Overview
A poignant exploration of youth and lost dreams in a fading Texas town.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- wistful
- intimate
- reflective evening
- classic film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as a beautifully observed, deeply moving New Hollywood coming-of-age classic that uses its period setting and performances to evoke a disappearing small-town America.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Anarene loses residents, businesses, and its movie house while Sonny and Duane approach adulthood.
The black-and-white cinematography emphasizes the windy Texas plains and the town's faded vitality.
The film lingers on faces, bedrooms, parked cars, football games, and communal routines rather than relying on melodrama.
The decrepit movie house and its final closing mark both Sam the Lion's legacy and the boys' loss of childhood.
Films like The Last Picture Show, and why
American Graffiti
shared small town coming of age, wistful realism, adolescent friendship, and emotional transition into adulthood
The Last Picture Show
shared black and white period drama, rural social decline, sexual tension, and intimate character observation
Breaking Away
shared bittersweet adolescence, small town confinement, romantic confusion, and reflective period atmosphere
Five Easy Pieces
shared New Hollywood naturalism, damaged adults, young people seeking escape, and melancholic American landscapes
Movie Details
- Director
- Peter Bogdanovich
- Release Date
- 1971-10-03
- Runtime
- 119 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (805)
Cast
- Timothy Bottoms
- Cybill Shepherd
- Jeff Bridges
- Cloris Leachman
- Ellen Burstyn
- Ben Johnson
- Randy Quaid
- Clu Gulager
- Eileen Brennan
- Sam Bottoms
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Last Picture Show about?
- In a dying Texas town, two teenage friends confront desire, loneliness, and the vanishing world they are about to leave behind.
- What is The Last Picture Show like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Last Picture Show as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Last Picture Show violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Last Picture Show as mild.
- What did critics think of The Last Picture Show?
- Critics broadly regard it as a beautifully observed, deeply moving New Hollywood coming-of-age classic that uses its period setting and performances to evoke a disappearing small-town America.
- Which films are like The Last Picture Show?
- Films with a similar feel include American Graffiti, The Last Picture Show, Breaking Away, and Five Easy Pieces.
- How long is The Last Picture Show?
- The Last Picture Show runs 119 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Last Picture Show?
- In United States, The Last Picture Show is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
