A classic film about two very different relationships

Rating: 9/10 (26 August 2012)

It is hard to believe that this film is almost forty five years old; obviously some scenes are of that time but the story itself is timeless. A young Dustin Hoffman plays Ben Braddock; a young man who has just graduated and returned home to California. After a party to celebrate his homecoming family friend Mrs. Robinson asks Ben to drive him home; once there she starts flirting with him. He understandably feels very awkward; on the one hand she is an attractive woman; on the other she is considerably older than him, married and a friend of his parents. Nothing happens that night but it isn't long before an affair begins; there is nothing romantic about it though; they barely talk and don't do anything apart from have sex. Things get more awkward when Mr Robinson suggests that Ben should invite his daughter Elaine out... something Mrs Robinson has absolutely forbidden him to do. Eventually he gives in to pressure and takes her out on a deliberately bad date; something unexpected happens though; he falls in love with her. Clearly Benjamin's life is going to get even more complicated now!
This film is rightly considered a classic; the scenes between Ben and Mrs Robinson are delightfully awkward in a way that can make the viewer feel mildly uncomfortable in the way that Ben obviously does. Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft are great in the roles... it is unusual to see characters involved in an affair having so little chemistry between them... to such a degree that Ben never calls her anything but Mrs Robinson. That can't be said about the relationship between Ben an Elaine, played by the beautiful Katharine Ross; here there is an obvious chemistry and it is obvious that Ben is obsessed by her and is determined to marry her... even when he is sure she can't stand him! While there is much drama in the film there are also some nice unexpected laughs; the final scene in the church is both surprising and very funny! One can't talk about 'The Graduate' without mentioning the excellent music; the film is accompanied by a selection of Simon and Garfunkel songs; including 'Mrs Robinson' which was written for the film.