An aging movie star is invited to a small, local film festival in Nashville. He attends and goes on a journey throughout his past as he faces the fact that his glory days are behind him.
According to director Adam Rifkin, it took him about seven years to secure financing for the film. Rifkin had written the film with Burt Reynolds specifically in mind for the lead role, with many elements of the main character sharing similarities to Reynolds's personal life. Principal photography began on May 9, 2016. Most of the film was shot in Knoxville, Tennessee. Scenes from previous Reynolds films Deliverance and Smokey and the Bandit were included in the film.
Release
The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22, 2017. On June 14, 2017, A24 and DirecTV Cinema acquired distribution rights to the film. Shortly thereafter, the film's title was changed from the working title Dog Years, in a mutual decision between the filmmakers and A24. The film served as the closing-night film at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on January 14, 2018. It was released on February 22, 2018, through DirecTV Cinema before being released in a limited release and through video on demand on March 30, 2018. A red carpet premiere at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville happened a day earlier, on March 29.
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 54% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 6.15/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Last Movie Star has a few poignant moments thanks to Burt Reynolds and Ariel Winter, but their performances are stranded in a middling drama unworthy of their efforts". On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating to reviews, the film has a score of 46 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The film received mostly mixed reviews. In a mixed review for NPR, Scott Tobias stated, "Though Rifkin's heart is in the right place, there's not a moment in the film that isn't overplayed" and that, "Had Rifkin been willing to dial down the soppiness even a little, there's potential for The Last Movie Star to double as a tribute to Reynolds and a cautionary tale on the perils of fame." A review in Variety states that the movie "never quite transcends such pedestrian execution." Rolling Stone gave the film two out of four stars, calling it an "opportunity missed." In a positive review for RogerEbert.com, Sheila O'Malley gave the film three out of four stars. Many reviews pointed to Reynolds's performance as a highlight of the film. Referring to Reynolds's performance, a review in the Los Angeles Times stated, "Thanks to its star’s all-in commitment, the overtly maudlin film works better than it should," while a review from Nerd Reactor stated, "The Last Movie Star shows us why Burt Reynolds is a legendary actor. It’s just a shame that the rest of the film isn’t as good." Rolling Stone referred to the film as Reynolds's "swan song". The Last Movie Star would be one of Reynolds's last film projects, as he would die several months after the film's release.
