VIDEO – STILL SOBER –
June 1, 2026 – We must presume that there are readers who know the actor Robert Downey Jr. but who are unaware of the work of his father, Robert Downey Sr. Downey Jr.’s first two appearances in cinema are in his father’s films Pound (his first credit, when he was 5) and Greaser’s Palace. The latter, made in 1972, screens Wednesday at the ViFF Centre with an introduction by filmmaker, author, publisher, woman of taste and former Cinemuerte programmer Kier-La Janisse, whose imprint, Spectacular Optical, recently published a book, Truth & Soul: A Robert Downey Sr. Reader, on the Downey patriarch.
However, though we must begin with Robert Downey Jr.—who did act in more “normal” cinema made by his father, later on—his presence in Greaser’s Palace is a good reason to see the movie. We could honestly pitch it as one of the strangest films Robert Downey Jr. has ever been involved in, but we do not want you to “turn up for Tony” and feel misled: The role is brief and unremarkable.
