The Last Picture ShowThe danger of growing up in a small town is that you might never escape it. The Last Picture Show is about a group of high school kids on the verge of adulthood, and discovering what that turbulent transition means for each of them. There is Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms)--a quiet young man who is longing for something more out of life and love. His buddy, Duane Jackson (Beau Bridges), is described as a "roughneck" and is head over heels in love with his girlfriend. And Duane's girlfriend is Jacy Farrow (Cybill Shepherd), a very pretty girl who knows that she's pretty, and learns how to leverage her sex appeal like currency.
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Directed by Peter Bogdanovich, The Last Picture Show was adapted from the novel of the same name by Larry McMurtry. It deals with the existential crisis of maturity and discovering what kind of adult you will become, whether you like it or not; that path may already be set for you by your parents or guardians--their behaviors become your conditioning. Sonny's father is seen only once in The Last Picture Show, and their interaction at a Christmas party is negligible. His real male role model is the proprietor of a local pool hall called "Sam the Lion" (Ben Johnson); he is a fixture in their small town and an icon of an age gone by. It is no surprise that the movies that Sonny and Duane like to see at the local theater tend to be Westerns--Sam looks like he walked off the set of one like John Wayne, rolling his own cigarettes with age-worn wisdom in his eyes. Sam becomes a moral compass for Sonny, unafraid to tease him about his lackluster performance in the previous night's high school football game, or to chastise him after he and his other friends foolishly try to get his school chum, Billy (Sam Bottoms), to lose his virginity one cold winter night to a prostitute. Sam opens up to Sonny when he takes him fishing and comments that "you wouldn't believe how much this country has changed". The irony of this statement is in how their small town hasn't truly changed at all--like it's on freeze frame throughout all of The Last Picture Show. There is a pervading unease that this generation of kids feels--that they will end up following in the footsteps of the prior generation, and will also be unable to escape the undertow. Sonny and Duane make an impromptu road trip to Mexico to drink and party, discovering on their return that Sam the Lion is dead, and that he has bequeathed the pool hall to Sonny. This ordinarily generous gift is in reality a trap that keeps him from escape--his sentence in this purgatory has been extended. Sam relates to Sonny that he had been involved with a married woman in his youth; Sonny also begins an affair with Ruth Popper (Cloris Leachman), whose desperate longing for affection has her almost perpetually on the verge of tears. He begins this relationship almost as though he were pushed into it by his basketball coach, who is Ruth's husband and is implied to be a closeted homosexual. Sonny and Ruth find something profound in each other's embrace, but Sonny is still immature and his failure to control his youthful zeal causes Ruth more heartache--no doubt like what Sam and his erstwhile lover felt a generation ago.
Opposite Sonny's youthful angst and conflicting emotions is Jacy's transformation from flirtatious teen into a full-blown Delilah. Jacy is first introduced in the movie theater where Sonny and his first girlfriend, Charlene Duggs (Sharon Taggart), are doing some tame necking. It's clear that she's trouble from her first glance at Sonny, winking at him even though she's going with Duane. Jacy's mother, Lois Farrow (Ellen Burstyn), barges into her daughter's room and begins a shockingly frank and cynical discussion about sex early into the film. Jacy's response belongs to a naive teen, pointing out that premarital sex is a sin...and you have to wonder if she really believes that or if she believes that she has to put on a performance for her mother. Jacy is a virgin, and recognizes the power this gives her over boys like Duane, until a boy she likes named Bobby Sheen (Gary Brockette), who tells her that he only sleeps with women who aren't virgins. Jacy subsequently does her best to get Duane to sleep with her just so that she can dump him later for Bobby. It's hard to know whether Lois's "motivational speech" about the power she has between her legs is what convinces Jacy to become a manipulative minx or if it was inevitable; but it is heavily implied that Jacy's mom was like her at her age. Lois has been having her own affair with her husband's employee, a man named Abilene (Clu Gulager). As Jacy's sexual experimentation with the men in her town continues, she goes so far as to seduce her mother's lover. When Lois discovers this, it isn't met with jealousy or resentment, but neutral indifference; they just happened to be playing the same game with the same pieces. It would be generous to describe Jacy's unscrupulous behavior with the boys in town as "inconsiderate", like when she blows off Duane after he gifts her a lovely watch to go skinny dipping in Bobby's indoor pool, courtesy of an invite from country club snob, Lester Marlow (Randy Quaid). As she gets older, her deceptions become appallingly devoid of concern for the people she hurts, like when she hedges her bets in one relationship just so that she can capitalize on something better later. Duane doesn't have a lot of prospects, so Jacy dumps him. She uses Lester to get closer to Bobby, but when Bobby gets married before she can sink her claws into him, she unabashedly seduces Sonny--well aware of the worst kept secret in town that he's with Ruth, shamelessly stealing him away from her. Jacy clearly doesn't love Sonny, and arranges a staggeringly cruel scenario to break it off with him when other prospects prove potentially more fruitful. Jacy is like a tornado that comes ripping through the town, scattering men like matchsticks, and leaving everyone broken and miserable in her indifferent wake.
