" GOOD FOR ROBERT DOWNEY: BOTH OF THEM "

     In case anyone thinks yours truly works for Netflix or ever did so, now is the time to set things straight. As a media critic, I have written lots about films playing on Netflix, notably documentaries. Two particular works are not only recent, but also worthy of attention. "Pamela Anderson" is one of these, and the New York Times' Style Section concurs  in its positive article. While the movie has one primary goal, treating the actress's image as a largely substantive and serious subject, she is still exploited in the process. Thus, it appears that very little has really changed. 

     Conversely, " Sr.," the other current Netflix documentary, covers a myriad of themes, not just one. Although the film is a bio-pic featuring Robert Downey Jr.s'  father, initially most of the audience focuses primarily on the son, a popular, award - winning and previously dope-addicted actor. 
     But "Sr." reaches beyond our expectations. It is not only about popularity, acting prowess and dope scandals. Simply put, it could also be about a father-son relationship. Or the journey taken by an avant-garde film artist ( the father ) pursuing meaning in his life.
     No doubt, "Sr." is about many things. Yet its most salient aspect is a very personal one dealing specifically with biography: the viewer's individual connection to the subject. In this critic's case, Robert Downey Sr.'s movies ( including "Chaffed Elbows," "Putney Swope," and "Greaser's Palace" ) left a lasting influence on "underground" cinema and  a profound effect on professional expertise.
    Watching  "Sr." itself, there is much more to savor. Initially, viewers will assume that the film is directed by Robert Downey Jr., but look at the credits again. The director is Chris Smith, a little-known filmmaker ( "American Movie" ) who has a fine sense of composition ( unlike many documentarians ) and an astute awareness of time and place. ( Downey Jr. and his wife, Susan, are part of the producing team and without them, it would be a very different, less nuanced endeavor. )
     Perhaps the most outstanding part of the film is the way certain narrative elements ebb and flow throughout the cinematic journey. Downey Jr. is the most fluid, often emotionally distant from proceedings, also often subjective. We literally see him grow and develop as a young child, such clips and episodes arranged in a non-chronological way: things come and go; we never know what's coming next. We experience the beginning and the end. And then the beginning, just as Downey Sr. would have wanted.
     Along the way, we see Downey Jr., ever the outsider in his movie roles, emerge strong ( "Iron Man"), wacky (  "Fur" with Nicole Kidman as Diane Arbus ) and vulnerable ( "Chaplin" ). Always willing to take a chance with his characters and his life. Like his father.

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