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The Last Picture Show

The Last Picture Show

1971
Drama
1h 58m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 71.61% from 1714 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1714)
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Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
73rd
Requiem for the 1950's. I like it a lot. It's not the most entertaining film out there, but it sure is among the top ones when it comes to evoking an era and showing both its strengths, its weaknesses, and why it went away (for the most part, anyway).
Rated 21 Jul 2008
99
98th
This study of loneliness and desperation in a dying Texas town plays out with an unshowy authenticity. This is certainly attributable to Larry McMurtry, who wrote the original novel and collaborated on the screenplay. But Bogdanovich deserves credit, as well. He immerses the film in this town, this era, these people with a born observer's withdrawn attentiveness. Every detail feels right, from the set dressing to the black-and-white cinematography to the films playing at the local moviehouse.
Rated 07 Mar 2007
3
38th
Need to revisit.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
89th
Quietly devastating, and phenomonal performances, particularly from Cloris Leachman and the never-mentioned-for-his-brilliant-performance-in-this-film Timothy Bottoms.
Rated 07 Jun 2010
85
92nd
The locations, the cast, the time period.. it all works together wonderfully to become more than the sum of its parts. To me it was refreshing to see the 50's presented in a much darker light. Gets under the skin, in a good way.
Rated 29 Jan 2010
99
98th
Astonishing in its depth and power and atmosphere. One of the best films of the 70's. I used to think it was full of movies and not life (individual shots in homage to Ford, Hawks, etc.), but I saw it again recently and the simplicity of the direction, and the intensity and honesty of the performances, filled me with awe and admiration. Bogdanovitch perfectly creates the look and feel of a dying little town in the '50's and what it must have been like to grow up there.
Rated 12 Aug 2011
72
50th
Besides the standout soundtrack and an interesting atmosphere, I didn't really think it was that special.
Rated 27 May 2016
80
86th
Bunuellian story of paradoxical life and sin within a disappearing community. Christianity is but a letter; dicks are sucked, holes are penetrated - not the sacred one though, for that is forbidden. One character, Lion, had the willpower to not be corrupted. He dies mid-film. We see how the weight of a cultural infrastructure, christianity, topples over, bringing down alongside it a community once part of it.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
67
30th
I don't see what the fuss is about. Probably works better as a novel, with more time to get invested in the characters. The film is watchable, but not very engaging. The acting is solid, but not outstanding. The script is realistic, but not profound. The cinematography is serviceable, but not breathtaking. In other words, good but not great.
Rated 14 Aug 2008
7
67th
It leaves you feeling very empty and lonely. Definitely a "requiem for the 1950s".
Rated 09 Feb 2017
93
98th
The Last Picture show is the definition of Americana. With its dusty main street, Hank Williams blaring from the pickup trucks and juke boxes, the dilapidated pool hall, and where everyone knows your name, the film oozes with twang. While this would have been enough to entertain, Bogdanovich also manages to photograph it all beautifully. In a town that no one cares about, sad faces and forlorn eyes are everywhere.
Rated 23 May 2019
95
99th
There is an incredible sense of authenticity of setting to Bogdanovich's New Hollywood masterpiece about young love in a quiet town in the early fifties. One of my all-time favorite coming of age movies.
Rated 04 Jul 2020
70
76th
Boomer nostalgia porn. Burstyn and Shepherd were great. I appreciate the harsh look at small town Texas, but in many other ways it was idealized. The sex was so sad or mechanical. Ending took too long and was too happy but I'm glad Shepherd never returned. Also too soap opera-like. Fav scenes: Burstyn just being a cool mom; Leachman's Ruth's outburst.
Rated 14 Sep 2009
86
81st
Made the mistake of watching this on my laptop on a plane, I had no idea there would be so much sex/nudity, lmao
Rated 08 Nov 2011
83
83rd
"The Last Picture Show" is the movie that "American Graffiti" should have been, but wasn't. Its a coming-of-age story set around the same-ish era, but the script and direction are so well done that it simply blows "American Graffiti" into the dust.
Rated 10 Aug 2012
67
35th
Question: "When's a good time to show Randy Quaid nude?" Answer: "Never. Never's a good time to show Randy Quaid nude. Never."
