THE LAST MOVIE STAR (2018) ****

Burt Reynolds famously appeared naked in the pages of Cosmopolitan, but his performance in The Last Movie Star might be the most naked he’s ever been.  He bares his soul in this film.  Although Burt may have argued he was more of a “star” than an “actor”, his performance here proves otherwise.  In a career full of wonderful performances, this ranks right up there with his best stuff. 

Burt plays an old movie star named Vic Edwards who gets an invitation to go to Nashville to pick up a lifetime achievement award.  When he gets there, he is dismayed to learn it’s nothing more than a bunch of hipster film buffs showing movies in the back room of a saloon.  He promptly gets drunk and tells everyone off before retreating to his hotel room.  The next day, he orders his driver Lil (Ariel Winter) to take him to the airport.  On the way there, he asks her to drive past his old neighborhood, so he can see the house he grew up in.  

Thus begins Vic’s journey of self-discovery.  Along the way, he comes to terms with his past, accepts his present, and learns to be hopeful for the future.  He even manages to impart some life lessons to Lil, who goes from seeing him as “some creepy old dude” to a sort of father figure and mentor.

The Last Movie Star was written and directed by Adam Rifkin as a love letter to Burt.  He’s stated that if Burt turned him down, he’d refuse to make the movie.  That makes sense, but I also think that only Rifkin could’ve told this particular story.  After all, we’re talking about the man who made The Chase, the closest anyone has ever come to replicating the feel and fun of Smokey and the Bandit.

Your enjoyment of The Last Movie Star may depend largely on how much baggage you bring into it.  If you’re only a casual Burt Reynolds fan, you might find it to be a pleasant dramedy.  If you’re like me and worship at the altar of all things Burt, it will be a heartbreaking, devastating, exhilarating, and reaffirming experience.  That’s because Burt is mostly playing a thinly veiled version of himself.  When he is pouring his soul out about lost loves, career failures, and past regrets, he could just as easily be talking about himself.  Because of that, the film largely has a documentary vibe to it.  Rifkin’s style is unobtrusive, and the more personal moments feel more spontaneous than scripted.

The scenes of Reynolds and his buddy, played by Chevy Chase have a loose, off-the-cuff feeling about them.  They are so good together than you’ll wonder why someone didn’t think to put them in a movie sooner.  The heart of the film belongs to Burt and Ariel Winter.  They make for a mismatched team on the surface, but their chemistry together is truly something special.  Burt’s had a lot of memorable leading ladies over the years and Winter holds her own with the best of them.  There’s a scene where she rattles off a never-ending list of prescriptions she’s taken for depression while Burt patiently listens that is really touching.  

The standout moments come when Burt is transported into scenes from his two biggest hits, Smokey and the Bandit and Deliverance.  He tries to give his younger self advice (he tells the Bandit, “Slow down!”), although he’s fully aware that it’ll do no good.  Not only are these scenes fun to watch if you’re a Burt fan, it deftly does two things simultaneously:  It allows Burt to make peace with his past while reminding the audience of just how earthshattering a phenomenon he was back in the ‘70s.

Throughout the movie, Burt is unafraid to show his age.  He uses a cane and walks with a stoop.  He speaks a little slower, and his movements are often fragile (and sometimes painful to watch).  However, the old Burt is still there, razor sharp as ever.  The putdowns he makes under his breath are hilarious.  On the outset, The Last Movie Star seems like it’s about Burt saying goodbye.  By the end, we realize it’s a statement that he still has plenty left in the tank.

AKA:  Dog Years.