Lightweight comedy-drama with end-of-the-sixties values and music

Rating: 7/10 (24 April 2003)

A middle class college leaver returns home to start his new life, which involves having an affair with a much older married women.
Too many landmarks and notables to pretend this isn't an important film, but new viewers may find that the hype more interesting than what appears on the screen. Like Woodstock, you didn't have to be there, but you needed to have been around at the time to fully understand.
As is much noted elsewhere, the film plays out its best tricks very early and we have a long yawn before we get to the memorable climax. The Paul Simon music helps us through the more draggy parts though and started a trend of using pop music to illustrate pregnant pauses.
While Hoffman plays out many a youngman's fantasy, the whole thing comes off as limited and boring (sex yes - but not sexy!) Bancroft - as the seducing Mrs Robinson - is a lesson in non acting and is basically charmless. While a very good actress (especially on the stage), she seems to have a natural cold streak which comes through in all her films. Even for a women over thirty (Hoffman and Bancroft's real ages are closer than you think!) casual sex would be easy to come by. Why would a woman need to be involved with someone for sex that they otherwise had no interest in? Bancroft won an Oscar nomination for basically doing nothing but being enigmatic. And that is not to say unbelievable.
While well remember and regarded, this film is more about Dustin Hoffman not having to do any more dish-washing and script writers not having to worry about including casual sex than making any breakthroughs. In fact it is only a boy-meets-girl story, spun out to include the mother too...