What I’m watching: a documentary about the end of an era

Date: 3/22/2021

On Netflix: ‘The Last Blockbuster’

In this era of streaming services, the concept of renting a physical DVD or Blu-Ray may seem quaint to some. Renting such things now is largely defined by the Redbox machine outside of grocery stores and pharmacies.

But not so long ago, the video rental store was many things to many people. It was initially a “mom and pop” business that was seen as an essential part of a neighborhood. It was a new means of marketing films, providing an important cash flow to the movie studios. It was the means through which independent producers could reach an audience with their low budget productions.

Most of that went the way of the dodo with the advent of streaming services.

“The Last Blockbuster,” a new documentary on Netflix – presented with little irony although there is plenty hanging there – details the rise and fall of the giant video store chain and how one Blockbuster has managed to survive in the community of Bend, OR.

Using a handful of comedians to talk about the video rental experience – some of whom actually worked in video stores, including a Blockbuster – the film has a light tone, although the survival of the last Blockbuster is certainly something the filmmakers presents with empathy.

Interviews illustrate how the concept of being able to watch movies through video rentals changed lives as well as the definition of home entertainment.

Using interviews with former Blockbuster execs and franchise owners, the directors Taylor Morden and Zeke Kamm show how the video chain was able to push out the mom and pops by offering more copies of titles through its buying power and run stories more efficiently with computer technology.

When the company came up with revenue sharing with the movie studios, it became more and more difficult for the independents to survive.

The filmmakers use a brief and profanity-loaded interview with Lloyd Kaufman of the independent Troma Studios to point out that Blockbuster could be a very contentious company with which to deal.

At the height of the chain’s success it had 9,000 locations.

The Blockbuster story, though, is not a triumphant one. The directors show how corporate mis-steps hurt the company. One such error was the idea of eliminating late fees and a former Blockbuster exec explained the revenue for the company dropped two-thirds with that decision.

Such mistakes ultimately led to the company being sold to Direct TV, which closed down corporate-run locations. Franchised stores couldn’t continue – except for several in Alaska and one in Oregon.

When the Alaska stores closed, there was just one standing.

The star of this story is Sandy Harding, the manager of the last Blockbuster. A friendly, optimistic person, she successfully maintains her store as if there were still hundreds of Blockbusters still standing. Her store illustrates that people are still interested in physical media and in the community formed by this kind of business.

I wish the filmmakers had dug in a little deeper to the brief but important history of the home video revolution, which truly made significant changes to the film industry. Home video’s rise meant the downfall of drive-in theaters;  the opportunity for new locally owned businesses – before the massive chains; and a new opportunity for independent filmmakers.

It also built a whole new generation of movie fans as it made available films that may have eluded them on TV or in theaters. Home video allowed people to collect films  and build their own libraries.

It would have added to the film if the directors had presented information about the golden age of the business – the early and mid-1990s – when the trade shows for the home video – the VSDAs – illustrated just how big the industry had become.

“The Last Blockbuster” is sweet and nostalgic, and it hints at larger issues about the motion picture business and the power of physical media.