The documentary will stream on Netflix from December 2. 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. Sponsors for LA3C includeFacebook,U.S. Bank,Homedics,NYX Professional Makeup,Makers Mark,Redken,ViX+,Anheuser-Busch(Golden Road Brewing,Michelob ULTRA,Bud Light Seltzer,Stella Artois,Cutwater Spirits,NTRL Vodka Seltzer),Rockstar Energy Drink, Contraluz Cristalino MezcalandArrowhead Water. (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. Robert Downey Jr. is reflecting on past drug addiction from a young age. 2 min read. 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. ), 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. From left: Robert Downey Sr. and Robert Downey Jr. in, Stanley Tucci Credits Felicity and Emily Blunt for Helping Him Get Through Brutal Cancer Treatment, Owen Wilson on a Potential Theatrical Deal for Nancy Meyers Movie: What You Would Want and Expect, Brandi Carlile, Judd Apatow and Kevin Nealon Set to Take Stage at Rock4EB! Stay up-to-date on all the latest Rotten Tomatoes news! The saga of Summerhouse concludes in September. If anybody has ever dealt with someone with addiction, you know it has nothing to do with someone else, she replied. But Downey Jr. was quick to point out that the filmmakers didnt set out to tug at the heart strings. It's Me, Margaret. 1,047, This story has been shared 929 times. Smith took him up on the idea. Coming Soon: Sr., a New Documentary About Robert Downey Sr. I knew of Robert Downey Sr. but I didnt really know him or his work that well, Smith said. R (Language and Some Drug Use), Genre: He told the camera, "I was a drug addict. What is the Japanese language plot outline for Sr. (2022)? Susan Downey, By now you'd think Robert was Jimmy Cliff's dealer at age 8. Chris Smith, Producer: Fundraiser, Zendaya Recalls First Date at 15 to See Spider-Man in 3D, Netflix Lands Adam McKay Movie Starring Robert Pattinson, Amy Adams, U.S. Digital Giants to Finance Local Content After Canada's Online Streaming Bill Becomes Law, Wes Anderson Directing Star Wars? [3] His paternal grandparents were Lithuanian Jews,[4] while his mother was of half Hungarian Jewish and half Irish ancestry. Sr. (now on Netflix) lets us see inside Robert Downey Jr.s home and a little bit of whats inside his heart. Elon Musk and Bill Maher Warn Against the 'Woke Mind Virus,' a.k.a. Oppenheimer: Directed by Christopher Nolan. At one point in the film, Downey Jr. addresses his past addiction and the influence his father had on that by bringing it up during a phone call with him. 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? Is The Nurse On Netflix Based On A True Story? Pamela Anderson's New Memoir: Biggest Bombshells and Revelations, from Jack Nicholson to JFK Jr. Bryan Martin on How Writing Music After Misfiring a Gun Saved His Life: 'I've Lived Through It', Robert Downey Jr. Trust anything, and anything can happen, Downey Sr. said. 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). He was known for writing and directing his underground film Putney Swope, a satire on the New York Madison Avenue advertising world. But he did mention a counter-offer: What about my dad? We want to hear from you! These meet-cutes will bring on all the feels. Its just the way that it unfolded was really evocative, he explained, crediting Smith as our fearless director and adding, We were just trying to strike the right balance.. Regal Paul Thomas Anderson was inspired by them. Things are unfinished. Downey Jr. wasnt alone in feeling overwhelmed with emotion. "The story keeps getting repeated. He made nearly 20 indie films in his career and many are featured in the doc including Sweet Smell of Sex, Chafed Elbows, Putney Swope, Pound, Greasers Palace, Hugo Pool, and Two Tons of Turquioise to Taos Tonight. Halfway through filming, Covid hits and leaves Jr. stuck in Los Angeles while Sr. is still in New York. The Team Downey-produced film is an intimate portrait of art, fatherhood and healing generational trauma. What Time Does 'Yellowjackets' Season 2, Episode 6 Air On Showtime? 'Sanditon' Ending Explained: Does Charlotte Marry Colbourne? 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So father and son start talking over Zoom and phone calls, with Smith and Ford filming each side. [15][16][17], Downey was married three times. [22], Robert Downey Jr. Inside The Actors Studio Pt. McKay's cast includes Amy Adams ( Vice ), Forest Whitaker ( Big George Foreman ), Danielle Deadwyler ( Till ), and Robert Downey Jr. ( Oppenheimer ), who most recently produced and appeared in his . 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 . Elsewhere in the film, Downey Sr. said his advice to his younger self would be: "Don't touch drugs." Link to Are You There God? ", "I still think there's this section of our culture that thinks it's a moral weakness. The films were highly eccentric live-wire comedies, often high-concept or allegorical. When he approached the star, however, Downey demurred. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Its really raw, he says of the scene. Robert Downey Jr. reconnects with his filmmaker dad in Netflix's poignant documentary "Sr." The "Iron Man" actor sits down with his father in this touching and revealing tribute three years. I think that morphed into these Zoom calls because of the restrictions of Covid. Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter 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. At one point during the project, the elder Downey embarked on his own version of the documentary, and Smith weaves that alternate narrative into the final movie. Ahead of its Netflix release,Sr.will next screen at the New York Film Festival on Oct. 10 and 11. John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. So why not give him the chance to do his thing while they do theirs? 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. There are highlights from "Pound" in 1970 (Downey Jr.'s acting debut) to "Hugo Pool" in 1997 (with Jr again, who has now become a rising, mainstream actor). 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. What Time Is 'Firefly Lane' Season 2, Part 2: The Final Chapter on Netflix? Sr., a documentary feature about the maverick independent filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. that was directed by Chris Smith ( Fyre) and counts Robert Downey Jr. among its producers, has been acquired . All rights reserved. [4], Robert Downey Jr. recounts the life and career of his late father Robert Downey Sr.[5], "Sr." first premiered at the 2022 Telluride Film Festival in September. 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. Things are inconclusive. Sr., a documentary feature about the maverick independent filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. that was directed by Chris Smith ( Fyre) and counts Robert Downey Jr. among its producers, has been acquired . Robert Downey Jr. recalled in the Netflix documentary that he was "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". All About Robert Downey Jr.'s Late Dad, Robert Downey Sr. Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey's Relationship Timeline, Robert Downey Jr. Memorable Dialogue: TV producer Norman Lear describes working with Sr.: Time spent with him was perfectly, wonderfully, deliciously insane.. The film explores Downey Sr.'s life and work, including his influential 1969 satirical comedy, Putney Swope. By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and These concluding moments among three generations of Downey men are lovely and memorable. 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. Name another billion-dollar movie star who would let someone film a virtual therapy session (!) Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. His second marriage, to actress-writer Laura Ernst, lasted until her death on January 27, 1994, from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. There are no featured audience reviews for "Sr." at this time. 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. 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? 1,875, This story has been shared 1,634 times. Coming Soon. Did you look that up or was that a headline? she asked. Library Films, If things had gone as originally planned, director Chris Smiths Netflix documentary Sr. might have been called Jr. instead. Documentary Slow Learner 885 subscribers Subscribe 66 3.6K views 1 year ago "A Year in the Life of an American Park. Netflix has acquired the worldwide rights to "Sr.," a documentary film about the life of the late filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. as directed by Chris . "I don't really know if my dad ever made peace with those many lost years.". 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. That was no easy feat. Pops will be there with us. The documentary also unpacks personal themes ranging from creativity and mortality to fatherhood and generational trauma. 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. Filming Locations for the Disney+ Movie, Alexander Molony Is the Perfect Blend of Charming and Naive in Disney+s Peter Pan & Wendy, What Time Will 'Peter Pan & Wendy' Be on Disney+? 2,972, This story has been shared 2,617 times. When Chris Smith a documentarian who had tackled everything from Method acting run . 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. Downey Sr. was best known for his breakthrough anti-establishment films such as Putney Swope and Greaser's Place. Clock Ending Explained: Does Dianna Agron Die At the End? Its a question thats answered in affecting, if not always thoroughly probing ways in the otherwise compelling documentary Sr., a lively look at cult filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. and his exponentially more famous, deeply devoted son: Iron Man, Avengers and Sherlock Holmes star, Robert Downey Jr. Downey Sr. (born Robert Elias and referred to here simply as Sr.) may have been little more than a blip on the cinematic radar these last few decades. Nick Cannon Rejoices in Cancellation of Jada Pinkett Smith's Red Table Talk: That Table Was Toxic. 1 for 4 weeks, Aging beloved YA author Judy Blumes inevitable foil isnt so bad after all, Review: The entertaining Peter Pan & Wendy charts a familiar course to Neverland, Rihanna has Smurfs on the brain for her next movie: Hope this gives me cool points. Is 'Are You There God? 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. 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. 1h 30m, Distributor: 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. 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. Netflix Lands Adam McKays New Comedy Average Height, Average Build, Nikole Hannah-Jones On Controversy Around The 1619 Project: This Is Not Actually A Radical Project Contenders TV: Docs + Unscripted, TheLastMovieStars Director Ethan Hawke On How Paul Newman And Joan Woodward Set High-Water Mark For Hollywood Contenders TV: Docs + Unscripted, Judy Blume Forever Filmmakers Discuss Beloved Author Who Inspires Devotion, And Book Banning Contenders TV: Doc + Unscripted, Contenders Docs + Unscripted Deadlines Complete Coverage. 