When Marvel stars make their way to Netflix, you usually expect it to be for a potential new franchise, such as Chris Hemsworth with Extraction or Chris Evans with The Gray Man. Robert Downey Jr, however, has gone for something altogether more personal.
While Downey is one of the most recognisable stars around, it's likely that many people who settle down to watch Sr won't know much about the life and career of his father, Robert Downey Sr, who passed away in July 2021.
Downey Sr was an underground filmmaker whose movies were absurdist and defiantly non-mainstream. In an approach fitting of his idiosyncratic works, Sr is a playful documentary that's really two movies in one: the 'traditional' documentary, directed by Chris Smith, and Downey Sr's own unique take on the genre.
Filming on the documentary started in 2019, so while it does eventually cover Downey Sr's final days, this isn't a downbeat watch. It's often very funny as we see him choosing to film his own project, while Smith is working on the main documentary aimed at Downey Jr getting to know his own father more.
"I still feel, on some level like he's f**king with us," jokes Downey Jr of his father's approach to the filming. While there are insights into their home life, we mostly hang out with Downey Sr as he goes with the film crew to capture shots for his movie. We get snippets of what that final cut looks like, but Sr doesn't show all of it.
As Downey Sr embarks on his final movie project, Sr covers his entire career as he reflects on his unique work, often with expert comic timing and dry wit. When he's asked if anybody tried to ascribe meaning to his movies, Downey Sr replies, "Oh my God, I hope not."
Arguably, Netflix has missed a trick not trying to get some of the movies featured in the documentary onto the service for Sr's release. Whether it's Downey Sr's defining work Putney Swope or Pound, a movie which saw a 5-year-old Downey Jr make his acting debut, you'll want to see more of them after Sr's enticing snippets.
Downey Jr uses this dives into his father's past to explore both his relationship with his father and his own life. Even though it's a personal project, neither Downey shies away from the darker aspects, including drug addition and the death of Downey Sr's second wife Laura Ernst from Lou Gehrig's disease.
As Downey Sr's health deteriorates as a result of Parkinson's disease, Sr heads into more emotionally raw territory as we see Downey Jr deal with what could potentially be his final days with his father. To his credit, he never lets the camera shy away from this intimate moments, including when he breaks down during a therapy session.
Hardest to watch though is the final conversation we see between the two as it becomes clear that Downey Sr doesn't recognise he's talking to his own son. It's a moment where you feel like you shouldn't even be watching and for anybody who's gone through similar with family members, it could prove too much.
For a documentary, Sr might never quite delve deep into any of the various aspects it covers, whether that's Downey Sr's career or Downey Jr's connection to his father. You almost get the sense that makes it exactly the kind of documentary about his life that Downey Sr would want.
"We're here, we do stuff, and then we're gone," Downey Jr says of what he believes the main theme ends up being. Much like his father's work, Sr might not open itself up to deeper exploration, but it is a fitting tribute that proves as creative as its subject.
Sr is available to watch now on Netflix.
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