Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
A portrait of the life and career of Robert Downey Sr. (1936-2021), the visionary and fearless US filmmaker — father of actor Robert Downey Jr. — who in the sixties and seventies laid the foundations for countercultural comedy.
'Sr.' is a tender and intimate biographical documentary capturing Robert Downey Sr.'s life and legacy through the eyes of his son. The ending carries genuine emotional weight as it documents Sr.'s final months and death, giving the film a poignant, elegiac quality that elevates it above typical celebrity docs. The father-son dynamic adds a layer of intimacy rarely seen in biographical portraits. However, the overall structure is fairly conventional for the genre, and the cinematography, while warm and personal, doesn't break new ground. Novelty is decent given the relatively obscure but fascinating subject, but the documentary form itself is standard. Acting/participation from all involved feels natural and candid rather than exceptional.