The Last Picture Show (1971)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:33
Fresh:33
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.6/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 28 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Director Peter Bogdanovich (MASK, PAPER MOON) brings Larry McMurtry's bittersweet novel of life in a small, sleepy Texas town in the early 1950s to the big screen. This coming-of-age tale, shot in... Director Peter Bogdanovich (MASK, PAPER MOON) brings Larry McMurtry's bittersweet novel of life in a small, sleepy Texas town in the early 1950s to the big screen. This coming-of-age tale, shot in haunting black-and-white by cinematographer Robert Surtees (THE GRADUATE, OKLAHOMA!), focuses on best friends Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane Jackson (Jeff Bridges) and their relationships. Duane is dating the beautiful but fickle Jacy Farrow (Cybill Shepherd), a good girl who is looking for a little excitement. Shy Sonny, meanwhile, is carrying on an illicit affair with a coach's wife, Ruth Popper (Cloris Leachman), a sad, plain woman whose only joy appears to be the stolen moments they share. By delving into the intertwining lives of the town's diverse residents, the film masterfully explores issues of love, loneliness, innocence lost, and disillusionment. The closing of the town's only cinema serves as both a physical and metaphoric backdrop to the characters' lives. A favorite of critics, the film was nominated for eight Oscars, earning one for both Leachman and Ben Johnson, whose portrayal of the town's father figure, Sam the Lion, is utterly masterful. Model-turned-actress Cybill Shepherd shines as Jacy in her film debut, which also features Ellen Burstyn as Jacy's mother, Lois. Bogdanovich also directed the sequel, TEXASVILLE (1990), which featured most of the original film's cast. [More]
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Cloris Leachman, Ben Johnson
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Cloris Leachman, Ben Johnson, Timothy Bottoms, Ellen Burstyn, Eileen Brennan, Randy Quaid
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Story: Larry McMurtry
Producer: Stephen Friedman
Screenwriter: Peter Bogdanovich
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Reviews for The Last Picture Show
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a world where the parental figures are never the real parents and almost everyone in plain view is still in some way a kid, regardless of the number of years they've lived. Full Review |
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Em seu momento mais sólido como diretor (numa carreira que se auto-destruiria pouco depois), Bogdanovich cria um monumento à melancolia.
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Bogdanovich’s perfect recreation of the sense of time and place, and his ability to mix wit with poignancy that make this such a charming, timeless film. Full Review |
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A poignant evocation of small-town life in fifties Texas. Full Review |
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Director Peter Bogdanovich has seen Anarene, Texas, in the cinematic terms of 1951 -- the langorous dissolves, the strong chiaroscuro, the dialogue that starts with bickering and ends at confessional. Full Review |
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The Last Picture Show is competent movie-making and probably deserves an audience. But its predictability and its calculation mar it for me. The values seem to me to be more contrived humanity instead of the real thing. Full Review |
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No review available.
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Notre Dame professor Edward Fischer has said that 'the best films, like the best books, tell how it is to be human under certain circumstances'. Larry McMurtry did a beautiful job of this. Full Review |
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It's all fairly calculated, though Bogdanovich knows how to cast actors and highlight character turns. Full Review |
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This brilliant film depicts the gradual decay and death of community life (what sociologist Toennis called Gemmeinshaft), lamenting the loss of intimacy and relationships, as a result of TV and other forces that forever changed American life. Full Review |
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Moving, understated, beautifully filmed story with memorable acting by all.
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Superb performances all round add to the charm of this fine, if now unfashionable film. Full Review |
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No review available.
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A lot of films bill themselves as 'Classics', but here's one that actually deserves the title. As entertaining today as it was in 1971. Full Review |
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The film is above all an evocation of mood. It is about a town with no reason to exist, and people with no reason to live there. The only hope is in transgression. Full Review |
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Sad, haunthing and completely unforgettable. The most authentic depiction of small town life I've even seen put on the screen.
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Stylish, but overrated.
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Latest News for The Last Picture Show
June 22, 2007:
AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15 other lists every few years. And then last night they... More...
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