Less Than Zero

Episode 236: Less Than Zero (1987)

Theme: Jami Gertz Month
Hosts: Oz & Curtis

This week, Oz and Curtis wrap up Jami Gertz Month with the 1987 neon-noir cautionary tale, Less Than Zero. It’s a film that perfectly captures the "80s musk" of privileged L.A. youth, featuring a massive American flag, a very precisely calculated $50,000 debt, and Robert Downey Jr. delivering a performance that was, unfortunately, a bit too prophetic. Join the hosts as they discuss the "mouth crusty" makeup, James Spader’s business-casual villainy, and why you should never trust a friend who uses a credit card to break into their own house.

The hosts break down:

• Clay Easton (Andrew McCarthy): The "moral center" of the group who returns from his high-falutin East Coast education to find that L.A. has collectively lost its mind in his absence.

• Julian (Robert Downey Jr.): A record-label-hopeful-turned-junkie who proves that rock bottom has several basement levels, most of which involve James Spader and a very disappointed father.

• Blair (Jami Gertz): A model caught in a codependent tailspin, desperately trying to balance her love for Clay with her role as Julian’s primary babysitter.

• Rip (James Spader): The quintessential 80s pusher who treats drug dealing like a high-stakes commodities trade and has zero boundaries when it comes to entering lofts uninvited.

• The L.A. Aesthetic: A world where every room is lit with red bulbs or filtered through blinds, and Hell's Angels exist solely to drive past you while you’re making out in the middle of the street.

Final Verdict:

Oz — 50 Credit Cards used as keys
Curtis — The 405