Burt Reynolds, now 82 and a far cry from his action image in such films as “Deliverance” and “Smokey and the Bandit,” clips from which are worked into “The Last Movie Star,” gets a meaty role here that veers between anger and sentiment.
Writer-director Adam Rifkin has said that he created this role expressly for Reynolds, who plays aging former star Vic Edwards, now a forlorn heavy drinker and all but forgotten. At first when he gets an invitation to be honored at a film festival in Nashville he doesn’t want to go. But ultimately he decides to be so honored.
What he finds is a grave disappointment. The festival is a tiny affair held in a bar and attended by a motley group of young fans. Edwards was given a list of famous stars previously honored. He learns they were honored in absentia.
Things go wrong from his arrival. He is booked into minimal accommodations. He is met by Ariel Winter as Lil, a loud-mouthed, rude driver who treats him without the fawning respect he expects. Edwards would like to leave.
But the film eventually dips into sentiment when he comes to appreciate the sincerity of those who admire his past work, and even more importantly, he takes a trip down memory lane to where he grew up in Knoxville.
The story is a stretch, but it does give Reynolds the opportunity to turn age into a plus and at this stage of his life play an oldster effectively. It is a convincing performance in less than convincing circumstances. An A24 and DIRECTTV release. Reviewed March 30, 2018.