It’s like American Pie but made in the Seventies…and set in the Fifties…and a fairly depressing drama rather than comedy. It’s that movie early-teen boys would rent and watch over and over because it made their hormones spike. That movie for me was Species. Thank you, Natasha Henstridge. I say this because I did not know what to expect from The Last Picture Show having never seen it or read a summary. My hot take: The Last Picture Show is a metaphor for vanishing innocence. All the innocence is vanishing because of sex, all the sex. Each scene is basically setting up or showing the outcome of the characters thinking with their nether regions, so there is your American Pie connection. Okay, so why is this movie in the AFI Top 100? Here’s a list of possibilities.

• Allegory. Remember when movies used allegories other than having a character assume the crucified Christ pose? The art does not appear to be a focus these days, and if a creator does infuse bits of metaphorical imagery into his or her work, they are lauded as great storytellers, warranted or not. Its presence in The Last Picture Show caught me so off guard I missed a good ten minutes while trying to deduce the meaning. Picture this scene: all funeral attendees are dressed in black except one woman dressed entirely in white. This woman is unhappy with her posh lifestyle, indifferent and unfaithful toward her husband, and gives misguided life advice to her daughter, but her love for the deceased is pure and the missed opportunity is the root of her unhappiness. Boom…could be bullshit too. That’s the beauty of allegories.
• Soundtrack. There is no soundtrack other than what plays on the radio in characters’ vehicles and homes. This method creates poignant moments that pull the viewer into the life events playing out on the screen, elevating the experience to more than simply watching a movie.
• Cast. Jeff Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Cybill Shepherd, Ellen Burstyn, and Randy Quaid. The ‘shitter’ is not full, but that cast is stacked. Also, I initially missed the movie is directed by Peter Bogdanovich. I did not even become aware that he is a well-established writer and director until his role on The Sopranos, so spotting his name in the credits was one of those moments where I could only share the excitement of recognition with myself.
• Style. The Last Picture Show released in 1971 but is entirely in black and white. It’s very emo.

This movie has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 90% from audiences, so AFI looks to have gotten this right. A low spot on the list at #95 is probably accurate. I’m not completely sold of its top 100 worthiness but feel The Last Picture Show has more to offer than could be absorbed with one viewing.

Pulp Fiction is #94 and was my introduction to Quentin Tarantino.

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