Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man, but his dad was the real maverick.
Here’s the wild life of Robert Downey Sr.—a filmmaker so fearless, he made a movie called “Putney Swope” that Hollywood still wouldn’t dare touch today. Downey Jr. is behind the camera telling the story.
Thx to G. Allen Johnson of the San Francisco Chronicle for first pointing this out.
Trailer for “Sr.”
Watch “Sr.”
You can watch “Sr.” on Netflix at https://www.netflix.com/title/81644889
Ratings:
- My Rating: 91/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 90/100 (Users); 97/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note — “Sr.” is directed by Chris Smith who’s directed some of my top-ranked documentaries such as “American Movie” (which I rank 96/100!; “Mr. McMahon” (I rank it 91/100) for Netflix; “Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives” (90/100), “Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened” (90/100) “and “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond” (I still need to write this one up and rank it!).
Smith also produced my favorite pandemic-era doc: “Tiger King” (95/100).
Release Date: November 18, 2022
My Review of “Sr.”
The Setup
This is an 89-minute intimate portrait of Robert Downey Sr., the maverick filmmaker and father of Robert Downey Jr.
The doc follows the final years of Sr.’s life as he battles Parkinson’s disease, while his famous son attempts to connect with him through the shared process of filmmaking.
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Robert Downey Sr. was once banned from “Saturday Night Live” after one of his films, “Sticks and Bones,” a harsh satire about Vietnam veterans, was deemed too controversial
- Sr. lived in the same apartment for decades despite his son becoming one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, refusing financial help and maintaining his fiercely independent lifestyle
More Highlights from the Doc
- Sr. once filmed a movie where the main character was a sentient, human-sized pile of excrement named “Putney Swope” who takes over an ad agency – this absurdist film somehow became a counterculture hit
- The film is structured like one of Sr.’s own works—free-flowing, self-aware, and completely unscripted. It mirrors his signature style, rejecting a traditional, linear biography
- The documentary frames itself as a film-within-a-film, with Sr. often hijacking the project to direct his own version, even as his health declines
- RDJ, ever the witty and vulnerable presence, grapples with his complicated relationship with his father, from childhood admiration to adult reconciliation
- Archival footage reveals Sr.’s underground filmmaking approach in the 1960s and 70s, shooting guerrilla-style on the streets of New York with no permits
- Both Downeys openly discuss their shared history of drug addiction, with Sr. admitting he introduced his son to marijuana at a very young age
- The film documents Sr.’s battle with Parkinson’s disease, offering some deeply moving moments as his health declines
- While filming “Greaser’s Palace,” Sr. put his 5-year-old son Downey Jr. in a scene where he gets shot and dies – a trauma the younger Downey mentions still affects him
Cameos
- Alan Arkin appears briefly, discussing his friendship with Sr. and their collaborations
- Paul Thomas Anderson provides insights on how Sr.’s filmmaking style influenced a generation of directors
- Norman Lear speaks about Sr.’s contribution to counterculture cinema
- Filmmaker David Labrava shares stories of working with Sr. on his unconventional productions
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- Sr. once edited his films in a Manhattan bathroom because it was the only space he could afford
- During his underground filmmaking days, Sr. would sometimes pay actors with pizza and beer rather than cash
- Sr. was a believer in “compassionate business” – a philosophy where everyone wins. He refused to exploit people in the name of profit, a rarity in the cutthroat world of filmmaking
- He saw filmmaking as an extension of life itself—messy, unpredictable, and deeply personal
- One of Sr.’s films was shot entirely on borrowed equipment that had to be returned each night, forcing the crew to work only during daylight hours
- Sr. kept meticulous handwritten journals for decades, documenting film ideas that never made it to production
- The doc subtly nods to RDJ’s own struggles with addiction, though it never becomes the focus. Instead, it highlights how father and son both carried—and overcame—the burdens of their past
- Despite his rebellious filmmaking persona, Sr. was actually an army veteran who served before entering the advertising industry
Wrap Up
“Sr.” is the best father-son documentary I’ve seen. It’s raw, funny, and heartbreaking all at once.
As Sr. fades from Parkinson’s, the film becomes less about capturing his legacy and more about a son trying to say goodbye to his father.
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc