Review of The Last Picture Show (1971) by Alex C — 11 Mar 2009

One of the greatest films of the 1970's. Peter Bogdanovich's masterpiece about various generations of people just struggling to get through the day-to-day boredom in a dying 1950's Texas town.

The film hits the mark at every level. The black-and-white cinematography is stark and grainy, really adding to the emotional depth of the film. There are numerous great performances that despite all the acting nominations it received, including winning both Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress, I still feel that one of the best performances in this film was left unrecognized.

And that's Timothy Bottoms in what I guess could be listed as the lead in this film. He hits all the subtle notes just right, that I think perhaps he was just disregarded compared to the juicier roles around him.

One of those is Ben Johnson as Sam the Lion. His little monologue he gives while sitting next to the pond is one of the great moments in all of the movies. It's not only touching and moving, but it also just completely encapsulates how American lifestyles continuously move on and will never be the same.

There other moments in this film as well that are devastatingly truthful, and in the end, it adds up to one the best movie experiences you'll ever have.