"Sr." (2022)

Sr. is special because it feels like a documentary made with a heartbeat: an inventive, deeply personal farewell that honors Robert Downey Sr.’s mischievous, countercultural spirit while letting you feel the warmth (and the messiness) of real family love. Chris Smith captures an intimate, behind-the-scenes conversation between father and son that’s by turns funny, tender, and quietly devastating, with Robert Downey Jr. serving less as a narrator than as a devoted witness. The vibe is affectionate and freewheeling rather than polished and reverent, as if the film itself is trying to live up to Sr.’s fearless approach to art. It’s not for viewers who want a comprehensive, cradle-to-career biography, but if you’re open to a moving, human portrait of creativity, legacy, and letting go, this one lingers.

Sr. is clearly trying to be both a loving goodbye to Robert Downey Sr. and a playful, meta look at how documentaries (and families) tell stories, and that ambition is admirable. But the film’s loose, self-aware structure can feel like it’s constantly changing lanes—half filmmaking essay, half father-son therapy session—so if you want a clean, chronological career portrait, this may test your patience. At times it comes off a bit clinical and unfinished, more like hanging out in the editing room than getting a fully shaped narrative. Still, if you’re interested in creative legacy, complicated affection, and the Downeys’ particular brand of honesty (with some strong language), there’s real tenderness here even when it meanders.