The Last Movie Star (2018)

Captivating movie !

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Anyone my age would have grown up watching Burt Reynolds in Deliverance, The Longest Yard, Smokey and the Bandit and Hooper to name a few of the really good movies he made.For me this is up there with the best he has ever made, I went in with a bit of trepidation, not really knowing what to expect considering some of the movies he has been in of late were nothing to write home about. This is not one of them, it is very well done and had me glued to the screen basically from start to finish.Really good backup from Chevy Chase, Clark Duke and a superb performance from Ariel Winter make this a movie worth watching. The chemistry between Burt Reynolds and Ariel Winter makes this one of those movies you have to see more than once. Watching an older, much wiser man whose body has been aged by time and experience conversing with a younger, cockier version of himself was brilliant to watch.I felt all of the cast did a really good job, but this movie definitely belongs to Burt Reynolds, this is Burt at his dramatic best.Without a doubt a movie worth seeing more than once.

To those under 50 Burt Reynolds may seem to be merely another bad hangover from the 70's- like disco, polyester suits, bell bottoms and Astroturf. Burt was the worlds #1 male sex symbol, actually doing a fairly innocent nude centerfold for "Playgirl" magazine (is that still around?) and romancing numerous Hollywood actresses both on and off the screen. He popped up on Johnny Carson and other late night tv as well as variety shows, even Monday Night football. His movies were huge at the BO although the quality of his pictures is somewhat limited, at least compared to other male stars of the period such as Nicholson, Eastwood & DiNiro. By the 80's his star power was diminishing and by the 90's his career was limited to supporting roles, the only memorable one being his portrayal of producer Jack Horner in "Boogie Nights" a look back at the 70's so-called golden era of porn flicks.In TLMS, set in present day, Burt plays Vic Edwards- an 80ish retired actor whose career bears an amazing resemblance to Burt's. Like Burt, Vic has found there are several generations who are pretty much unacquainted with his career, perhaps having seen a few of his numerous car chase movies on VCR. His looks and star power are both long gone. I'd imagine the hardest part of acting is to open yourself and expose your innermost feelings and soul in portraying a character at in TLMS Burt Reynolds has to expose himself and all his vulnerabilities, failures and fears. It is masterfully done and I hope (but doubt) that Reynolds receives recognition for Best Actor at the Oscars next year. He is superb in a movie that could have gone off track and turned into a silly farce, but stays with the theme that all fame is fleeting.

"The names have been changed to protect the innocent..." As a long time fan of Burt Reynolds, I found this to be a fun, and yet a bit heart tugging, movie.

The Last Movie Star: Written and directed by Adam RifkinThe Last Movie Star stars Burt Reynolds as a former aging movie star who accepts a lifetime achievement award being given by a film festival run by kids fresh out of film school in a bar in Nashville. He thinks he is going to be given first class treatment when it is quite the opposite. He is taken by surprise with sitting coach, being chaffeured by Ariel Winter's barely running junkyard ornament and staying at a motel 6 like establishment. But being back in his home state reliving his life makes him confront what has become of it.I have to say first off that I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I was expecting a funny little comedy and I got a poignant thoughtful treatise on aging and being grateful for what you have. I was caught offguard to say the very least. This is Burt Reynolds' show all the way and it is easily his best performance since Boogie Nights perhaps even better than. He brings such raw emotion to the proceedings that you are blown away. He deserves all kinds of awards for what he brought to this film.This movie also has a whole host of interesting actors from Ariel Winter in a very loud bombastic performance, Clark Duke who we might remember a bit from Hot Tub Time Machine(the first one obviously) and Nikki Blonsky from Hairspray. I have to admit that the little film festival that could brought back some memories of film festivals very similar to that I attended. I might have a tiny bit of a bias when it comes to that. I loved even the terrible films I saw. It was a treat to relive that. This was a warm and exceptionally well done movie with the Burt Reynolds' performance of a lifetime attached to it. This was a pleasant watch and you will not regret seeing this wonderful movie. I give this movie a B.