Rated 22 Apr 2013
70
70th
Coming of age story that holds up. A sometimes sad story about people looking for a little tenderness while trapped in a small dusty town. A few beautiful young actresses including a topless Cybill Shepard, and the young Jeff Bridges and Timothy Bottoms. Ben Johnson was a charismatic old timer, and the venerable Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn and Eileen Brennan in their early 40's. A little slow at times, but worth watching. Prime material for a remake.
Rated 01 May 2014
5
93rd
A perfect teenage drama that, although built upon coming-of-age tropes, rings subtle and true. It is a remarkably frank depiction of growing pains, filled with reverie for the best and worst of times. It revels in young love and sexual awakening, friendship and the small things. But it's also a recognition of wayward confusion, disillusioning social mores and unfulfilled longing. Through thick and thin it remains nostalgic and affectionate, just the thing to turn me into a sentimental cornball.
Rated 09 Jul 2014
85
97th
Bogdanovich's skillfully merges the stylistic characteristics of Ford and Hawks with a more 'modern' outlook towards sex and love, which creates a uniquely retro film that looks to the past and present for inspiration and is nostalgic without being sentimental. The stark vision of social decay is magnified by the black and white photography, which enhances the bleakness of the desolate dust bowl setting.
Rated 11 Jan 2019
90
94th
Sam the Lion: "Ain't that ridiculous?... Naw, it ain't really. 'Cause being crazy about a woman like her is always the right thing to do. Being an old decrepit bag of bones, that's what's ridiculous. Gettin' old."
Rated 27 Jan 2019
75
64th
Oh god, what a bleak pick for a Saturday afternoon. I wonder if Bottoms felt sad when four other members of the cast got nominated for their acting?
Rated 18 Aug 2021
92
92nd
Filled me with a certain sad nostalgia for a time I never lived in, because I fully recognize the effects on very real people who did live through it. I think Timothy Bottoms is underappreciated here, his performance was understated and heartbreaking. It's poetic, lonely, harsh, honest.
Rated 21 Apr 2023
70
65th
Probably doesn't help that I ingested three black and white classics heading into this including Dead Reckoning which is so shadowy it literally blacks out Humphrey Bogart as if he can't carry a scene. Something just doesn't work for me here the way that it entirely does in Paper Moon. shrug
Rated 16 Jan 2007
50
33rd
if u wanna see cybill naked and she s hot
Rated 24 Feb 2007
60
62nd
Good film.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
94
99th
Hard to bear the sadness.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
7
84th
Of many small town Texas films, this is one of the best. Cybill Shephard is a vision here. It's definitely a bit cold and detatched, yet quietly involving.
Rated 24 Aug 2007
80
61st
Does an excellent job of creating the feel of small town Texas, but the actual content of the movie is merely good. Everything feels just a bit childish and soap operaish, and while it's still interesting to watch you can't help but feel like more could have been done and said with the setting.
Rated 11 Sep 2007
70
75th
Extremely well directed and acted and very well written but feels a bit detached.
Rated 20 Apr 2008
86
76th
For a period-piece of sorts, The Last Picture Show is done very well and is supposedly a great adaptation of the original text. I thought the acting was superb and given the fact it's supposed to mimic 50's style in both setting and film, it doesn't fall victim to the melodramatic overacting a lot of 50's films like this had. I really appreciated it for that fact above almost all else. This is a really interesting movie, albeit the reputation of all-time classic is maybe a little much.
Rated 26 Apr 2008
0
0th
There are few films I've hated more than this one. The sex scenes were so numerous they got boring, the characters are all assholes, and the supposed artistic intentions of the film are just pretentious.
Rated 16 Aug 2008
97
99th
Great performances all around, but the direction and cinematography are what makes it a standout film.
Rated 25 Aug 2008
92
97th
Beautiful.
Rated 09 Apr 2009
100
93rd
Penetrating nostalgia with over-emphasis on sex; the detail is the attraction.
Rated 22 Oct 2009
85
78th
Jeff Bridges, Cloris Leachman and Cybil Sheppard are all amazing in this absorbing classic.
Rated 06 Nov 2010
100
98th
The Great Gatsby of coming-of-age films, full of longing, regret, and beauty.
Rated 11 Dec 2010
80
83rd
Beautifully shot film mourning the passing of a small town in the 50's, but with a clear 70's eye on its limitations. Good performances, especially from Burstyn and Johnson.
Rated 13 Apr 2011
93
80th
I like the tack this coming-of-tale takes, exploring how once you get what you've been yearning for, you still remain unfulfilled. The only minor flaw I saw was Cybill Shepherd's performance; I didn't think her character needed to be so overtly, cartoonishly manipulative towards everybody else.
Rated 12 Jun 2011
80
91st
Fantastic early example of American auteurship. Bogdanovich knocks it out of the park.
Rated 08 Feb 2012
80
90th
Overall, it was a really good film. Definitely worth watching, I think.
Rated 06 Aug 2012
91
98th
Simply stunning. Visually flawless. It may seem like nothing is happening, but it's just a movie about the passing of time. Time goes by, but it remains a classic. Near perfection
Rated 20 Aug 2012
81
90th
It's really the only movie set in the 50s that doesn't feel like a love story about the 50s itself. Rather, the era is simply a backdrop for the character development that makes coming-of-age movies great
Rated 09 Jun 2013
98
95th
Bogdanovich's first major success is a real heartbreaker; a pean to the dying days of small-town life, set against the backdrop of the death of movie-going as a community activity (which echoes through the years). Performances are top-notch, with Leachman's middle-aged desperation standing out, but Bridges, Burstyn and Shepherd in particular contribute searing portrayals of quiet hoplessness.
Rated 13 Jul 2015
80
82nd
Awkward Sex: The Movie
Rated 30 Nov 2017
68
32nd
I'm kinda getting the mood this film really aims for, of a pained transience and change that suits this American everytown. But the fair strength of the characters doesn't fill the void that the lack of story offers, making this feel like a chore at times to get through. It's all watchable and I can take it all in, but I didn't get a satisfying sense of its exact purpose.
Rated 02 Sep 2018
30
89th
brutal
Rated 01 Dec 2018
85
89th
Upon second watch, this kept my attention (a struggle the first time) and was able to enjoy the mood and dreariness of the town, with either snow or dirt seemingly always blowing through in the second half, and the persistent leafless trees. Jeff Bridges playing some sort of roughneck is terribly miscast but everyone else in this film does an outstanding job, namely Bottoms and Leachman
Rated 29 Apr 2019
90
91st
A somber slice of life tale that analyses loneliness in a small Texas town. Its incredibly authentic performances and writing make this a New Hollywood Classic.
Rated 05 Jul 2020
92
93rd
The expressive camera, intuitive editing, and magnificent use of space all combine to make this a formal wonder. I love the way this film looks, its images in crisp B&W, as it tracks the death of a small town that has long since turned in on itself. Leachman, in particular, is a revelation here.
Rated 19 Nov 2021
98
93rd
In the late '90s, we would drive from Oklahoma and Texas to visit my grandparents in Denver. Besides the burnt out plains towns like Anarene, there was Wichita Falls, where we'd usually stay for a night. Since we wouldn't visit much in the future, those trips became very special to me. And to this day, the Wichita Falls Holiday Inn with its shuffleboard remains an image of highest sophistication for me.
Rated 03 Jan 2007
89
85th
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls #3. PPena que o Bogdanovich nunca mais atingiu esse grau de excelência novamente. DVD Sony Pictures
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
15th
I know this is supposed to be a classic, but I did not like it. I found it slow and pointless.
Rated 27 Feb 2008
7
80th
Really solid, I definitely liked it, but I don't find it to be all that memorable.
Rated 01 Mar 2008
84
74th
# 329
Rated 01 May 2008
80
76th
A heartfelt drama, compassionate in a genuine spirit.
Rated 19 Dec 2008
87
74th
264
Rated 13 Jan 2010
86
72nd
283
Rated 01 Mar 2010
39
15th
I can see why lots of people like it, and why it was an important film at the time, but really, I was just bored.
Rated 17 Jan 2011
80
81st
watched: 2011, 2013, 2020, 2023
Rated 14 Feb 2011
90
80th
My opinion on it has definitely increased with a repeat viewing. I really admire the way Bogdanovich mixed old and new styles of Hollywood filmmaking, works out really well. The attention to detail is stunning and performances are great across the board. (two times)
Rated 16 Oct 2011
40
97th
"For the members of the New Hollywood, it was a briefly opened window on revitalized filmmaking and venturesome storytelling." - Budd Wilkins
Rated 31 Oct 2011
71
69th
Nice and that's all!
Rated 30 Nov 2011
87
74th
#270
Rated 10 Jan 2012
66
26th
American Pie with rednecks. There are some good parts, but overall I was disappointed.
Rated 12 Mar 2012
94
45th
I usually don't watch depressing dramas, but for some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off of this one! While it is an extremely depressing film with no happy endings, the plot and actors' performances were awesome. It's interesting to see a movie set in the '50s that doesn't include the typical Leave-It-to-Beaver atmosphere. This film probably gives a more accurate representation of a 1950s rural Texas (where I'm from).
Rated 18 Mar 2012
73
58th
aldatmak, kasaba, genclik
Rated 22 Mar 2013
75
56th
A bit too dry and distanced for me to completely connect with it (the tone reminds me of Rumble Fish or Hud, neither of which click with me completely either), but it does evoke the era in a manner which feels very authentic and there's a great gentle melancholy to the whole thing.
Rated 18 Apr 2013
78
77th
Slow-moving but ultimately quite powerful - the kind of movie with long stretches that don't seem to go anywhere, only to fall in place completely by the end. Brilliant soundtrack, too.
Rated 13 Aug 2013
65
71st
High-grade soap.
Rated 15 Jul 2014
65
45th
Another of those movies I'm supposed to pretend to like to seem like I have a deep and worthy view of cinema. This is not an indictment on people who do like it. I'm sure there are many and their reasons are valid. Personally, I thought it was fine but don't really care to ever see it again.
Rated 17 Nov 2014
100
97th
Jeg elsker oppveksthistorier, og ihvertfall når de er av de triste slaget som denne. Handler om en liten bygd i Texas der alle er fanget uten noen fremtidsutsikter annet enn å henge på den lokale puben eller kafeteriaen dag ut og dag inn. Morsomt å se mange skuespillere som i dag er etablerte, men som på den tiden var helt nye. Mye bra skuespill, og bruken av musikk var ganske nyskapende for sin tid. Flere av scenene kommer sannsynligvis til å sitte i meg i lang, lang tid.
Rated 03 Dec 2014
82
88th
While in film style the most traditional of the BBS productions (BBS was a production company headed by Bob Rafelson, Bert Schneider, and Steve Blauner responsible for the last few movies reviewed and seen as one of the highmarks of American independent cinema), Bogdanovich uses the less rigid morals of the 70s to show the truth about how ideas of free love and sex were already bubbling under the surface in the 50
Rated 20 Apr 2015
15
2nd
Wow, criticker thought I'd give this a 90. I guess a lot of people liked it, but I found this movie, brought to you by Dr. Pepper and Camel Cigarettes to be utterly boring. Was interesting seeing lots of A list celebrities in their younger years.
Rated 01 Aug 2015
76
74th
kamera karakterlere odaklanırken mekana dair bu kadar fazla şey anlatabilmek özel bir başarı. temposu yerinde olsa da film sanki olması gerekenden fazla uzuyor, ya da dönemi için bile rahatsızlık verici dramatizasyon belli sahnelerde fazla batıyor.
Rated 21 Dec 2015
71
89th
I just can't describe it. I just can't describe it in words.
Rated 08 Feb 2016
63
60th
a very good film, not a great film. decent direction but felt cliched (to be fair, some of that's intentional, and some has been copied subsequently). great supporting cast, not so great protagonist -- would've preferred a film focused on Shepherd or Burstyn, but that's not the kind of movie these guys used to make.
Rated 09 Feb 2016
88
75th
I really enjoyed the way Bogdanovich chose to tell his story, as if his film was a new & bolder take on 50s films. The atmosphere is perfect, with the staleness and creeping in town-death depicted. I really did not mind that some characters lacked depth, i believe this was intended and artfully paired with the frivolous or petty little conflicts going on in the town's social dynamic. It is not a story of individuals, but a depiction of a little stale universe.
