Review of The Graduate (1967) by Andy D — 20 Oct 2010

The film that kick-started Dustin Hoffman's career, won Mike Nichols an Oscar for Best Director, and boasts a host of scenes that have since been recycled or mimicked in other movies, 'The Graduate' is one of my all-time favourites, and a sure-fire classic. To coin a phrase, "They just don't make 'em like this any more.".

Benjamin Braddock (Hoffman) has just finished college, has returned home, but is adrift, anxious about his future and what happens next in his life. Completely disillusioned by the world that his parents and their friends and neighbours live in, he is effectively trapped into having an affair with the wife of his fathers business partner and best friend. Anne bancroft is a perfect choice for the role of Mrs Robinson, and really finds the core of her character. Part saviour, part parasite, part devil, she 'preys' on young Benjamin to satisfy her own inadequacies (she is full of self-loathing, is hugely cynical and drinks far too much) yet she is also dazzling as she does so.

Benjamin is constantly urged by both families to take the Robinson's daughter, Elaine (played wonderfully by Katharine Ross), out on a date, but in one of the great reveal moments of the movie, Mrs Robinson makes Benjamin promise that he will never do this because deep down she feels that he isn't good enough for her daughter, yet he IS good enough for her to have an ongoing affair with.

Benjamin eventually does take Elaine out, and as the film shifts into the more romanticised second half, he falls in love with her.

The Graduate is a cruel comedy, but also has a very soft and light touch to it. There is every chance that you will watch it and simultaneously grimace as you watch the characters living out their uncomfortable lives, whilst also laughing uncontrollably to yourself. The Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack is iconic and perfect, the songs often highlighting exactly Benjamin's state of mind, and the ending of the movie will leave you wondering, as it is by no means a fairytale ending...with Benjamin having just rescued Elaine from a life of mediocrity, the young couple race away from the church onto a passing bus, and as the camera fades and the movie comes to an end, their giggles seem to turn to a realisation that all they are actually doing is running towards an uncertain future together.

Poignant, but brilliant and funny film-making at its best.