These days, most coming-of-age films tend to have a comic or hopeful tone to them. It’s hard being a teenager, but the kids persist. There’s always something or someone to live another day for. The Last Picture Show doesn’t share that upbeat outlook. Set in 1951, at the outbreak of the Korean War, the teenagers we follow are still curious and ambitious like most young people, but they’re surrounded by jaded adults in the middle of nowhere in Texas. The Last Picture Show captures the truth of the ‘50s—when films were epic and gay, most people (especially those far from big cities and coasts) were just trying to get by and see where they fit in a fast-changing world. TVs were moving into technicolor, but life was still black and white. As dreary as it sounds, The Last Picture Show is a moving watch. Anyone who’s dared to dream of a life beyond their reach will have their heart twinge at the doom and desire this film (and this decade) evokes.
Synopsis
High school seniors and best friends, Sonny and Duane, live in a dying Texas town. The handsome Duane is dating a local beauty, while Sonny is having an affair with the coach's wife. As graduation nears and both boys contemplate their futures, Duane eyes the army and Sonny takes over a local business. Each struggles to figure out if he can escape this dead-end town and build a better life somewhere else.
Storyline
In the ghost town of Anarene, Texas, Duane (Jeff Bridges) and Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) get through tedious days by driving around, chasing girls, playing pool, and watching movies at the local theater. The film follows them as they come of age against the backdrop of wartorn America and an apathetic small town.
TLDR
It’s sad, but in a poignant and nostalgic way, rather than a depressing way.
What stands out
Watching this today, it’s hard not to be struck by the stars this film gave rise to: Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Ellen Burstyn, and they’re not even the ones who won the awards when the film first screened.