Rated 19 Jul 2016
93
94th
(...)Während er erzählt, stellen wir fest, dass wir dem Mythos von Sams Leben zuhören. Seiner Vision von Schönheit, die ihn überhaupt am Leben erhält in der Einöde einer sterbenden Stadt: Anarene, Texas. Sam, gespielt von dem Western Darsteller Ben Johnson, ist die Seele von Anarene. Er betreibt das Diner, die Billard Halle und das Royal Theater. Die einzigen Orte, in denen überhaupt etwas los ist.(...)
Rated 03 Sep 2016
45
15th
Characters defined primarily by the identically bad sex they're all having bounce off one another for what feels like a lot longer than two-ish hours.
Rated 03 Jul 2018
79
68th
A heartbreaking portrayal of 50s small-town life in Texas with little nostalgia, featuring a young Jeff Bridges. Well shot and subtly acted.
Rated 16 Jan 2019
100
99th
Just watch.
Rated 20 Feb 2019
84
77th
A much "realer" take on 1950s America, which strongly contrasts with Hollywood's golden age portrayal of it.
Rated 13 Sep 2019
94
89th
bogdanovich's blunt bittersweet beauty...
Rated 07 May 2020
43
25th
Seen: 2. I don't get the love. It has some moments, but is is just too slow and melancholy.
Rated 03 Jul 2020
74
90th
Feels a bit dated and some of the acting is suspect, but for the ones who shine, they shine brightly. Both Leachman and Burstyn are phenomenal and Johnson has a nice turn as well. Bogdanovich does a good job capturing that weird desperation of a dying town with no connection to anything other than the drama of its people.
Rated 24 Aug 2020
90
95th
Bogdanovich has a talent for capturing and expressing the essence of a period that has long since passed (see also 'Paper Moon'), which is reflected in the allure of this film. He was right to heed Welles' advice to photograph in black and white. The performance of Bottoms is similar in all the best possible ways to Dean's portrayal of Jim Stark in 'Rebel Without A Cause'. Shepherd is no doubt sexy, but lacks real presence (it really seems she got the gig because Peter wanted to sleep with her).
Rated 08 Jun 2021
55
24th
So much of this is just atmosphere that it's hard to discern any meaningful characters. You could maybe have a rotating cast of characters and split the film into vignettes and I don't think the end product would be that much different. Maybe that's part of the point being made though.
Rated 29 May 2022
87
84th
The Bizarro Texas origin story.
Rated 25 Jun 2022
7
94th
a series of endings, emptyings. a town begins as the whole world and slowly transitions into a graveyard of foolish memories and regrets; it's the story of american cinema in miniature, each genre having its golden run then slowly turning inward, backward, understanding that its glories are lost to time and, hell, they were never real in the first place. such elegiac projects are often lost in referentiality, but bogdan was one of cinema's great empaths. he always brings it back to the face.
Rated 15 Dec 2022
74
67th
It's certainly a classic, with its cast of talented actors, the painful coming-of-age story set in a small town where everyone knows everyone and also, everything. A place dead if any future to its young folk, escape seems like the only option. I liked the bleakness of it, the wind-swept main street, the messed up relationships, but it does feel a little bit uneven and drawn out sometimes. The end titles kind of killed the final mood. Also, how young did Jeff Bridges look in this one!
Rated 29 Jan 2023
7
88th
American Tumbleweedi
Rated 12 Mar 2023
40
17th
%teen movie% 0.1. 27+ looking teens, dull and sad.
Rated 29 Apr 2023
70
31st
I don't understand why this is considered to be such a classic movie. Sure the acting is good from everyone, and the cinematography was well done, but it's just a complete slog of a film to get through. WE GET IT! Horny Teens and Hank Williams. There was absolutely no reason for this to be two hours long. I know this is a slice of life movie, so plot isn't always the most important, but the screenplay felt especially directionless. I don't know, I guess bonus points for Cybil Shepherd nudity.
Rated 26 Aug 2023
80
88th
None of the characters wants to be evil but their unthought, simply intrinsic, actions lead to the silent chaos that this texan city lives in. There is only one man, Sam the Lion, who knows how to keep things together until he passes and hell breaks loose. The lake scene in which Sam narrates that key memory is a directorial masterpiece by itself.

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