Based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Larry McMurtry, this is a rather disappointing film. It was quite a good idea to make a sequel to the excellent "The Last Picture Show" but Peter Bogdanovich set the bar too high for himself and is unable to replicate its success. The original film was an often moving and occasionally depressing elegy to the bleak, desolate little town of Anarene, Texas which had been slowly dying for years and its inhabitants' sad, unfulfilled lives of wasted potential. The people of Anarene's lives are no more fulfilled in 1984 than they were in 1951 but it is not presented anywhere near as effectively. On the bright side, Bogdanovich's direction is good but his writing is not up to much.
Eight actors from "The Last Picture Show" reprise their roles, most notably Jeff Bridges as Duane Jackson and Cybill Shepherd as Jacy Farrow. Bridges is a wonderful actor and it is unsurprising that he returned to the role that nabbed him his first Oscar nomination at only 22 but the material let him down. Shepherd is not any not on his level but she is still good even though she has the same problem as regards the material. Sonny Crawford was the heart and soul of "The Last Picture Show" so it is a major disappointment that Timothy Bottoms has what amounts to little more than a minor supporting role. Obviously, this is because Bottoms' career did not take off in the same manner as Bridges and Shepherd's did after the earlier film but it was still irritating.
On the other hand, the more famous but less talented Randy Quaid has a somewhat larger supporting role as Lester Marlow, a character who only had a few scenes in the original film. I can't say that I had much interest in his financial or marital problems. I fail to see why Bogdanovich brought back actresses of the calibre of Eileen Brennan as Genevieve and Cloris Leachman as Ruth Popper when they barely have any screen time. The only newcomer who particularly stood out was the always excellent Annie Potts as Duane's wife Karla. In the first film, Ellen Burstyn gave the best performance as Lois Farrow and I think that she rather than Leachman deserved the Best Supporting Actress Oscar so it was very disappointing that she did not return.
Sex and affairs played a major role in the first film but, on this occasion, I practically needed a flowchart to keep track of all the affairs, if so far as I really cared. In contrast to that film, they take place mostly in the background and only a few really have any impact on the plot. This film takes place in the summer of 1984 and it does a good job of capturing the zeitgeist of the period with its references to Walter Mondale running against Ronald Reagan in the US presidential election, the Soviet Union boycotting the LA Olympics and "Material Girl" and "Karma Chameleon" playing on the radio. Of the many references to "The Last Picture Show", my favourite was one of the simplest: the framed photo of Sam the Lion and Billy in Sonny's store.
Overall, this is certainly a disappointing film but I am still glad that I watched it as there are some nice performances and I always like revisiting characters after many years to see what has become of them. To that end, I would like a third film but I really don't see it happening.
Eight actors from "The Last Picture Show" reprise their roles, most notably Jeff Bridges as Duane Jackson and Cybill Shepherd as Jacy Farrow. Bridges is a wonderful actor and it is unsurprising that he returned to the role that nabbed him his first Oscar nomination at only 22 but the material let him down. Shepherd is not any not on his level but she is still good even though she has the same problem as regards the material. Sonny Crawford was the heart and soul of "The Last Picture Show" so it is a major disappointment that Timothy Bottoms has what amounts to little more than a minor supporting role. Obviously, this is because Bottoms' career did not take off in the same manner as Bridges and Shepherd's did after the earlier film but it was still irritating.
On the other hand, the more famous but less talented Randy Quaid has a somewhat larger supporting role as Lester Marlow, a character who only had a few scenes in the original film. I can't say that I had much interest in his financial or marital problems. I fail to see why Bogdanovich brought back actresses of the calibre of Eileen Brennan as Genevieve and Cloris Leachman as Ruth Popper when they barely have any screen time. The only newcomer who particularly stood out was the always excellent Annie Potts as Duane's wife Karla. In the first film, Ellen Burstyn gave the best performance as Lois Farrow and I think that she rather than Leachman deserved the Best Supporting Actress Oscar so it was very disappointing that she did not return.
Sex and affairs played a major role in the first film but, on this occasion, I practically needed a flowchart to keep track of all the affairs, if so far as I really cared. In contrast to that film, they take place mostly in the background and only a few really have any impact on the plot. This film takes place in the summer of 1984 and it does a good job of capturing the zeitgeist of the period with its references to Walter Mondale running against Ronald Reagan in the US presidential election, the Soviet Union boycotting the LA Olympics and "Material Girl" and "Karma Chameleon" playing on the radio. Of the many references to "The Last Picture Show", my favourite was one of the simplest: the framed photo of Sam the Lion and Billy in Sonny's store.
Overall, this is certainly a disappointing film but I am still glad that I watched it as there are some nice performances and I always like revisiting characters after many years to see what has become of them. To that end, I would like a third film but I really don't see it happening.