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. Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. He proved to be a unique doc subject in that rather than open up his life and sit for extended interviews, he pretty quickly hijacked the production and opted to direct his own movie within a movie. The website's consensus reads: "Sr. is an illuminating look at a fascinating filmmaker -- and a poignant tribute to a father from his son. And very quickly the word came back that he was not interested, but he thought somebody should do a documentary on his dad.. You know, Ive got a phone.. But in the late 1960s, he became a counterculture icon after making such absurdist underground movies as Chafed Elbows, No More Excuses and his most notable and influential hit, the anarchic ad-agency satire Putney Swope. His well-timed work was a barbed, unapologetic mirror of that eras political and social turbulence. The superstar actor joined producer-wife Susan Downey for a conversation with THR's Scott Feinberg as part of inaugural festival LA3C that was attended by Tom Holland, Zendaya and Adrien Brody. Marvel Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Jurassic Park Movies Ranked By Tomatometer, RT25: Celebrating 25 Years of Rotten Tomatoes, Fatal Attraction Series Stars Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan on the Sexy, Unsettling Psychological Thriller, Prime Video Acquires J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves Batman: Caped Crusader and 2 More Animated Projects, Sr. is an illuminating look at a fascinating filmmaker -- and a poignant tribute to a father from his son. [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. Feinberg asked the pair to share the origin story for Sr., and Susan Downey explained that their production company, Team Downey, had been working on a project focused on another (unnamed) Hollywood father-son duo but it wasnt gaining much traction. Coming Soon. Such is the heartbreak of impending loss. We werent trying to make some tear-jerky thing. Trailer", "Review: 'Sr.' Even his wife was surprised. May 17: "Sr." In celebration of this documentary about the late maverick filmmaker Robert Downey Sr., Emmy winner Judd Apatow will moderate a conversation with the film's director Chris . The trailer of the film was released by Netflix on 14 November 2022. Stream It or Skip It: 'A Pinch of Portugal' on Hallmark, Where Heather Hemmens Accidentally Goes from Prep Chef to Celeb Chef, Stream It Or Skip It: Kiss, Kiss! on Netflix, a Polish Rom-Com With an Oogy Womanizer Protagonist. Robert Downey Sr., Filmmaker Known for His Countercultural Satires, Dead at 85 I passed him a joint," he recalled at the time. I wasnt thinking about any of this, he admitted. Copyright Fandango. Dolby Digital, Best Upcoming Documentaries from the Fall Festivals. He initially thought of doing a film about Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr., but the star proposed something different. On the very first day of filmingSr.,the new documentary about the life of maverick filmmaker and actor Robert Downey Sr., director Chris Smith (Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond,American Movie) received some thoughtful words from the subject himself. Coming Soon. [10] In 1998 he married his third wife, Rosemary Rogers, humorist and co-author of Saints Preserve Us! Downey Sr.'s relationship with his son, Robert Downey Jr., is a prominent part of the story. Poguelandia is not quite the paradise the Pogues hoped. This documentary is one final project for Sr., a collaboration with Jr. thats directed by American Movies Chris Smith, and inextricably and inscrutably autobiographical for both Downey men. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. Sr. visits a duck pond in the middle of New York, and marvels at how there are so many little cavorting ducklings in such a dense, urban area. Heres Downey Sr. telling his son about a plane crash he experienced while in the army, which led to him getting thrown in the stockade, which led to a sympathetic jailer giving him pen and paper so he could pass the time by writingwhich eventually led to a life compulsively behind the lens. Family remains a through line, if not exactly a center of stability. 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In a new limited series, host Barack Obama visits three American workplaces. limited, Release Date (Streaming): 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. Nov 18, 2022 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". 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. pairs the Robert Downeys in tender tribute to avant-garde filmmaker", "Sr. movie review & film summary (2022) | Roger Ebert", "National Board of Review Names 'Top Gun: Maverick' Best Film", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%22Sr.%22&oldid=1148628162, This page was last edited on 7 April 2023, at 10:21. "We were all sitting around, smoking grass and playing poker down in the old West Village loft, and Robert was staring at me kind of funny Robert was always an observer of it all, even at a very young age. 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. [10][19][20], The Criterion Collection released five of his films (the National Film Registry inductee Putney Swope, Babo 73, Chafed Elbows, No More Excuses and Taos Tonight) as part of the Eclipse Series.