Masterfully Mature Comedy

Rating: 8/10 (11 May 2017)

(ABSENCE MAKEUP REVIEW) Similarly to Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate is a film during the "New Hollywood" era. This meant defying the older ways of Hollywood by portraying often graphic scenes; and while The Graduate certainly doesn't go into the violent territory of Bonnie and Clyde, it's arguably equally mature. The film follows Benjamin, a recently graduated college student who's having difficultly realizing what he wants in life. His parents are well off middle-class folk, but he doesn't want that, and his friends constantly try to goad him into telling them what he plans to do in life, but he can't answer so he ignores them. Enter Mrs. Robinson and suddenly Benjamin is given a distraction from his responsibilities, which he hesitantly accepts after considering it for several days. The scene between Mrs. Robinson and Benjamin is not only humorous, but also the most "Old Hollywood" defiant. Robinson attempts to seduce Benjamin into having an affair with her, or to at least consider an arrangement between the two. The chemistry between Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft in this scene is fantastic, as Benjamin fumbles around trying to understand why the sexually more experienced Mrs. Robinson is attempting to woo him into her sheets. It's funny and racy, and way beyond what used to be depicted in older films. Something that's done masterfully is how the relationship between the two begins to grow stale for Benjamin, with some great editing to tie it all together. One part in particular stands out, where Benjamin is putting on a shirt and entering his house after leaving the pool, and a match cut is made where we see Benjamin entering a hotel room where he lies on the bed and Mrs. Robinson begins to undress him. It shows how he's trying to balance his normal activities with their affair, and the look on his face as Mrs. Robinson unbuttons his shirt shows how uninterested he is with his partner. It's a great example of show, don't tell. Eventually Benjamin finds that he's interested in a new woman, Elaine, Mrs. Robinson's daughter. Things escalate from there till we reach the climax, but the thing I want to focus on is the maturity of the story. While The Graduate is a comedy, it depicts its characters and situations with grace, and doesn't push the funny moments too much where things begin to feel unrealistic, which is a difficult medium to reach. Later on, Benjamin is accused of rape; a serious accusation, and the movie handles it as such. It isn't utilized as a segue into a joke, nor is it presented as humorous. It shows that the screen writer knew when to be serious, and it pays off with a very real and human response from the actor portraying the character. There's a certain finesse to it that I think should be applauded. Overall, The Graduate is a smart and funny film that tells a mature story without relying on the comedy too heavily. It was definitely a trail blazer for the industry.