The Graduate

Audience Reviews

View More

Poe W Apr 7, 2019 A classic story about Los Angeles, the generation gap, and alienation. Funny and sad.

Finn S Mar 23, 2019 this would be awful if it wasn't for the great Hoffman, my second favorite Hoffman in the whole world

Kylo R Mar 18, 2019 And here's to you, Mike Nichols, for directing what remains one of the most resonate comedies in cinema, a film that simultaneously captures the ennui and dissonance of its era yet remains timeless and personal across generations, speaking both to the confusion of disaffected youth and to that same feeling among dismayed parents. Teetering between the listless lyricism of the Summer of Love and the outright tumult of the following year, the combination of Simon & Garfunkel's poetic harmonies with Buck Henry's acerbic wit create a dizzying, dazzling affect of hopeless yearning to match the intimate-yet-claustrophobic camerawork. It is a simple story filled with complex characters, both tremendously beautiful and bawdily taboo, a study in contradictions that seeks no easy resolution. If only Benjamin (and apparently Hoffman) weren't such a complete creep, though I suppose that sort of entitled disenchantment among young white men is just as true today as it was in the late Sixties, too. See more

Poe R Mar 4, 2019 "And here's to you Mrs. Robinson, your movie's aged but your sex appeal goes on." The Graduate was released more than 50 years ago, and its themes of disillusionment with post-college life and struggling to find your place in the world are still as relevant as ever. Its most quotable line is uttered in the first 20 minutes, and the best scenes almost all occur in the first half. Dustin Hoffman is perfectly cast as the awkward young adult at a crossroads, as in Anne Bancroft as the zesty older woman whose life is far less glamorous than our hero initially thinks. The romance between them is far more convincing than the one between Hoffman and Ross, mainly because I could see what those 2 saw in each other. The 3rd act is where things fall apart, as the film goes from being a satire on love and fulfilment and becomes a creepy melodrama centred around a deranged stalker. The lead start off likeable and innocent but ends up being only a few steps away from being a psycho killer. He acts as though he deserves Ross's character and is content to follow and harass her until she changes her mind. It makes him come across as seriously detestable, and I had no desire to see things work out for him. Also, while the soundtrack might feature the legendary duo of Simon and Garfunkel, only a few of their songs are featured, and some are played up to 3 times, making it feel like the film is often struggling for something to fill the gaps. If it had managed to sustain the quality of the first half into the second, I would highly recommend it. But as is, I'm glad I saw such a talked-about and influential picture, I was just so frustrated at how much better it could, and should, have been. See more

Theodore R Feb 11, 2019 Wow! I put off watching this film for a very longggg time and when I finally did....it's 1960's but it can still very much compete with all of Hollywood's greatest movies of all time. No wonder it's a CLASSIC! See more

Hermione M Feb 6, 2019 certainly a movie of its time but with a great message and one not afraid to "go there". If you want to cringe, laugh some, and ponder more this is a good film for you. See more

Read all reviews

The Graduate

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING