A veritable time capsule from 1987, Robert Downey Jr, Kevin McCarthy, and Jami Gertz star as three high school chums that find out just how drastically life can change in only one year's time. McCarthy plays Clay, who comes home for the holidays to find his other two friends addicted to coke. His friend Julian (Robert Downey Jr) is so far gone he's exiled from his family home and 50K in debt to a drug dealer (a young James Spader in excellent form.) Blair (Jami Gertz) is also addicted but has a rising career and whom Clay still finds attractive. Her character really broadens things, she's both beautiful to behold and messed up underneath the surface. She wants to help Julian but is able to deter attention from her very likely being one of the people that got him started. But it's all eyes on Julian - will his friends be able to save him or will he end up dead or in the gutter.
I find every performance in this to be top notch. Downey is off the chart and Spader sizzles as the cutthroat drug dealer who ultimately pimps out Julian. The production design exactly depicts how rich kids in Beverly Hills and West LA partied back in those days. And I should know cause I was there! The film is simultaneously super-dated and way ahead of it's time. The excellent soundtrack of '80's rock combines perfectly with the production design to create an impactful experience. The film is much better than originally received, a classic really. 4.0 stars/5
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