As a lover of film, I know I should have seen this ages ago, but now that I have, I’m having trouble figuring out what makes it so significant. That’s not to say that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it. I thought Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, and Cloris Leachman all gave terrific performances and Cybill Shepard was just so sexy and such a bitch. It was gorgeously shot and I got the feeling that I was slowly watching this small Texas town wither away and die. That loaded environment coupled with the struggles of its people undoubtedly make for a phenomenal story, but with that said, I feel like I’m missing what gives this film its position in American film history.
