Val (2021)

Hollywood bad boy Val Kilmer cultivated a reputation during his career for being "difficult," the sort of label that haunts actors in a notoriously prickly and fickle industry. The documentary film Val (2021) seeks to shine a light on the actor's methods throughout his career, made all the more illuminating by the fact that he had a penchant for carrying a video camera with him everywhere he went. The film features tons and tons of rare, never before seen by the public glimpses into Val's life on set, featuring many of his famous co-stars like Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Kurt Russell, Marlon Brando, Tom Cruise, and dozens more. The project came about when Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer and had a series of operations beginning in 2017 that helped him beat the disease, but left his voice permanently damaged. The actor's adult son Jack Kilmer subs in for his famous dad in reading excerpts from his memoir "I'm Your Huckleberry," though Val himself pops up a lot speaking through the aid of an electronic voice box. The film is mostly comprised of that super rare behind the scenes footage from throughout his career, starting with his Broadway debut in the show Slab Boys alongside other up and coming stars Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, and Jackie Earle Haley. Kilmer's camcorder was back stage to capture a moment when Penn and Bacon flash their bare asses for the camera, and Kilmer can be seen nude several times in the film, though almost always from behind, but Val's tan lined tush is looking mighty fine!