disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

[DOC NYC 2022] "SR." -- An Emotional Tribute to a Talented and Multifaceted Man

11/14/2022

0 Comments

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
Documentary filmmaker Chris Smith is no stranger to showbiz documentaries, having made several acclaimed movies about various figures in Hollywood. However, “Sr.” is perhaps his most tender film yet, a personal and intimate look into the life of its subject in a way that offers an extraordinary level of access and insight.

The movie tells the story of the late iconic American underground filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. Although general audiences might not recognize Downey Sr.’s work, they undeniably recognize his son, who is one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. This gives the movie a level of cross-audience appeal that few cinema-centric documentaries have.

At under an hour and a half in length, the film does feel like it is trying to cover too much ground in a short period of time. In trying to be both an homage to the legacy of Robert Downey Sr. — who has passed since the filming of this documentary — as a filmmaker and a family man, it does struggle to go into depth with either.

However, what makes Smith’s documentary stand out is a portion of the movie devoted to the “Sr. version” of his story. Intercut with the more traditional portions of the documentary are portions made by Robert Downey, Sr. himself in which he uses his characteristically idiosyncratic style to tell his story on his own terms. This allows the film to become an endearing work of metafiction.
Picture
Of course, the movie also has the father-son relationship element between Downey Sr. and Downey Jr., and it is extremely resonant. Indeed, this aspect of the story presents a perfect intersection between the two storylines. It shows how Downey Jr. was influenced by his father’s filmmaking career, but also draws parallelisms between Downey Jr.’s journey as a father and his relationship with his own father.

There’s obviously something very emotional to the movie, owing to the fact that Downey Sr. unfortunately passed away last summer. This gives the film a very bittersweet feeling throughout, like we are watching a celebration of his life — we’re mourning his loss, but appreciating what he left behind.

The documentary is shot in black-and-white, giving it much of the same underground look and feel as the movies that Downey Sr. made. It’s an artistic decision that could very easily be seen as pretentious, but it works quite well. The film also has some very good access to clips from Downey Sr.’s filmography, some of which are difficult to find.

Although “Sr.” is an imperfect documentary that aims a bit too high, it’s still a profoundly emotional cinematic experience. Few viewers will finish the movie feeling unmoved, even if they aren’t familiar with the life and work of Robert Downey Sr. going in.

“Sr.” screened as part of the 2022 edition of DOC NYC, which runs in-person from November 9-17 and online November 9-27.

​Rating: 4.5/5
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Dan Skip Allen
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About