THE LAST MOVIE STAR

THE LAST MOVIE STAR

Film Review by FIORE

Imagine you are an international box office star, the toast of the town, the man of every woman’s desire and wealthier than sin.  Then imagine, in the blink of an eye, it’s all gone and you’re an old man who everyone has forgotten.  You no longer receive scripts, you are no longer on the A-circuit for parties and half the people now populating Tinseltown have no idea who you are or were.  That’s the premise behind Burt Reynold’s latest, and possibly last movie, THE LAST MOVIE STAR.  Though not billed as autobiographical, the film serves as a retrospective of Reynold’s career, after his zenith, and as an apology to those he dissed along the way.

Reynolds is Vic Edwards, a former Hollywood idol who is now an octogenarian with poor physical health and the ravages of old age.  He lives each day in stark contrast to what he would have done then, with what he can do now.  Sitting with his one companion Sonny (Chevy Chase) he is encouraged to travel to Tennessee and accept a Lifetime Achievement Award from a local film festival.

Once he arrives in Tennessee, Vic discovers the festival is nothing more than a group of fans without a proper venue.  Doug McDougal (Clark Duke) and his best friend Shane McAvoy (Eller Coltraine) have assembled a weekend gathering at a local bar.  Doug hires his sister Lil (Ariel Winter) to serve as Vic’s weekend chauffeur and aide.  This sets up a major conflict between Vic’s preconceived notions and the reality of the festival.  It also reveals the chasm of a generation gap between Vic and Lil and his fans.

THE LAST MOVIE STAR was penned, produced and directed by Adam Rifkin.  Together with the cinematography of Scott Winig and the editing skills of Dan Flesher, he weaves a cute, yet somber tale.  The trio successfully intertwine the story with old clippings from Reynold’s films and news appearances.  It makes for a bittersweet jaunt on memory lane, especially for those of us who grew up during Reynold’s heyday.

I enjoyed watching THE LAST MOVIE STAR, though it was a bit painful watching Reynolds now and remembering the way he was.  It brought out my own mortality and the harsh reality of aging.  While the story may reflect some aspects of Reynold’s actual life, there is enough fiction tossed in to make THE LAST MOVIE STAR a heartfelt drama.  This is a good one for anyone who likes to relive the old days, especially with a cool single malt from Scotland.