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| Scene from The Last Movie Star |
Released: February 22, 2018
Release Number: 62
Directed By: Adam Rifkin
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Ariel Winter, Clark Duke
Plot: An aging former movie star is forced to face the reality that his glory days are behind him. On its surface, the film is a tale about faded fame. At its core, it's a universal story about growing old.
Despite the many achievements that A24 would have in 2018, there were few that matched the retroactive attention that director Adam Rifkin's The Last Movie Star received. Months after the film's release, its main star and acting legend Burt Reynolds passed away and lead to many discovering the film. It was a tribute to an actor with an inimitable legacy as a screen icon who looked to be having fun. While it's hard to suggest this film's success outside of the greater context, it still ended up being a poignant letter to fading celebrity and the feeling of looking back on a life. While it can be argued how much is sentimental praise and actual quality, the film continued to prove that the studio was capable of working with stars big and small on projects that challenged them. Reynolds may have done better work, but few are as reverent of his career as this.
The story begins with Rifkin, who was a seasoned vet by the time that he worked on The Last Movie Star. Having started in film in 1988 his writing credits included MouseHunt, Small Soldiers, and Detroit Rock City. With the last title being a reverent nod to rock band KISS, it makes sense that he would make another film about things that he adored. In interviews, Rifkin would claim that the idea for his latest film, then called Dog Days, was about his personal connection to Reynolds. After growing up watching all of his big movies, he felt that he needed to pay tribute to the actor in some fashion. He was so intent on making it about Reynolds that he even refused to direct it without him.
Luckily, Reynolds came around on the idea. He found a lot compelling about the character even if he was unsure how much was similar to his own life. His only connection was that he wanted to play a rascal, or someone having fun in the face of the waning years. Considering that the plot continually points out his growing irrelevance, there's sentimentalism to every frame. His self-reflection lead to some of the actor's most honest moments on film. His work with co-star Ariel Winters would even grow over the course of the film. The young actress notably behaved a little defensive and rude during the early days of filming. When Reynolds took her aside and asked her to cut out the cursing and behave a little looser, Winters agreed and the performances began to gel from there.
Dog Days was originally going to be filmed in the northeast portions of America around New York and Philadelphia. However, a mixture of problems arose that included costs for filming. As they scouted new locations, it was eventually decided upon that it would be filmed around Tennessee. Along with being considered a beautiful place by its crew, it also added levity to the feeling of insecurity that the characters would have. Reynolds, as Vic Edwards, attends a no-name film festival and needs to feel useless. One in rural Tennessee makes it easier to believe and allows for more open cinematography. Despite the film not being directly about Reynolds, it also pulled heavily from his filmography. In a few scenes, he was even transposed into his old films while talking to his younger self, including in scenes from Smokey and the Bandit and Deliverance. Rifkin researched extensively to make sure that he got the archival shots that would have the most impact.
The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22, 2017. With positive reviews, the film began a fairly successful run at various film festivals. This included winning the Chairman's Award at the San Diego Film Festival, and another win at the Rome International Film Festival. It was at the latter that Reynolds would acknowledge that he personally felt that Vic Edwards was the most honest character he had ever portrayed. The film would soon be bought up by A24 and DirecTV where it would receive a video on demand release the following February. The one catch was that the film needed to change its name. A24 helped to come up with a list of alternate names and it was finally decided upon that The Last Movie Star would be it. This was in part because the crew felt like working with Reynolds was like working with one of the last movie stars. It felt like it just fit. The film's overall box office would acquire $14,410 over its run, which was average for the DirecTV releases.
Outside of film festivals, however, the initial buzz around the film was tepid at best. According to critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 50% rating. Even those that liked the film were a bit tepid on it, including Sheila O'Malley of RogerEbert . com who noted "As a commentary on Reynolds' career trajectory, The Last Movie Star is hit-or-miss. What is undeniable, though, is the space Rifkin has created where Reynolds can do what Reynolds does best." Others found the film to be more in line with late-career Reynolds movies that were deemed inferior, such as Scott Tobias of NPR who wrote that "Another example of Reynolds accepting the wrong invitation and winding up in a role unworthy of his stature." Dennis Harvey of Variety seconded this opinion by noting that "Despite a few good moments, this well-intentioned seriocomedy mostly wobbles between crude yocks, lame generation-gap humor and sentimental cliche."
In a sense, this was Reynold's moment of career self-reflection. During interviews, he would discuss his greatest joys as an actor (Deliverance) and his regrets (Boogie Nights). It was a bittersweet moment resulting in a deeper bond between Rifkin and Reynolds. The director would later note that during a pre-show moment with the actor on Conan, Reynolds would personally thank him for the role. It was a moment that stuck with Rifkin and one that he recalled in a personal essay he wrote for Deadline following Reynold's passing on September 6, 2018. In the wake of his passing, Rifkin has been giving more interviews about the film as well as his relationship with Reynolds. It could be argued that this gave the film a second life and resulted in giving the film a bigger and more permanent relevance. While it has yet to be considered alongside his more acclaimed work, it has gotten a boost in recognition thanks to the untimely passing of the icon.
With only two films under their belt, A24's 2018 was proving to be one of their rockier years. Still, the unfortunate timing of Reynolds' death helped to make an otherwise obscure film into one of their bigger discussion points. It was the last chance to spend with an icon as he looked back on his own life. While the next film wouldn't have nearly as much of a buzz around it, Lean on Pete would be another follow-up to a critically acclaimed film that featured twists and turns. It was among the studio's more gut-wrenching films and featured plenty of compelling performances. It was also a film that proved that even as the studio was about to enter a rocky period, there was still an audience out there wanting to see their films, no matter how odd they would seem on paper.
