Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. 929, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Does 'Yellowstone' Return Tonight? Coming Soon, Regal Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Robert Downey Sr. was an American filmmaker who gained prominence thanks to his work on Putney Swope, an underground satire following the cutthroat advertising world of New York's Madison. What begins as Jr.s quest to figure out who my father is right now ends up being a poignant depiction of a man in the final stages of life he passed away in 2021 and in the process of reflection. If you can be a small part of creating an alternative world for them that says, Hey, Im here. See what happens. We werent trying to make some tear-jerky thing. Back to the documentary, Downey Jr. also said that for much of the production, he forgot cameras were rolling. [3] He was the son of Elizabeth (ne McLauchlen), a model, and Robert John Elias Sr., who worked in management of motels and restaurants. Remembers His Late Dad's Laughter in Emotional 'Sr.' Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. Cinemark Filmed over three years, Sr. is an intimate exploration of the maverick directors colorful life and rebellious career as well as his relationship with his son before he passed away from Parkinsons disease on July 7, 2021. I'll never forgive myself, but Robert and I have dealt with it, and he's said to me, 'I'm not a victim, Dad. We dont get the answers we want when we want them. But thats the high-minded stuff. 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. Theres so many examples of it right now where everyones trying to get their narrative out there. What is the Japanese language plot outline for Sr. (2022)? Then the second thing, which you all see in the movie, is that pretty quickly, it didnt matter what we wanted, this was his way to do that. ', Sr.: Robert Downey Jr. Then, Team Downeys Emily Ford started conversations with Smith who had shown interest in doing a project about Downey Jr. They were all excited and had started conspiring and then they brought it to Robert and hes, like, No, but Ill do something on my dad,' Susan Downey recalled. John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. But it makes sense to include it; theres an openness and vulnerability to Sr. that the Downey men perhaps found, if not healing that may not be the right word, considering the emotional complexity of their situation then at least necessary. His first wife appears in four of his films (Chafed Elbows, Pound, Greaser's Palace, Moment to Moment), as well as co-writing one (Moment to Moment).