THE STRAIGHT DOPE:
What were people thinking in the 80's? Less Than Zero was based on a well-known book by controversial author Bret Easton Ellis, starred big name actors like Andrew McCarthy, Jamie Gertz, Robert Downey Jr., and James Spader, and received a lot of attention. But what is the movie about? Not much, actually, which becomes clear early on when McCarthy, preparing to go home for Christmas during his freshman year of college, has a melodramatic flashback to something that happened while he was home for Thanksgiving break. Wasn't that, like, three weeks ago?

Less Than Zero tells the tale of three close high school friends (McCarthy, Gertz, and Downey) from the richest part of Los Angeles. (In fact, their school looks like it might be the one used in Beverly Hills, 90210.) These whiny trust fund brats snort away their daddies' money and then moan about their problems. Establishing audience sympathy in dramatic films like this is key and there is no way that anyone but the most bubble headed viewer could possibly care a hoot about these snotty jerks. The ultimate irony is that when Spader, playing a slimy drug dealer, put the pressure on Downey to pay back the money he owes him, the viewer has to side with the dealer. Sure, dealing drugs is bad and all that, but Downey borrowed a tremendous amount of cash and, even though Spader has been patient, it looks like he never intends to pay it back. Just another way to skirt responsibility. Once Spader puts Downey to work (the kind of good old fashioned work that the guy needs to set him straight) you feel like it's actually a fair deal.

Primarily, the film serves as an unbelievably dated throwback to an era that should make us ashamed. The hair, the clothes, the gigantic answering machines, it's all too awful to bear. The inconsistency of the characters and the acting make it a bit tough to figure out what's going on at times, and the choice of music (largely songs from the 60's and 70's or covers by bands like the Bangles and Poison) is totally out of place. Would these kids really listen to Slayer singing "In A Gadda Da Vida"? At least Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise" still sounds great.

VIDEO:
The anamorphic widescreen transfer looks good and sharp, although a touch of edge enhancement is apparent. There is not a lot of dirt on the print and the colors are rich and vibrant.

AUDIO:
The 4.0 audio track is fine, if a little weak considering the plethora of musical sources in the film. Still, it works. A French mono track is also available, as are English and Spanish subtitles.

EXTRAS:
The only extras are a large selection of theatrical and TV trailers for the film. They are fun to watch, especially since they don't make trailers like this anymore. Trailers for other Fox releases are also available.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
I won't take the bait and say that the title of Less Than Zero sums up the film's worth, but I will say that the film isn't really good for much other than laughing at the 80's. Having said that, laughing at the 80's is a good thing to do. The drama in this film is nonexistent and the characters are vapid clothes-hangers (although not nearly as beautiful as they think they are). Still, there is something entertainingly bad about the film, and that makes it worth a rental.