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FINALLY, I just saw "The Last Picture Show" yesterday, only about 38 years overdue. Despite being the same age as many of the "rising stars" who are in it I had never seen it. No movies available at my location when it was released and somehow I missed it up until now.
Having lived in a small Texas town (not raised there, I was a big city, east coast kid) I identified with a lot of the characters.
For my generation I'd rank it up there with "American Graffitti" as far as showcasing a lot of up and coming talent, had pretty good music too!
I realize that there were probably some movies that filled the same bill for the generations following mine; "Saint Elmo's Fire"? (I never saw this, I'm not a big fan of lots of brat packers), "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" (love it), but that's about all I can think of, and I'm a huge movei fan.
Can anyone else think of some others like this that I've missed?
My wife claims I avoided "Last Picture" because I knew it would break my heart seeing Cybil Shepard having sex with anyone other than me. Not entirely true, but I have a friend who can't stand Mark Harmon, due to "Moonlighting" for this very reason.
Anyway, if you've never seen "The Last Picture Show" check it out.
Last year I watched The Last Picture Show for the first time since I saw it in the theater. Loved it--I think I got more out of it the second time.
Looking back, I see a rebellious Fight the Man attitude, recklessness and just this sort of sense of the absurd with my generation.
The movies that come to mind: Nashville One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest M*A*S*H
The above movies, for me, captured the restless and somewhat cynical mood of our generation back then.
One movie that others might pick that somehow missed the mark with me was The Big Chill. It just felt a bit too contrived for me.
I love Dazed and Confused and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, too, with a slight edge to Fast Times.
It's hard to speak for other generations but I can give a rundown on some "generation defining" movies, in no particular order of generation.
The Big Chill Easy Rider Ferris Beuller's Day Off All The Right Moves (Reagan Era) Repo Man (not across that generation but for a certain demographic) Pulp Fiction (definitely had a sensibility that clicked with the young adults of the time) Reality Bites (among many Gen-X movies; lots was written at the time about it and the whole slew of related films) Fight Club (about a decade old but I think this is the most contemporary generation for whom I can assign a defining film) The Matrix (see Fight Club)
This current generation is tough. I'm tempted to say Juno, but I don't think it was widely resonant as a cultural phenomenon among young adults. Of course, there have been blockbusters whose cultural effect or reflection has to be interpreted very subtly. Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind may be a good contender for its fractured narrative twists and subject matter that both appeal to contemporary aesthetics.
ETA: Yeah, Cuckoo's Nest as BlueWillowPlate mentions. Forgot that one.
For my generation I'd rank it up there with "American Graffitti" as far as showcasing a lot of up and coming talent, had pretty good music too!
I still can't get over the fact that the cute kid who played the little sister (who begged hunky Paul Le Mat to take her out with the older kids in his car) was Mackenzie Phillips. What a cast that film had.
My generation defining film was Dazed & Confused. Aside from the paddling and references to the Bicentennial, that movie could have been written by people in my school about a typical weekend. Oh, I went to high school 85-89. Pool hall, keg parties, mailbox smashing, Gilligan's Island discussions were all part of our passing the time.
My generation defining film was Dazed & Confused. Aside from the paddling and references to the Bicentennial, that movie could have been written by people in my school about a typical weekend. Oh, I went to high school 85-89. Pool hall, keg parties, mailbox smashing, Gilligan's Island discussions were all part of our passing the time.
Joey Lauren Adams said the same once when she talked about the movie.
I think she grew up where they were filming.
Joey Lauren Adams said the same once when she talked about the movie.
I think she grew up where they were filming.
I guess it probably happened in a lot of smaller towns.
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