Robert Downey Sr. and Jr. are one of the very few parent-child combinations working in the arts where the younger ended up becoming far more successful and well-known than the elder. In the documentary “Sr.,” father and son refer to (and address) each other as “Sr.” and “Jr.,” which shows that Jr. is keenly aware that he probably wouldn’t be where he is without having a (semi) famous parent. Conversely, Sr. couldn’t be prouder or happier that his son eclipsed him professionally.
The immense bond between the two men displayed throughout the film only strengthens as it progresses. And it offers up a situation that all of us would love to have if we only had the free time and funds to do so.
Jr. conceived the premise of the movie in 2019, not long after Sr. was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. As someone who lost a parent to this especially cruel ailment, I can state that it has no expiration or end date. For my mom, it was 20 years; for Sr., it was far less.
Wisely, Jr. didn’t attempt to direct “Sr.” Instead, he hired his friend Chris Smith, a guy who has cranked out one superb, low-budget, high-concept film after another, largely escaping the notice of the masses, much in the same manner as Sr. did decades earlier.
From 1961 through 2005, Sr. directed 18 films, none of which most mainstream movie fans would likely recognize, although one of them, “Putney Swope” (1969), was selected in 2016 to be added to the United States Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
That’s not an achievement to be taken lightly. Very few films make this particular grade.
Offbeat and Quirky
“Sr.” plays out like, well, most of Sr.’s movies. Shot in gorgeous black and white, the movie (which recently won the prestigious National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary Feature) initially doesn’t appear to have any type of set narrative in mind.The first 10 minutes—the most crucial in any movie—are presented as seemingly random, haphazard, repetitive, and lacking context. Given that the finished product is only 90 minutes long, this seems like a dangerous waste of time.
The bulk of Sr.’s output consisted of guerrilla, avant-garde affairs without any type of traditional form or structure, something that Smith (and certainly in tandem with Jr.) wished to underscore and accent. The film is all about the father (hence the title) and very little about the son. Furthermore, no movie starring Jr. released after the late 1980s is even mentioned. (Take that, Marvel fans!)
Once the movie shifts into proper gear, the rewards to the viewer start piling up. Smith mixes clips from Sr.’s back catalog with interviews of his frequently used actors, and commentary from those beginning their careers at around the same time (Norman Lear, Alan Arkin, Larry Wolf). He also includes visiting old set locations, all of them in New York.
Refreshingly Honest
The production reaches its high-water narrative mark at about the midway point, when father and son address their past chemical addiction issues.Beginning in 1970 when Jr. made his acting debut at the age of 5 in his father’s film “Pound,” he became a fixture on future sets where drug and alcohol use was rampant. Not only did Sr. and his first wife (also Jr.’s mother), Elsie Ann Ford, fail to shield their son from these substances, they also gave them to him.
After a promising stretch in the 1980s and 1990s, Jr.’s demons got the best of him; his career went into a tailspin. He spent the final five years of the 20th century either in rehab or in jail on a multitude of charges.
While Jr. states that this would have happened with or without his parents’ prompting, Sr. is still certain that he was the cause and never forgave himself for it.
Documenting all of this soul-bearing in front of cameras for posterity’s sake is obviously cathartic and cleansing for both men, but it feels more than a tad calculating. On the other hand, it’s refreshing to witness famous family members being thoroughly transparent and honest while refusing to verbally attack each other.
In many ways, “Sr.” follows the same blueprint of many of his films: Start with an idea and just see where it goes. It’s a novel way to approach a documentary, and it’s easy to understand why it is winning so many people over. But for those who prefer order and focus, it plays out in a disjointed way and is not fully realized.
