The film became a landmark in the cinema of hip, New Wave, antiestablishment disillusionment.

Rating: 10/10 (28 June 2010)

A young California man (Dustin Hoffman) from a wealthy family, recently graduated, has no idea what to do with his life or how to meet his parents' expectations. He is led into an affair with an older woman (Anne Bancroft), the wife of his father's best friend, then falls in love with her daughter (Katharine Ross).
Richly reflecting the disenchanted, anti-careerist mood of young people in the late sixties, this lushly-filmed sex comedy, surprisingly faithful to its excellent, concise source novel, opened a few new doors, looked ravishing, was well acted and had a popular music score. It also conferred instant stardom on Hoffman, who was older than his character: he was 30 when it opened. The Graduate is a comedy of its time, it has also stood the test of time. Adjusted for inflation, the film is #19 on the list of highest-grossing films in the United States and Canada.