Review of The Last Picture Show (1971) by Curtis M — 12 Jun 2011

The Last Picture Show is a coming of age story with a great sense of loss inherent in almost every aspect of the film. From the black and white photography, to the sense of sadness and monotony as the characters grow up, we feel the loss of innocence.

This is a theme that I am almost morbidly obsessed with myself, so I found the film particularly fascinating. The Last Picture show sets the perfect atmosphere for the time it takes place in and the story it tells.

With Hank Williams blasting out of every car radio and jukebox, itâ??s hard not to feel like we are in an authentic, small Texas town. Peter Bogdanovich crafted a truly classic and important American film here, and itâ??s a film that finally tells the story of that time immediately before, and immediately after high school graduation in the way it actually feels in real life.

Because of the writing, directing and the performances given in the film, the characters all feel real too. I could relate to the events of the film because of this, and I felt I knew a Jacy, I knew a Duanne (and I probably was a Sonny!) Relate-ability, sympathy for the characters and believability are all the landmarks of a great film, and The Last Picture Show absolutely nailed all three of these.

I think I watched this film at the perfect time in my life, as I often find myself feeling like Sonny does at the end of the film. I was so happy for him when he ripped out of town in his truck, finally getting away, and then felt the sting of defeat, and related immensely, when he turned the truck around and drove back.

Itâ??s wonderful slice of life moments like this that largely make up The Last Picture Show and help form its jumpy (perfectly so) narrative. I could keep rambling about this movie, but Iâ??ll leave it at this; if you havenâ??t yet seen The Last Picture Show, you definitely should check it out!