MovieChat Forums > The Last American Virgin (1982) Discussion > Is the final shot in the car cruel?

Is the final shot in the car cruel?

posted 11 years ago by moviefool09
25 replies | jump to latest

I understand the devastation of the kissing scene. But to show Gary sobbing in the car ride home as the last true scene....I dunno....seemed to be the director really throwing salt on the wounds, driving it into our hearts.

Why not just leave it at the kissing scene? Maybe a slow fade-out when they're both looking back at Gary....maybe after holding that shot for several long seconds.

I dunno....the scene in the car seemed excessive, and even a little cruel.

"You're telling me the future is video and not film?"

[–] theblackestmagic 11 years ago

I don't know. Maybe since the character of Gary was the story's main protaganist, and the one we as an audience have certainly been following and identifying with throughout most of the film, the director wanted to put the final shot on his face to make it all the more painful and heartbreaking for the viewers.

[–] moviefool09 11 years ago

Perhaps. It just didn't ring "true" to me. It also wasn't very artistic, as far as a final lingering shot. That scene in the kitchen would have been so much more powerful to end on. The sobbing in the car follow-up wasn't needed, IMHO.

"You're telling me the future is video and not film?"

[–] jayhn1111 11 years ago

Yeah but you leave out the fact that Journey was playing at the time. That added a lot of the ending scene

[–] moviefool09 11 years ago

Aaaah yes, the final dagger in the heart...the Journey song :)

Forgot about that....

"You're telling me the future is video and not film?"

[–] theblackestmagic 11 years ago

I'm sorry, but wasn't it actually 'Just Once' by James Ingram that was playing in the final scene of the movie?

[–] moviefool09 11 years ago

You may be right, bigtrainphantom. It's honestly been so long since I've seen the film....all I remember is the tears :)

"Just Once" is a great song though....and a good choice to end the film, which I now agree with you that it did....

Incidentally, the director of the film, Boaz Davidson, is on Facebook and I sent him a nice message a few days ago. Never heard back from him :)

"You're telling me the future is video and not film?"

[–] jayhn1111 11 years ago

He's right I looked it up. I thought I remembered Open Arms playing in the final scene but that must've been in another scene. I guess it's been too long since I've seen it. Probably about 25 years.

[–] moviefool09 11 years ago

Yeah it's def. been more than 10 years since I've seen it. For some reason, it's not the kind of flick you see on cable anymore....unless at a very obscure hour at 4:30 AM or something :)

"You're telling me the future is video and not film?"

[–] theblackestmagic 11 years ago

It's been awhie since I've seen it too but I guess I have a strong memory of it or something. And to the previous poster, the Journey song 'Open Arms' is played I believe 3 times in the film. The first is when Gary finds Karen crying in the hallway and she confides in him that she's pregnant. The second is when he visits her right after the abortion and the third is when he finally confesses his for her while they're both staying at his grandmother's house.

[–] jayhn1111 11 years ago

Ahh ok thanks! For some reason I remembered the song playing when he was in the car crying.

[–] theblackestmagic 11 years ago

No problem. And you know it's true that they often show 'Fast Times' on tv quite abit, and even 'Valley Girl' on occasion(more on cable than regular tv). But for whatever reason 'TLAV' is rarely ever shown on tv nowadays.

[–] moviefool09 11 years ago

Given that, Phantom, I sure hope Journey is collecting residuals every time this film airs on tv :)

"You're telling me the future is video and not film?"

[–] theblackestmagic 11 years ago

True! Especially Steve Perry, who could probably use some residues nowadays. If I'm not mistaken, he hasn't been the lead singer for the band for some time now.

[–] jayhn1111 11 years ago

Yeah I've had this movie on my tivo wishlist for almost 10 years now. I've been waiting for them to play it. They did play it on VH1 classic a few years ago, but obviously the edited version doesn't cut it for a movie like this so I didn't watch it or record it. When it first came on cable at the time I kept watching it over and over again. They've played stuff like Valley girl and Fast times at Ridgmont high in the last few years, which were other favorites of mine, so ya figure they'd play this movie at some point. I guess not.

[–] mickya 10 years ago

It was just on the MGM movie network--boobs and all

[–] strntz 11 years ago

I understand the devastation of the kissing scene. But to show Gary sobbing in the car ride home as the last true scene....I dunno....seemed to be the director really throwing salt on the wounds, driving it into our hearts.

If the writer and director happens to read your post, they'll be very happy. Anytime a story or scene can have such an impact is a major victory for the writer or director.

It is bad to drink Jobu's rum. Very bad.

[–] moviefool09 11 years ago

Agreed. That second-to-last scene (IMO) was the strongest, most emotional scene in the film. It came at the end of the film. Another scene was not needed.

"You're telling me the future is video and not film?"

[–] Druff (1796) 5 years ago

If the writer and director happens to read your post, they'll be very happy. Anytime a story or scene can have such an impact is a major victory for the writer or director.

Somewhere I heard/read that the story is very much autobiographical on the part of the writer/director himself, so if that's true I imagine his reaction would be "You think it was cruel to show it in a movie? Consider how cruel it was to actually be the kid driving the car."

[–] laustcawz-789-925423 10 years ago

Life itself is often very cruel & perhaps the cruelest thing to do is to lie & say that everything is perfect
& everything will work out nicely. The movie & the original version, "Lemon Popsicle" were both by the same filmmaker, Boaz Davidson, who based the story on something that happened to him. He was clearly trying
to express how he felt at the time. This is an important lesson to teach boys/men.

[–] jackiefoxybrown 10 years ago

I just watched it and thought......not only does he get rejected, yet again, but they have to play the sad Ingram song. I found my self sobbing throughout the whole film.

[–] moviefool09 10 years ago

Yup....the Ingram song is Boaz Davidson just punching us in the gut, one more time....just in case we weren't gutted already as an audience.

"You're telling me the future is video and NOT film?"

[–] rndgurl-971-654277 8 years ago

Yes. The final shot in the car is cruel, that is what makes it brilliant.. life can suck sometimes..

But, the optimist part of me likes to think that maybe he talked with his mom or dad about what happened when he got home and maybe they gave him some insight to think about.. just a thought...

[–] saint-21 8 years ago

or maybe he found comfort back at Carmela's place.

[–] silver_snail14 8 years ago

I thought the crying scene during the credits was perfect. It didn't seem cruel at all, it seemed sympathetic and moving. It shows a young man completely broken and disillusioned yet somehow leaves you with hope that he will recover and become stronger. The kissing scene is what really drove the knife in for me. It was just agonizingly painful.

You who wish to conquer pain, you must learn to serve me well.

[–] strntz (12231) 7 years ago

It shows a young man completely broken and disillusioned yet somehow leaves you with hope that he will recover and become stronger.

It was gut wrenching, but don't worry about Gary. The very best thing that Karen could have done to Gary is what she did at the party. If she didn't run into Rick that night, she would have run into him eventually (perhaps he'd call). Gary's life would have been consumed with keeping Rick and Karen apart, or Karen and anyone she might meet at college.

Face it, Karen would have left Gary eventually - if not for Rick then someone else who was taller, better looking, had more money, or drove a nicer pizza delivery vehicle. The faster this happened, the faster Gary would learn a lesson that would pay dividends with his later relationships.

It's like ripping a bandage off: do it NOW, do it QUICKLY, the faster the pain goes away. I look at that scene as liberation for Gary. Gary and the rest of us don't know it while it's happening, but it's a happy ending.