The Last Picture Show (1971)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
Two high school best friends navigate the complexities of love and growing up in a small Texas oil town during the early 1950s.
The story
In 1951, Sonny Crawford and Duane Jackson are high school seniors and best friends in the small oil town of Anarene, Texas. Duane is dating Jacy Farrow, the most popular girl in town with the richest parents who disapprove of Duane's roughneck lifestyle. Sonny breaks up with his girlfriend Charlene due to his secret crush on Jacy. The film follows the two friends as they navigate their final year of high school, dealing with local social dynamics, personal desires, and the looming transition into adulthood in a stagnant community.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1951, Sonny Crawford and Duane Jackson are high school seniors in Anarene, Texas. Duane dates the wealthy Jacy Farrow, while Sonny harbors a secret crush on her. After a series of events, including a trip to Mexico and the death of a local businessman, the boys' lives diverge. Duane enlists in the Army, and Jacy eventually elopes with Sonny. However, their marriage is annulled after a brief period. On Duane's final night of leave, the two friends attend the final screening of 'Red River' at the local theater. The next morning, a local boy named Billy is tragically killed by a truck. Devastated by the loss and his own life, Sonny finds solace in the company of Ruth, the older woman he previously had an affair with, as the film concludes.
- First release year
- 1971
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Peter Bogdanovich
- Writers
- Larry McMurtry · screenplay; Peter Bogdanovich · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Timothy Bottoms · Sonny Crawford; Jeff Bridges · Duane Jackson; Ellen Burstyn · Jacy Farrow; Ben Johnson · Sam "The Lion"; Cloris Leachman · Ruth Popper; Cybill Shepherd · Jacy Farrow
- Genres
- drama; coming-of-age
- Themes
- coming-of-age; loss of innocence; stagnation
- Tone and mood
- somber; atmospheric
- Premise and plot tags
- period piece; small-town life; friendship
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1966 semi-autobiographical novel by Larry McMurtry
- Content notes
- sex
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial success, receiving universal acclaim and being included in the National Film Registry.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 98% · scale: percentage · review count: 115; Metacritic · score: 93 · scale: 100 · review count: 15
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · Winner; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · Winner; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actress · Winner; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actress · Winner
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in a town that the director dubbed Anarene to evoke a connection to the film Red River.; The film features entirely diegetic music.; The film was included in the National Film Registry in 1998.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…