When The Last Picture Show deals with the complex emotions that accompany maturity, it does so in scenes that are rich with authenticity. The pool hall, movie theater, and diner run by Genevieve (Eileen Brennan) become constants, and are the places where these characters explore the depths of their soul--where there always seems to be the music of Hank Williams in the air. The Last Picture Show drew attention for its frank sexual language and depictions of nudity. But rather than promoting promiscuity, it exposes the awkward fear felt by young adults struggling to comprehend this new side of themselves. Sonny and Ruth have a warm romance--despite being extramarital--but it is heartbreaking that Sonny is so ready to throw it all away because Jacy bats her eyelashes and tempts him with an exposed midriff. The dynamic between Sonny and Ruth--and to an extent between Jacy and Lois--is reminiscent of The Graduate. Ruth is far too kind to be Mrs. Robinson, although Lois certainly fits the bill; she seems to enjoy turning Jacy into the inheritor of her cynical legacy. Despite the age difference between Sonny and Ruth, the sympathy they share for one another is more akin to Ben and Elaine--two people looking for understanding and companionship. As time passes, Duane enlists in the Army, bound for Korea. He is willing to get shot at just to escape the widening gyre of his hometown; he half-heartedly jokes about this calculated risk with Sonny, but Duane has no intention of coming back either way. Jacy has gone off to Dallas for college, but there is the sense that she'll return, falling into the same trap as her mother. Sonny tries to race away from the town in his broken down pickup truck; he eventually turns around, resigned to his fate. (An earlier attempt by Sonny and Jacy to elope has them crossing state lines, but the law intercedes--courtesy of a deliberately placed letter she left for her father--and they are guided back into town like a dog on a leash.) Bogdanovich and McMurtry reunited many years later for a sequel to The Last Picture Show--called Texasville--which expounds what happened with these characters. But the charm of this film has a great deal to do with the anxiety of not knowing what the future holds as much as the dread that comes from knowing how little it might actually change.
Recommended for: Fans of an existential coming-of-age drama set in a small town in Texas in the early 1950s, exploring the angst and ennui that comes with growing up. The Last Picture Show boasts a cast of talented, young actors whose careers would flourish afterwards--including the cinematic debut of Cybill Shepherd--and is a cornerstone of the "New Hollywood" film movement.
