Manage your expectations

Rating: Null/10 (30 October 2009)

After hearing great things about this film, and the impact it had on people and how it was "the film of a generation" I was obviously expecting a tremendous movie, and maybe, that's why I felt so disappointed.My expectations were too high.I just don't see the brilliance,I don't see any relevance,I don't get why this film is hold in such high esteem and its considered to be a true classic,I don't see any revolutionary ideas or something that would justify calling this film "the film of a generation".Fightclub for instance, was thought-provoking and analyzed(and criticized in a way) the youth of today,it showed how society crippled and chained man, how it transformed us into a receptacle for consumption leaving us with an identity crisis of unparalleled proportions.For me, Fightclub is definitely the film of a generation,it describes perfectly what was happening (and still is)in the turn of the century,The Graduate on the other hand(which was viewed as extremely revolutionary in the 60's) its just a simple romantic comedy.A pretty straight-forward story.Sure I can see the alienation of the young Ben Braddock(played by Dustin Hoffman),I see how he is rebelling against the conformism of his parents,how he's drifting trough life not sure of what he wants or who he is but none of this is revolutionary and in the end after having an affair with an older woman,Ben, rather than striking a blow for self-determination, ends up with the woman's daughter,the exact same girl his parents had picked out for him. Sure, the movie is somewhat funny,there is some interesting camera work and some original transitions between shots and scenes and overall the film is enjoyable(mainly because of Hoffman's performance) but it is not what it's made out to be. Or maybe it doesn't stand the test of time,either way I find The Graduate to be an overrated and irrelevant film.
6/10