Up Next: Lean on Pete (2018)
Despite the many achievements that A24 would have in 2018, there were few that matched the retroactive attention that director Adam Rifkin's The Last Movie Star received. Months after the film's release, its main star and acting legend Burt Reynolds passed away and lead to many discovering the film. It was a tribute to an actor with an inimitable legacy as a screen icon who looked to be having fun. While it's hard to suggest this film's success outside of the greater context, it still ended up being a poignant letter to fading celebrity and the feeling of looking back on a life. While it can be argued how much is sentimental praise and actual quality, the film continued to prove that the studio was capable of working with stars big and small on projects that challenged them. Reynolds may have done better work, but few are as reverent of his career as this.
The story begins with Rifkin, who was a seasoned vet by the time that he worked on The Last Movie Star. Having started in film in 1988 his writing credits included MouseHunt, Small Soldiers, and Detroit Rock City. With the last title being a reverent nod to rock band KISS, it makes sense that he would make another film about things that he adored. In interviews, Rifkin would claim that the idea for his latest film, then called Dog Days, was about his personal connection to Reynolds. After growing up watching all of his big movies, he felt that he needed to pay tribute to the actor in some fashion. He was so intent on making it about Reynolds that he even refused to direct it without him.
Luckily, Reynolds came around on the idea. He found a lot compelling about the character even if he was unsure how much was similar to his own life. His only connection was that he wanted to play a rascal, or someone having fun in the face of the waning years. Considering that the plot continually points out his growing irrelevance, there's sentimentalism to every frame. His self-reflection lead to some of the actor's most honest moments on film. His work with co-star Ariel Winters would even grow over the course of the film. The young actress notably behaved a little defensive and rude during the early days of filming. When Reynolds took her aside and asked her to cut out the cursing and behave a little looser, Winters agreed and the performances began to gel from there.
Dog Days was originally going to be filmed in the northeast portions of America around New York and Philadelphia. However, a mixture of problems arose that included costs for filming. As they scouted new locations, it was eventually decided upon that it would be filmed around Tennessee. Along with being considered a beautiful place by its crew, it also added levity to the feeling of insecurity that the characters would have. Reynolds, as Vic Edwards, attends a no-name film festival and needs to feel useless. One in rural Tennessee makes it easier to believe and allows for more open cinematography. Despite the film not being directly about Reynolds, it also pulled heavily from his filmography. In a few scenes, he was even transposed into his old films while talking to his younger self, including in scenes from Smokey and the Bandit and Deliverance. Rifkin researched extensively to make sure that he got the archival shots that would have the most impact.
The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22, 2017. With positive reviews, the film began a fairly successful run at various film festivals. This included winning the Chairman's Award at the San Diego Film Festival, and another win at the Rome International Film Festival. It was at the latter that Reynolds would acknowledge that he personally felt that Vic Edwards was the most honest character he had ever portrayed. The film would soon be bought up by A24 and DirecTV where it would receive a video on demand release the following February. The one catch was that the film needed to change its name. A24 helped to come up with a list of alternate names and it was finally decided upon that The Last Movie Star would be it. This was in part because the crew felt like working with Reynolds was like working with one of the last movie stars. It felt like it just fit. The film's overall box office would acquire $14,410 over its run, which was average for the DirecTV releases.
Outside of film festivals, however, the initial buzz around the film was tepid at best. According to critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 50% rating. Even those that liked the film were a bit tepid on it, including Sheila O'Malley of RogerEbert . com who noted "As a commentary on Reynolds' career trajectory, The Last Movie Star is hit-or-miss. What is undeniable, though, is the space Rifkin has created where Reynolds can do what Reynolds does best." Others found the film to be more in line with late-career Reynolds movies that were deemed inferior, such as Scott Tobias of NPR who wrote that "Another example of Reynolds accepting the wrong invitation and winding up in a role unworthy of his stature." Dennis Harvey of Variety seconded this opinion by noting that "Despite a few good moments, this well-intentioned seriocomedy mostly wobbles between crude yocks, lame generation-gap humor and sentimental cliche."
In a sense, this was Reynold's moment of career self-reflection. During interviews, he would discuss his greatest joys as an actor (Deliverance) and his regrets (Boogie Nights). It was a bittersweet moment resulting in a deeper bond between Rifkin and Reynolds. The director would later note that during a pre-show moment with the actor on Conan, Reynolds would personally thank him for the role. It was a moment that stuck with Rifkin and one that he recalled in a personal essay he wrote for Deadline following Reynold's passing on September 6, 2018. In the wake of his passing, Rifkin has been giving more interviews about the film as well as his relationship with Reynolds. It could be argued that this gave the film a second life and resulted in giving the film a bigger and more permanent relevance. While it has yet to be considered alongside his more acclaimed work, it has gotten a boost in recognition thanks to the untimely passing of the icon.
With only two films under their belt, A24's 2018 was proving to be one of their rockier years. Still, the unfortunate timing of Reynolds' death helped to make an otherwise obscure film into one of their bigger discussion points. It was the last chance to spend with an icon as he looked back on his own life. While the next film wouldn't have nearly as much of a buzz around it, Lean on Pete would be another follow-up to a critically acclaimed film that featured twists and turns. It was among the studio's more gut-wrenching films and featured plenty of compelling performances. It was also a film that proved that even as the studio was about to enter a rocky period, there was still an audience out there wanting to see their films, no matter how odd they would seem on paper.
Up Next: Lean on Pete (2018)
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