WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
1) It stars Dustin Hoffman.
2) It's about a young guy having an affair with an older woman.
3) It had the song "Here's to You, Mrs. Robinson" in it.
LET ME EXPLAIN...
I liked this movie. Despite the fact that it is an entire web of sexually immoral situations, it had some of the best humor, best writing, and far and away best cinematography I've seen in a comedy on the AFI List.
"The Graduate", while considered a comedy, sometimes felt like a comedy-drama. And I found it easier to enjoy the comedy if I thought of the film as a drama (which I thought it was before watching it). And for those moments when I felt the development of relationships and characters wasn't very strong, I reminded myself that it's a comedy, and comedies tend to not focus as heavily on developing characters and relationships. This really helped me enjoy "The Graduate".
What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
First, it's a funny movie, and unlike many comedies, it doesn't rely on sight gags or goofiness (as opposed to Tootsie, which ironically enough, is another film on the AFI List starring Dustin Hoffman). Rather, the wit of the script and the talent of the cast are what drive the humor. On top of that, the intro and wrap-up of the film on Turner Classic Movies (a TV channel I recently discovered as a goldmine of AFI Top 100 films) pointed out how the content of "The Graduate" was so taboo back in the 60s that it was somewhat groundbreaking in going where no film had gone before. It was also nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor, Actress, and Supporting Actress. It won Best Director, and in my opinion should have definitely won Best Cinematography (Bonnie and Clyde won it that year, much to my dismay).
Any Complaints?
Well, like I mentioned above, the film sometimes lacked in illustrating the development of one particular relationship. Also, the scuba diving scene - while funny - was confusing and I didn't get why it happened.
LET ME SUM UP...
"The Graduate" is a well written comedy that is very well acted. It also has some of the best cinematography I've seen during My Quest. The content isn't the most moral, but if you don't mind that, this is a classic comedy worth seeing.
MY RATING: 8/10
TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 73
1 comment:
Just wanted to say thanks again for putting all of this up - I'm using a service like Netflix that's available in Germany, and your reviews are excellent fodder for filling my 'to watch' list.
Also, you can't trust your Live Traffic Feed thingy. It says I'm in Haag, Bavaria, which is all the way on the other side of the country from me.
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