Strange dark comedy.

Rating: 7/10 (3 June 2006)

The Graduate tells the story of a young man just out of college and unsure of what to do with his life. His family annoys him, and life is confusing. He ends up starting a love affair with the much older Mrs. Robinson for reasons he can't even explain, but things get complicated when he falls for her daughter. The Graduate is a strange little film that you might have high expectations about due to it's status in cinema history.
The Graduate is a very well made film that has many messages about real life, and that may be what draws a lot of people to it. People who describe this as a comedy are a bit mistaken. It's a black comedy. There are funny scenes, but not that are really laugh out loud funny. The drama in the movie is actually more involving. The plot starts out kind of strange, but it gets stranger as the movie moves on. It actually gets more and more unrealistic as the movie moves on, which is kind of annoying. One problem is that Simon and Garfunkel made up the soundtrack for this film, and people who don't like their mellow form of music might start to get really annoyed. In one sequence of the film, they play the song Scarbourough Fair way too much, and it starts to get annoying.
If you want to talk acting, it's no wonder Dustin Hoffman made his career off this film. He does a great job playing Ben Braddock, and he is able to convey stress, fear, and funniness all at the same time. The other fine actors surrounding him in this film only help to amplify his talent.
Overall, The Graduate is a good movie, but it's not for everybody. Not everybody will be able to understand its meaning, and not everybody will be able to even sit through it. It's a strange little film.
7.5/10