Back to Basics – THE LAST PICTURE SHOW

At the risk of sounding stuck up, I’ve always maintained that I could spend several months in a small town, but couldn’t ever live in one permanently. Growing up in a big city has afforded me too much opportunity, entertainment, and anonymity. The moments I have spent visiting people in small towns has proved to me how little of that is possible in a such places.

If anyone wants proof of this theory, I’d have to point them towards THE LAST PICTURE SHOW and rest my case….a movie, which incidentally, is the next title up in the 1001 Series. Take a gander at my thoughts after the jump.

To call THE LAST PICTURE SHOW a low boil would be sensationalistic…it’s more like ‘mildly simmering’. The story is set in Anarene, Texas in 1951. It’s the sort of town that has one traffic light. A place where the only entertainment is a pool hall, a diner, and a picture show – all run by Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson). This is a community where not only does everybody know everybody else, but their parents and grandparents too. Perhaps it’s no surprise that the town’s greatest byproduct is restlessness.

One of the biggest examples of this is Jacy Farrow (Cybill Shepherd), who is likely the prettiest girl in school, but can’t seem to get a grip on what effect that has on the men around her. What’s worse, is that her mother Lois (Ellen Burstyn) is no help on the matter. She made the wrong choices in life, but isn’t able to parlay that life experience into sound motherly advice. Instead she suggests her virtuous daughter get the whole ‘virginity thing’ over with so she can look for what really counts in a man (read: money).

It’s easy to see this as bad parenting, but the truth is that there isn’t a whole lot else to do in town that’s nearly as exciting as screwin’. This might explain how it is that Lois has no qualms about getting something on the side from Abilene (Stu Jackson), how the boys in town seem so excited on getting young Billy laid, and how Ruth Popper (Cloris Leachman) can think nothing of taking a roll in the sack with high school senior Sonny (Timothy Bottoms). It might seem like they are less-than-proper, or sex-crazed…but what’s probably more likely is that there isn’t much on TV.

The problem with such a mentality is that it spills over from sexual activity into general mindset. Such communities are supposed to be the model of decency; however as apathy creeps in, the borderlines of decency slowly start to disappear. Fortunately, this doesn’t sit well with everyone. Sam gets pushed past his breaking point, and yells in no uncertain terms “I’ve been around that trashy behavior all my life, I’m gettin’ tired of puttin’ up with it”. Unfortunately, Sam is in the minority, and as the years pass the apathy will only increase.

What apathy doesn’t upset, misguided possessiveness does. Take for instance Duane (Jeff Bridges) who, though dumped, still very much considers Jacy ‘his girl’. Despite the fact that they broke up…despite the fact that he left town…despite the fact that he doesn’t even talk to her. She’s his, and that’s that. So when she makes a move on Sonny (Duane’s best friend), all hell breaks loose. How is it fair? It’s not, but in an area where romantic options are limited, venturing into marked territory is a bad idea.

I realize that much of what I’ve said might make me seem prejudiced against small town life, but when the dust settles on this movie, it doesn’t paint a very flattering picture of it. Perhaps this is why so many people who grow up in them ace to leave, and those that don’t find themselves fighting off restlessness. I’ve met a lot of people like Sam in my trips to small towns – I’ve met a lot of people like Duane too. This movie is a ballad for them both. It should be seen as both a tribute, and a warning.

But Ryan, Is It List-Worthy?… It sure is. It’s a character piece, and the greatest character of all is Anarene itself. In an era where movies seem to underestimate people’s attention span, the slow and leisurely way this story unfolds is a breath of fresh air.