Sensational in '67 ... Disconcerting in '05

Rating: 5/10 (29 July 2005)

In 1967, The Graduate caused a stir  and understandably so. It went where, I believe, no one had gone before  both in style and content. It is considered a classic and the music by Simon and Garfunkel definitely puts it in that category all on its own. At the height of the swinging sixties, I imagine audiences that were gearing up for the "Make Love, Not War" Hippy days, would have been applauding at the end.
But is it a good movie? Although there's no question that many LOVE it, I have to admit that I'm not one of them. Perhaps I didn't look deeply enough into the symbolism  who knows? All I do know is that at the end of the movie I felt as though I'd just watched something uncomfortably outside of reality and was left feeling a tad confused and more than a little bit cheated from the experience. In fact, I found myself shaking my head several times thinking, "As if!"
Many would probably argue that the charm of the movie is that it switches gears mid-stream. However, I found it disconcerting. Perhaps that was due to the fact that I had always believed this movie to be a comedy. Again, some would say that it is, but I felt the reverse was true. Although there were some quite humorous moments, I found most of The Graduate to be quite depressing. Even the ending, which should have been a joyful high point, left me feeling flat, due to the way the characters were presented in the final moments.
I guess The Graduate will always be considered a classic and a milestone in movie history. No doubt it led to others, like "The Summer of 42" and songs like, "Summer the First Time." It earned its place in cinema history, and it is probably worth watching by most adults at least once. I've done that and am more than happy to just leave it at that.