[12], National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary Feature, "Robert Downey Jr. 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. Robert Downey, Sr. is Robert Downey, Jr.'s father. And while the younger Downey plays a big part in the film, the primary focus is on Robert Downey Sr., the underground filmmaker and actor who made satirical and offbeat films like Putney Swope and Chafed Elbows. The doc touches upon, rather than dissects, the idea that Jr.s addiction may have been inadvertently fostered by his permissive dad, a seemingly pivotal piece of their symbiotic dynamic. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. 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. In a new limited series, host Barack Obama visits three American workplaces. Keeps Trying to Get Cast on HBOs 'Perry Mason', EPs Reveal, 18 Best Books To Read That Are Becoming TV Shows Or Movies, The Problematics: 'Vertigo', Alfred Hitchcock's Death-Obsessed Erotic Fantasy, 'Tropic Thunder' Director Ben Stiller Stands Up To Cancel Culture: "I Make No Apologies", Egyptian Government Says Cleopatra Had "White Skin" In Response To Netflix Documentary Casting Controversy, James Corden Gets Hit by a Car While Yelling "I'm a Star" in Final 'Crosswalk the Musical'. The American Movie filmmaker thought that the former man in the iron suit would make a fascinating subject for a doc. I don't blame anybody.' And for those of us who already worship of the altar of the elder Downey, this Netflix doc it drops on the streaming service this weekend is a chance to see a true indie-movie O.G. In the final moments of the Chris Smith-directed film, much sniffling could be heard inside the theater where celebrity guests like Tom Holland, Zendaya, Adrien Brody and Oscar winner Travon Free also took in the screening. Nick Cannon Rejoices in Cancellation of Jada Pinkett Smith's Red Table Talk: That Table Was Toxic. "I don't really know if my dad ever made peace with those many lost years.". Susan Downey, 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). Sr. made eight films between 1965 and 1975, most famously the satirical black comedy Putney Swope, which was entered in the National Film Registry. If anybody has ever dealt with someone with addiction, you know it has nothing to do with someone else, she replied. Sr. will be available on Netflix before the end of the year. [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. 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. In another time, Sr would have been the Paul Thomas Anderson of his age, making undefinable, irreverent, sometimes incomprehensible movies, but with wider acceptance and better production values. December 3, 2022. 1,875, This story has been shared 1,634 times. Turns 58 as He Shares Video Celebrating His 'Blessings' and 'Sweet' Marriage. 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! Produced by Robert Downey Jr. and directed by Chris Smith, 'Sr.' is an intimate portrait of art and life. It was an idiot move on our parts, a lot of us, to share that with out children. This whole project sadly started off for me, honestly, it was an avoidance pattern. [13] His last film was Rittenhouse Square (2005), a documentary capturing life in a Philadelphia park. What is the Japanese language plot outline for Sr. (2022)? The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. "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. Just confirm how you got your ticket. 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. 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+? [3] His paternal grandparents were Lithuanian Jews,[4] while his mother was of half Hungarian Jewish and half Irish ancestry. Kiss Paul Stanley Has 'Thoughts' About Parents Who Support Kids Gender Identities The conversations begin to have a push-pull dynamic, along with an incredible sense of candor and honesty. As a sort of bargaining chip, they let him make his own concurrent, alternate version of the doc while theyre shooting their take. 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. Smith took him up on the idea. 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. Nov 18, 2022 It won the National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary Feature. When he approached the star, however, Downey demurred. ', Sr.: Robert Downey Jr. This 10-digit number is your confirmation number. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. (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. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. Here's When It Returns With New Episodes, Drew Barrymore Halts Segment After "Severely Old" Mac and Cheese Noodle Flies off Her Desk: "It's Rock Hard", Drew Barrymore Opens Up to Madison Beer About Attempting Suicide Twice: "I Was So Desperate". Is 'Are You There God? 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. Documentary, Original Language: "It was just a wild era," said Downey Jr. "That whole world, it gets tied into creativity. There's beauty in watching Sr. watch dailies, his spirit clearly buoyed by artistic possibility. Streaming Schedule, Season 5, Part 2 Debut Info, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved, Robert Downey Jr. We were all altering our consciousness with substances. What Movies Will It Remind You Of? You know, Ive got a phone.. Pays Tribute to His Late, Great Father, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. Documentary Slow Learner 885 subscribers Subscribe 66 3.6K views 1 year ago "A Year in the Life of an American Park. After wiping away tears, Downey Jr. sat opposite producer-wife Susan Downey for a conversation about their Netflix documentary about his filmmaker father, Robert Downey Sr., that was moderated by The Hollywood Reporters executive editor of awards Scott Feinberg. Robert Downey Sr., who died on July 7, 2021, at the age of 85, was an underground American filmmaker, who in the 1960s made a lot of low budget movies across New York City, which would go on to inspire various modern filmmakers. Blood In Blood Out became an L.A. classic anyway, Review: The natural horror of the biological Clock, and more movies to stream, Super Mario Bros. Movie hits $1 billion, is No. All Rights Reserved. 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 . (1987s porn-industry satire, Rented Lips, goes unmentioned, perhaps for good reason.). "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. Jada Pinkett Smiths 4-part documentary series returns with an intimate portrait of the cunning ruler. The result, Netflix's Sr., became something neither of them could have ever. The good-natured Exton plays a key part toward the end of the doc when he and his dad visit New York to spend some final time with the dying Downey Sr. 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. ", 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. 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. 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. They chat about life and their many shared experiences, including Downey Jr.s formative gigs as a kid actor in Pound and Greasers and their later collaborations on Downey Sr.s obscure comedies Too Much Sun (1990) and Hugo Pool (1997). The countercultural filmmaker passed away in July last year. I passed him a joint," he recalled at the time. Kevin Ford, Release Date (Theaters):
