Less Than Zero

Synopsis:

Clay, an eighteen-year-old freshman, comes back from his first term at Princeton to spend his Christmas vacation with his broken-up wealthy family in Los Angeles. His former girlfriend, Blair, is now involved with his ex-best-friend, Julian. She warns Clay that Julian needs help: he is using a lot of cocaine and has huge debts. What follows is a look at the youth culture of wealthy post adolescents in Beverly Hills with a strong anti-drug message. Apart from the setting and the names, the film has very little to do with Bret Easton Ellis’s book by the same title on which it was based.

Quick Thoughts:

While “Less Than Zero” is set around the Christmas holidays and you can see glimpses of the holiday in decor throughout, it’s not a Christmas film. I’d also say that it’s not exactly a queer film either. There are gay elements woven into the story, specifically with Julian’s troubles over drugs and drug debt. So yes, there are the themes of male prostitution and gay sex which are highlighted via a few brief blink-and-you’ll-miss-them scenes. But the implication is that Julian is not a willing participant in these acts, and frankly even if he were, it’s not a positive depiction of the LGBTQ community. To make the pun, there’s actually less than zero positive queer aspects in the film. So while it’s an interesting drama that depicts rich LA kids falling into despair over drugs, it’s not quite a queer film. And it’s only barely a holiday film. Not worth watching if you want a queer viewpoint.