The Graduate
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Movie Reviews of The Graduate
Movie Review: I Love This Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Hoffman's performance is pitch perfect. It's underplayed, his character is a guy who doesn't know what to feel, or how to feel, so he's expressionless throughout the movie. I've got one word for you. One word. Are you ready? Plastics.
What are you doing, Benjamin? I'm just drifting. Here in the pool.
The writing is amazing!
The movie also uses symbolism in a wonderful way. Mrs. Robinson, for example, is always wearing animal prints, like she's going to eat him up. Hoffman is constantly filmed looking through water, drowning in water. His parents buy him scuba gear, force him to wear it, and then when he tries to come up for air, his father puts his foot on his head and kicks him back down into the pool.
People in the 60's liked The Graduate because it was about rebellion, and growing up, and wanting to feel real emotion. Coming of age stories are timeless, though. Everybody has to go through this stuff.
Mrs. Robinson, we never talk. Can we talk? Can we have a conversation? What do you want to talk about, Benjamin? I don't know. Art.
You're not one of those outside agitators, are you?
And the cinematography is amazing, the things Nichols did with his camera. Pulling the camera away from Benjamin as he was running towards the camera. Having Mrs. Robinson in focus in the background, and then switching the focus to Benjamin in the foreground.
Simon and Garfunkel all over the soundtrack. The lyrics to Mrs. Robinson.
Anne Bancroft, naked in Benjamin's room, but we only see bits and pieces of her, like Picasso.
The expression on Benjamin's face at the end of the movie. A blank expression. What do I feel now? Classic.
Benjamin swinging a cross at everybody in the church, and then locking the doors of the church with a cross.
Hoffman wearing sunglasses. Hoffman in a suit. Hoffman trying to conduct an adult affair. I've got it. I've got my toothbrush. It's right here in my pocket.
Jump cut from diving in the pool to diving on Mrs. Robinson. Jump cut from Mrs. Robinson talking to Benjamin's mom talking.
He calls her "Mrs. Robinson" the whole movie. He's so respectful. It's so non-intimate. This movie is so amazing.
My Absolutely Insane Attempt To Rank All Cinema
Movie Review: The Graduate - a revisionist critique of 1950's culture
Summary: 5 Stars
On a short list of my favorite movies. Personally, this is a film that speaks to me on a number of levels: it tells the story of a young man's coming of age, his need to separate from his parents, etc. But most interesting of all, perhaps, is its relevance to 1950's American culture and the complicated position it takes towards towards that culture. I'm too young to remember the 1950's, but since, in my opinion, the Fifties are still with us in a lot of important ways, the film still speaks to us on this level.
At first, the film would seem to be a straightforward vilification of 1950's culture. Benjamin says at the very beginning that he wants his future to be "different" from the world in which he has grown up, and in many ways it is (not the least of which is his sexual liason with Mrs. Robinson). His parents, the ridiculous scuba diving suit they buy for his birthday, and the beer-and-television lifestyle he gets into are all representative of Fifties culture, and are all unsympathetically treated in the film.
Yet some of the most sympathetically portrayed things in Benjamin's life are also representative of Fifties culture. The drive-in restaurant he goes to with Elaine, where they dine on hamburgers and French fries, is just one of the most obvious examples.
This double-edged view of Fifties culture comes to a climax in the film's last scene, when Benjamin breaks up Elaine's wedding to Karl Smith. A seemingly biting critique of the Fifties and everything they stood for, including religion. Yet the fact is that Benjamin still ends up with Elaine, the daughter of his father's business partner, a match previously sanctioned by both sets of parents. In spite of all he has done to make his life "different", Benjamin in fact has still remained within the mold of Fifties cultural expectations and married the girl he was "supposed" to marry. This two-sided view of Fifties culture is, I feel, one of the most interesting narratives of the film, and one not often discussed, I think. A great film for this and many other reasons.
Movie Review: a must-see
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me begin by noting that I watched The Graduate for the second time recently, and I was delighted; I had forgotten how truly funny Hoffman's flat, dead-pan deliveries are.
I really can't speak to its place in the history of film (as I'm only 24 and am not well-versed in film history), but I can say that, in spite all that Simon and Garfunkel, The Graduate still comes across as very fresh and interesting. I thought it did an excellent job of capturing the post-graduate mentality (partly idealistic, partly cynical, and completely lost). I liked how the main characters were fairly fleshed out, even though the dialogue was economical. I thought the camera work was interesting. In particular, there are several impressive shots involving "Mrs. Robinson." The first being the quick cuts to her nude torso during the initial seduction scene. I think the flashes of her chest and sharp tan-lines are much more titillating than a lingering, full-body shot could have been. There is also a scene, just after Hoffman's rainy-day confession, when he looks at Mrs. Robinson standing in the corner. The camera speedily zooms back, and we see her looking very small and wasted. I found this quite effective. The last thing I will mention about the Graduate is the final scene ... after the almost implausible grand finale, the camera lingers on its characters for about 20 second longer than you might expect. I think this brings the story back to reality, in a way - and makes for a simultaneously uncomfortable, open-ended and hopeful conclusion. Anyway, I thought it was great.
Although some people apparently find The Graduate slow or dated, personally, I think it's one of the most completely excellent films I've ever seen. Of course, my recommending this film is a bit blue on black. I mean, it's a classic, and millions of people have loved it. You may or may not, but you certainly won't be wasting your time if you give it a go.
Movie Review: Classic 60's movie
Summary: 5 Stars
The Graduate has become a classic film, one that makes all those `top 100 film' lists. It stars a young Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock, a young man from a wealthy family, who has just graduated from college. He is in limbo, unsure of what to do with his time and where life will lead him. The Robinson's are his parents' best friends and it is their daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross) who Ben's parents have earmarked as a partner for their son. However Mrs Robinson (played by a brilliantly predatory Anne Bancroft) has other plans and is set on seducing the naïve young man. When Elaine returns from college, Ben falls for her and ends his relationship with her mother. Predictably Mrs Robinson reacts with hostility and sets out to ruin both his relationship with her daughter and his life.
Simon and Garfunkle provide the music in their inimitable style and the title song, Mrs Robinson, was a huge hit for them. Director Mike Nichols managed, in this film, to capture the feel and mood of the 60's flawlessly and he deservedly won an Oscar for his work. The DVD itself has few extras, a documentary by the director, interview with Hoffman, some trailers and the usual subtitles. The picture and sound quality are good, what you would expect from the format. This is a film that has stood the test of time and is still worth watching today.
Movie Review: As Hilarious as it is Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
On AFI's top 100 films list, The Graduate falls at #7, and that is just one source of praise for the film. So, going into the movie, I knew I was going to see a great film. But less is made about the fact that The Graduate also stands ninth on AFI's Top 100 Comedy Films list. As I watched the film, I was aware certainly that I was watching a cinema classic, but I was taken by surprise at just how hilarious the movie is. Calder Willingham and Buck Henry's script makes it obvious that they have been paying close attention to the way people behave in middle class, academic society, and when they get it just right, it proves to be amazing how funny we naturally are. Mike Nichols' choice to stick closely to the script pays off, and he is still more than able to insert his own style into the film. The film has almost has many unforgettable images as it does quotes. Perhaps most importantly to the film's success is the brilliant cast, particularly Hoffman. His comic timing in this film earned him his well-deserved shot to stardom; his awkward scenes with the sly, mysterious Bancroft are perfect catastrophes. You will come for the hype, which it certainly deserves, but you'll stay for the laughs, and they will keep you coming back.