The Last Picture Show (1971)

Set in a small town in Texas circa 1951, two high school seniors (Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges) who are best friends are both in love with the same girl (Cybill Shepherd). As the year passes, the dynamics of the relationship of all three change. Based on the novel by Larry McMurtry (TERMS OF ENDEARMENT) and directed by Peter Bogdanovich (TARGETS). One of the most acclaimed films of the 1970s decade and the recipient of 8 Oscar nominations. Similar to his idol and mentor Orson Welles who arguably never topped his masterpiece CITIZEN KANE, Bogdanovich never again made a film as perfect as this. It's a lovely elegiac memory piece of a certain time and place and the people who inhabit it. Bogdanovich is assisted in this vision by the superb and evocative B&W cinematography of Robert Surtees (BEN-HUR). As all great films do, it still resonates although one of the performances doesn't hold up. In 1971, Timothy Bottoms' performance would have been referred to as sensitive but I found it paled next to the other actors. His character seems (unintentionally) absent and I think it's because Bottoms just doesn't bring much to the party. With Ellen Burstyn, Ben Johnson (in an Oscar winning performance), Cloris Leachman (another Oscar winning performance), Eileen Brennan, Randy Quaid, Clu Gulager and John Hillerman.