Opposite Sonny's youthful angst and conflicting emotions is Jacy's transformation from flirtatious teen into a full-blown Delilah. Jacy is first introduced in the movie theater where Sonny and his first girlfriend, Charlene Duggs (Sharon Taggart), are doing some tame necking. It's clear that she's trouble from her first glance at Sonny, winking at him even though she's going with Duane. Jacy's mother, Lois Farrow (Ellen Burstyn), barges into her daughter's room and begins a shockingly frank and cynical discussion about sex early into the film. Jacy's response belongs to a naive teen, pointing out that premarital sex is a sin...and you have to wonder if she really believes that or if she believes that she has to put on a performance for her mother. Jacy is a virgin, and recognizes the power this gives her over boys like Duane, until a boy she likes named Bobby Sheen (Gary Brockette), who tells her that he only sleeps with women who aren't virgins. Jacy subsequently does her best to get Duane to sleep with her just so that she can dump him later for Bobby. It's hard to know whether Lois's "motivational speech" about the power she has between her legs is what convinces Jacy to become a manipulative minx or if it was inevitable; but it is heavily implied that Jacy's mom was like her at her age. Lois has been having her own affair with her husband's employee, a man named Abilene (Clu Gulager). As Jacy's sexual experimentation with the men in her town continues, she goes so far as to seduce her mother's lover. When Lois discovers this, it isn't met with jealousy or resentment, but neutral indifference; they just happened to be playing the same game with the same pieces. It would be generous to describe Jacy's unscrupulous behavior with the boys in town as "inconsiderate", like when she blows off Duane after he gifts her a lovely watch to go skinny dipping in Bobby's indoor pool, courtesy of an invite from country club snob, Lester Marlow (Randy Quaid). As she gets older, her deceptions become appallingly devoid of concern for the people she hurts, like when she hedges her bets in one relationship just so that she can capitalize on something better later. Duane doesn't have a lot of prospects, so Jacy dumps him. She uses Lester to get closer to Bobby, but when Bobby gets married before she can sink her claws into him, she unabashedly seduces Sonny--well aware of the worst kept secret in town that he's with Ruth, shamelessly stealing him away from her. Jacy clearly doesn't love Sonny, and arranges a staggeringly cruel scenario to break it off with him when other prospects prove potentially more fruitful. Jacy is like a tornado that comes ripping through the town, scattering men like matchsticks, and leaving everyone broken and miserable in her indifferent wake.
When The Last Picture Show deals with the complex emotions that accompany maturity, it does so in scenes that are rich with authenticity. The pool hall, movie theater, and diner run by Genevieve (Eileen Brennan) become constants, and are the places where these characters explore the depths of their soul--where there always seems to be the music of Hank Williams in the air. The Last Picture Show drew attention for its frank sexual language and depictions of nudity. But rather than promoting promiscuity, it exposes the awkward fear felt by young adults struggling to comprehend this new side of themselves. Sonny and Ruth have a warm romance--despite being extramarital--but it is heartbreaking that Sonny is so ready to throw it all away because Jacy bats her eyelashes and tempts him with an exposed midriff. The dynamic between Sonny and Ruth--and to an extent between Jacy and Lois--is reminiscent of The Graduate. Ruth is far too kind to be Mrs. Robinson, although Lois certainly fits the bill; she seems to enjoy turning Jacy into the inheritor of her cynical legacy. Despite the age difference between Sonny and Ruth, the sympathy they share for one another is more akin to Ben and Elaine--two people looking for understanding and companionship. As time passes, Duane enlists in the Army, bound for Korea. He is willing to get shot at just to escape the widening gyre of his hometown; he half-heartedly jokes about this calculated risk with Sonny, but Duane has no intention of coming back either way. Jacy has gone off to Dallas for college, but there is the sense that she'll return, falling into the same trap as her mother. Sonny tries to race away from the town in his broken down pickup truck; he eventually turns around, resigned to his fate. (An earlier attempt by Sonny and Jacy to elope has them crossing state lines, but the law intercedes--courtesy of a deliberately placed letter she left for her father--and they are guided back into town like a dog on a leash.) Bogdanovich and McMurtry reunited many years later for a sequel to The Last Picture Show--called Texasville--which expounds what happened with these characters. But the charm of this film has a great deal to do with the anxiety of not knowing what the future holds as much as the dread that comes from knowing how little it might actually change.
Recommended for: Fans of an existential coming-of-age drama set in a small town in Texas in the early 1950s, exploring the angst and ennui that comes with growing up. The Last Picture Show boasts a cast of talented, young actors whose careers would flourish afterwards--including the cinematic debut of Cybill Shepherd--and is a cornerstone of the "New Hollywood" film movement.