The Last Picture Show, set in Texas during the early Fifties is about the coming of age of two Texas teens, Timothy Bottoms and Jeff Bridgesand the young lady who has an effect on both of them, Cybill Shepherd.
Cybill part of what passes for society in this small hole in the wall town that's seen its better days. Her father is rich because of some prosperous oil leases. Her mother Ellen Burstyn is thinking she's discreet in her affair with oil worker Clu Gulager, but there ain't any secrets in that town.
Shepherd is pretty, but spoiled. She flirts from Bridges to Bottoms, gets involved with Randy Quaid, Gulager and others. She breaks up the friendship with Bottoms and Bridges temporarily and causes all kinds of other havoc.
Bottoms is also taken up with his high school coach's wife who also is unhappily married. Cloris Leachman delivers a strong performance there, possibly the best among the female cast members.
However The Last Picture Show is known as the film that brought Ben Johnson an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Johnson drifted into acting, he was a rodeo performer who handled stock in several Hollywood films that John Ford took a liking to. He represented in his roles some of the best traditions of the American west as he does here.
The tragedy is though he represents a way of life that has come and gone. And that it has passed is not for the better.
Peter Bogdanovich as director got all kinds of deserved acclaim for this film that has become a classic. Sad to say Bogdanovich never quite did anything as good as The Last Picture Show.
Almost 40 years later, The Last Picture Show still holds up well today and should not be missed.
