Brilliant, Flawless, and Then Some...

Rating: 10/10 (7 August 1999)

Obviously, this is a great movie. The performances are all nothing short of brilliant, the script is a work of art, and the off-centered direction and cinematography make it truly unique. But let's delve in a bit deeper, and really see what this movie says to us, shall we?
"Plastics." What does this word mean to you? Unless you're employed in a field that involves a great deal of plastics, probably not very much. Or take Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), a bright, athletic college graduate who has absolutely no clue where he's going or, for that matter, why he's going there. What does plastics mean to him? Nothing. But, if an opportunity to do something with plastics came up, would he take advantage of it? I think so, simply because he couldn't think of anything better to do with his time.
Which explains the ultimate confusion of Mike Nichols' "The Graduate". Why would a guy like Ben every have an affair with someone like Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft)? Because there wasn't any real glaring reason not to, and because he couldn't think of anything better to do with his time. Mrs. Robinson simply becomes available, just as Elaine (Katherine Ross) becomes unavailable. In a world where nothing makes much sense, what seems easiest and most available is, only too often, what we take advantage of.
Enter the world of Ben Braddock, where nothing is quite what it seems, and yet everything makes complete sense. Everyone has, I believe, been in Ben's shoes. If not, they will be sooner or later. Confusion and self-doubt are a part of everybody's coming of age, and "The Graduate" turns these feelings into a bizarre, inexplainable masterpiece. The empty faces at the end only help to put us in Ben's position all over again. Where are we going, why are we going there, and where will we go from there?
**** out of ****.