Less Than Zero (1987)

Returning from his first term at an eastern college, eighteen-year-old freshman Clay descends into the glitzy, hollowed heart of Beverly Hills for a Christmas vacation that will test the bonds of friendship and love. Brushing off past grievances with his ex-girlfriend Blair and estranged best friend Julian, he finds himself entangled in their lives once more. Blair, a contemplative model caught in the crosshairs of her future, implores Clay to help Julian, who has spiraled down a destructive path. Once an ambitious music producer, Julian has squandered his father's fortune, his dreams dashed to pieces and replaced by a crippling cocaine addiction. His habitual disappearance acts and his mounting debts paint a grim picture of a youth lost to the city's glossy veneer. As Julian dances precariously on the edge of oblivion, he is hounded by his unforgiving dealer, Rip, and ostracized by his own father who has severed all ties, pushing him further into the abyss. Clay, despite the churning tumult of his own feelings for Blair, plunges headlong into the endeavor to save Julian. He grapples with his friend's self-destruction, navigating a path strewn with desperation and despair. But as he fights to pull Julian back from the brink, Clay sees a haunting reflection of Julian’s fate in Blair. Her casual dalliance with cocaine, she believes to be social, begins to cast a sinister shadow, hinting at an escalation that could plunge her into the same downward spiral. Less Than Zero is a stark exploration of post-adolescent life in Beverly Hills, weaving a tale of wealth, addiction, and the frailty of relationships. This adaptation, while bearing little resemblance to Bret Easton Ellis's book of the same name, carries an impactful anti-drug message which resonates deeply within this narrative of lost youth and redemption.

Less Than Zero is a crime movie featuring Andrew McCarthy and directed by Marek Kanievska.

Less Than Zero is currently streaming on DIRECTV, Starz, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz Apple TV Channel and Starz Roku Premium Channel.