Review of The Last Picture Show (1971) by David S — 28 Nov 2010
A carefully-constructed, well-written love song to small-town American life and films of a previous era, this film is slowly paced, painstakingly detailed, and unrelentingly uncomfortable in its depiction of sex and romance for teenagers.
At two hours, the slowness stretches the rich plot into epic territory, but is only occasionally drowsy. It was a career-launcher for a few current notable stars, who put in solid performances. On the downside, the charms and seductions of the era, which are exclusively for the distraction of straight, white males, are dated, and range from dull to oppressive to tragic, thus leaving the impression that if it's the last show, it's only because something better came along.
As a viewer, I am too young to have any personal connection to it, but I sense that it must have been a powerfully engaging film when it was released.
This review of The Last Picture Show (1971) was written by David S on 28 Nov 2010.
The Last Picture Show has generally received very positive reviews.
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