Few actors can say that their best movie is the very one that put them on the map, but for Robert Downey Jr., that was exactly the case.

However, now, over 50 years into his career, the actor claims that his latest movie is the “best movie” he’s ever been in. Is he just riding high on the starry premiere of his latest work, or is he correct in his estimation? In short: what’s better, Oppenheimer or Less Than Zero?

Let’s rewind! In 1987, Downey Jr. starred in Less Than Zero, directed by Marek Kanievska and inspired by Bret Easton Ellis’s 1985 novel of the same name. The movie premiered to mixed reception given its gritty and drug-laced portrayal of rich teenagers in Beverly Hills.

But if the movie was released nowadays, there’s no doubt it would be a smash hit. Collider even recently deemed it the ’80s counterpart to the award-winning television series Euphoria. 

More importantly, liked it or not, critics and movie-watchers have long agreed that Downey Jr. gave a memorable performance as teenage drug addict Julian Wells. 

Not only was the movie a starting point for Downey Jr.’s career, but it also gave way to an incredible and deeply affecting performance that has stood the test of time. So, let’s get into it. Is Less Than Zero the best Robert Downey Jr. movie of all time?

During the London premiere of Oppenheimer, in which Downey Jr. stars as naval officer Lewis Strauss, the actor said, “This is the best film I’ve ever been in.” A rather bold statement from a guy who recently claimed that Dolittle and The Shaggy Dog were the “most important” movies he’s made in the last 25 years. 

Critics seem to agree in their early reviews. Darren Mooney wrote on Twitter that Oppenheimer is “maybe the best Downey has ever been in a film.” And since Twitter is a cesspool of conflicting opinions, the statement opened the door to other thoughts on the matter with many naming Chaplin, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Zodiac as popular counterarguments. 

Now, I will not argue with Downey Jr. about his filmography. If he feels as though Oppenheimer is the best movie he’s ever been in then I’m happy for him. Given that he actually stars in the movie and is the center of the current conversation, his vague statement can point to a lot of things. He could be referring to his experience on set, his state of mind (as his works from the late ’80s and ‘90s were during the throes of his public battle with addiction), or even the historical importance Oppenheimer carries.

That said, I will happily argue with everybody else.

Less Than Zero follows Clay Easton (Andrew McCarthy) as he returns home from college to Los Angeles where he finds his high school girlfriend Blair (Jami Gertz) and best friend Julian hooking up and doing lots of cocaine. 

Because of his drug habit, Julian is now estranged from his family and in debt $50,000 to his dealer, Rip (James Spader). As the movie progresses, Clay rekindles his relationship with Blair, who forces him to look at Julian’s situation with urgency and empathy. Together, they try to get Julian on the right track. 

Through the glitz and the glam, and the fancy homes and convertible cars, Downey Jr.’s performance as Julian keeps the movie grounded. And he had little source material to fall back on, given that the movie was a major left-turn from the book it was based on. Through the character’s lowest moments, Downey Jr. was able to convey someone who is deeply human. Julian was a big-thinker and smooth talker with dreams of owning a music record. He also cared deeply about his friends and family, and they cared for him, despite the betrayals they suffered spurred by his drug use. 

Downey Jr.’s character seemed to operate on a switch. One moment, he’ll stand tall as he laughs loudly with his friends and dances without a care in the world; and the next, his shoulders hunch, and his eyes gloss over, filled with innocence and regret. Julian made big promises of getting clean, and in one often-praised scene, he returns home with his tail between his legs to ask his father for forgiveness and shelter. Through the end of the movie, this was a character to cheer and root for, regardless of his many faults. 

Downey Jr.’s performance earned him his membership into the Brat Pack — a group that consists of actors who found popularity while starring in coming-of-age movies in the 1980s, including McCarthy, Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald — and launched him into stardom. Shortly following the movie’s release, Downey Jr. booked roles in Johnny Be Good, Soapdish, and Chaplin, which turned into a neverending stream of popular hits — at least until he hit a low point thanks to the aforementioned drug abuse, ultimately getting clean and booking Marvel’s Iron Man.

Less Than Zero has always been an underdog despite having a solid box office release and garnering praise from the best of the best. At the time of the release, Roger Ebert called Downey Jr.’s acting “so real, so subtle and so observant that it’s scary.” And, to this day, the movie remains culturally relevant. In addition to the Collider article mentioned above, the movie has continued to grab retrospective headlines from SlashFilm, Vice and others. There was also talk of a short-lived series remake in 2019 and interest from Ellis to have the original cast reprise their roles in a movie adaptation of the novel’s sequel, which was released in 2010.

Perhaps the most crucial defense for Less Than Zero as the best Downey Jr. movie is that the man himself has listed it as one of his favorites. While speaking with The Guardian in 2003, Downey Jr. named his favorite Downey Jr. movies as Chaplin, Natural Born Killers, Two Girls And A Guy and Less Than Zero. Bingo! 

Downey Jr. reflected on the role again in 2019 and recalled feeling “validated” for the first time on set by director Kanievska, who gave him the space to “come up with something that was indelibly watchable and believable,” speaking specifically about the scene where Julian expresses to his dad that he wants to return home.

So, I’ll let Downey Jr. soar on the premiere high that the Oppenheimer circuit has given him, but I’ll also use the opportunity to urge everybody to watch Less Than Zero and take in Downey Jr.’s truly gut-punching performance. At the very least, the two could make a great double feature. Zeroheimer, anyone?