"SR."

There's no doubt groundbreaking director Robert Downey Sr. deserves a decent documentary. But maybe next time, let a true film historian have a go at it instead of his own son.

Towards the end of "Sr.", Robert Downey Jr.'s portrait of his dad - who was a ground-breaking independent director in the sixties and seventies - the actor reveals he's not quite sure what kind

of documentary they are making.

Is it a family snapshot? A look back at an unconventional career? A treatise on death and remembrance? Unfortunately that indecisiveness shows in "Sr.", which is mostly entertaining viewing but also a rather vapid affair, with hints of a not really well thought-out vanity project.

The picture is at its best when it touches upon the cinematic works of Robert Downey Sr.: the excerpts shown are delightful and really make you excited to check out the films for yourself. It is here that you get the most insight into what makes Downey Sr. tick, much more than in the father-son bonding moments, which feel forced and sidestep incisive questioning, always a pitfall of course when producer and subject are so closely related.

There's no doubt Downey Sr. deserves a decent documentary. But maybe next time, let a true film historian have a go at it instead of his own son.

release: 2022

director: Chris Smith

starring: Robert Downey Sr., Robert Downey Jr.