MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Less Than Zero

Less Than Zero

1987 · 98 min

A glossy, sunlit world curdles into something grim and disheartening, leaving a heavy ache that lingers after the credits.

Directed by
Marek Kanievska
Genres
Drama, Crime
Tagline
It only looks like the good life.
Overview
A college freshman returns to Los Angeles for Christmas at his ex-girlfriend's request, but discovers that his former best friend has an out-of-control drug habit.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Watch the trailer on YouTube

Add to a list: Less Than Zero

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

Stream in the US
  • Hulu
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Marek Kanievska
Genres
Drama, Crime
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • bleakstrength 3 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • addiction
  • friendship
  • grief
  • class
  • betrayal
Places
  • big city
  • road trip
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language strong
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror2
Humour1
Realism8
Romance4
Tension6
Darkness8
Complexity5
Emotional weight8

More like this

Titles like Less Than Zero

Movie

Don't Be Bad

2015

A raw, slow-burning descent into addiction and friendship on the margins, leaving a heavy, sorrowful aftertaste.

Bleak, melancholic · about addiction and friendship

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • addiction
  • friendship
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
102 min
Details
Don't Be BadHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Basketball Diaries

1995

A raw, sobering plunge into addiction and lost youth, carried by a magnetic lead performance and a grimly authentic New York backdrop.

Bleak, melancholic · about addiction and grief · true story

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • addiction
  • grief
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
102 min
Details
The Basketball DiariesHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Christiane F.

1981

A harrowing, unflinching descent into addiction that feels like watching a slow-motion tragedy, emotionally devastating and grimly authentic.

Bleak, melancholic · about addiction and grief · true story

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • addiction
  • grief
  • true story
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
131 min
Details
Christiane F.Hidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Light Sleeper

1992

A slow, lonely drift through nocturnal city streets, heavy with regret and quiet dread.

Same cinematographer: Edward Lachman · Bleak, melancholic · about addiction and grief

Also
Same cinematographer: Edward Lachman
Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • addiction
  • grief
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
103 min
Details
Light SleeperHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Beautiful Boy

2018

A raw, heartbreaking plunge into a family's struggle with addiction, anchored by powerful performances and a relentless emotional pull.

Melancholic, dark · about addiction and grief · true story

Via
  • melancholic
  • dark
  • addiction
  • grief
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
121 min
Details
Beautiful BoyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Panic in Needle Park

1971

A raw, quietly devastating immersion into addiction and love, unfolding with unflinching realism and a pervasive sense of doom.

Bleak, melancholic · about addiction and betrayal

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • addiction
  • betrayal
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
110 min
Details
The Panic in Needle ParkHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Boyz n the Hood

1991

A slow-building, emotionally raw look at friendship and survival under constant threat, leaving a heavy, lingering sadness.

Melancholic, dark · about friendship · true story

Via
  • melancholic
  • dark
  • friendship
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
112 min
Details
Boyz n the HoodHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Man with the Golden Arm

1955

A grim, claustrophobic descent into addiction and guilt, with jazzy energy and raw emotional performances that linger.

Bleak, melancholic · about addiction and betrayal

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • addiction
  • betrayal
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
119 min
Details
The Man with the Golden ArmHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Drugstore Cowboy

1989

A low-key, lived-in slide into addiction's grind, mixing wry humor with a quiet, accumulating dread.

Melancholic, dark · about addiction

Via
  • melancholic
  • dark
  • addiction
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
102 min
Details
Drugstore CowboyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Half Nelson

2006

A quiet, raw character study that immerses you in its gritty realism and leaves you with a lingering sense of fragile hope.

Melancholic, dark · about addiction and friendship

Via
  • melancholic
  • dark
  • addiction
  • friendship
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
107 min
Details
Half NelsonHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Requiem for a Dream

2000

A relentless, harrowing descent into addiction and delusion, visually and sonically assaultive, leaving you drained and haunted.

Bleak, melancholic · about addiction and grief

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • addiction
  • grief
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
102 min
Details
Requiem for a DreamHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

What Doesn't Kill You

2008

A grim, grounded descent into crime and addiction that weighs heavily, anchored by raw performances and a quiet sense of inevitability.

Bleak, melancholic · about addiction and friendship · true story

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • addiction
  • friendship
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
100 min
Details
What Doesn't Kill YouHidden from your suggestions.

Cast

Where to watch in the US

Change country

Stream
  • Hulu

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, crime
Directed by
Marek Kanievska
Written by
Harley Peyton
Starring
Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz, Robert Downey Jr., James Spader, Tony Bill, Nicholas Pryor, Donna Mitchell, Michael Bowen
Music
Thomas Newman
Cinematography
Edward Lachman
Runtime
98 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
German, English, Spanish

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.