Thursday, April 24, 2014

459. The Graduate

The Graduate
1967
Directed by Mike Nichols









This is one of the most iconic movies in existence, and if you have never seen it you can at the very least misquote it as well as anybody.

Benjamin Braddock is a recent graduate who has no idea what to do with his life.  He is seduced by his much older neighbor, Mrs. Robinson, but eventually begins to fall for her daughter.  This reasoning is never really explained, since their chemistry nor their intellectual connection is not very great.

I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone, but aren't the last shots of this movie completely heartbreaking?  I think the last scene does more for the entire message of emptiness than any of the conversations shown in the movie.

My biggest complaint with this film is that it was not entirely sure what it wanted to be.  There were scenes that were downright goofy and then a man was accused of raping the mother of the woman he loves.  While I am all for a mix of genres, some of the scenes just did not seem to blend.

Overall, a great movie with an exceptional soundtrack (my sister and I used to listen to Mrs. Robinson everyday on our way to high school).

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Dustin Hoffman was extremely awkward during his auditions, which was exactly what Nichols was looking for.

Linda Gray played the leg in the promotional poster.  That was my favorite character.

#17 of AFI's top 100.

Trailer:


5 comments:

  1. Great review. I am glad to read some new posts of yours.

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  2. I have seen The Graduate a few times and I am always slightly uncomfortable and bored. Uncomfortable for all the characters and...well, bored. Some great lines and fun scenes, but never a favorite.

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  3. Am I the only one who thinks the music may even be too good? Sound of Silence is a stunning track and we get two full run-throughs plus another minute at the end. I'm still singing it during the rest of the movie. And every time he says the words "Mrs Robinson" I'm thinking "and here's to you...". It overshadows the story and characters in places.

    Mrs Robinson ("Heaven holds a place for those who...") herself was probably the most interesting character. It would have been interesting to have her story explored more. But, that wasn't the point of the movie.

    So why was Mrs Robinson ("Do d-do-do do-do...") so strongly against Ben dating her daughter? I thought we were going to discover that her conceiving one-night stand was with his father rather than Mr Robinson, making them brother and sister. But no, she just had a deadly serious aversion too the idea.

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