The Last of Us on HBO continues to surpass all audience expectations, as the critically-acclaimed series adapts the much-loved video game of the same name by Naughty Dog, and Episode 6 was no exception.
During one of the latest installment’s most charming moments, Ellie was taken to watch a movie in the Jackson community, after she and Joel had made her way there to find Joel’s brother, Tommy. What was the movie playing in the theater? Here’s why you might recognize it.
Which film was being played in the movie theater in The Last of Us Episode 6?
The movie that played during part of The Last of Us HBO Episode 6 was The Goodbye Girl from 1977, written by Neil Simon, and directed by Herbert Ross. It stars Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfuss in the dual lead roles, as Paula McFadden and Elliot Garfield respectively, while a young Quinn Cummings plays Paula’s daughter, Lucy.
This film sees Paula, an unemployed dancer, dumped by her live-in boyfriend. As a result, she and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with an off-Broadway actor, who is facing similar struggles. From there, romance blossoms.
The Last of Us may have chosen to include The Goodbye Girl due to its themes of loneliness, despair, and ultimately finding hope in people you didn’t have too much faith in. Then again, it may have just been chosen because it’s a classic comedy, and writers wanted a feel-good movie to break up all of the tension woven throughout the rest of Episode 6.
As it drew to its conclusion, the HBO Max show’s sixth episode saw Ellie and Joel almost part ways. He felt a sense of failure in the loss of his daughter, and then his close companion Tess, and was unsure of his ability to safely navigate the country in taking Ellie to the Fireflies. In the end, he did agree to ride with Ellie once more, but tragedy struck as he was stabbed before the credits rolled.
