Review of The Graduate (1967) by Elliott F — 04 Oct 2010
The Graduate has gained somewhat of a mythical status in pop culture, if only for the first third of the film--that which deals with the affair between 20-year-old Benjamin Braddock and twice-his-age family friend Mrs.
Robinson. Dustin Hoffman's immortal line "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me!" is known by just about everybody, so it's natural that I, having no knowledge about the film outside of the affair, was completely surprised by the plot that followed after the affair.
It's almost a comedy of errors, in which Benjamin falls in love with Elaine, Mrs. Robinson's daughter. Mrs. Robinson absolutely forbade Benjamin from dating Elaine, so when she discovers of their romance, she begins blackmailing Benjamin for their sexual escapades.
The cast is pretty solid, including a delightfully awkward Dustin Hoffman, a lustful Anne Bancroft, a doe-eyed Katharine Ross, and, in a bizarre choice of casting, Williams Daniels (aka Mr. Feeny/1776's John Adams) as Mr.
Braddock. The Graduate is immensely watchable, and the two hours fly by, but to those who think they know what the film is about, they're certainly in for a surprise.
This review of The Graduate (1967) was written by Elliott F on 04 Oct 2010.
The Graduate has generally received very positive reviews.
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