As Awkward as Hitting Puberty

Rating: 9/10 (28 April 2010)

Wow, the sixties were an interesting time period. You've got the counter-culture Easy Riders on one end, and sweeping cougar trend starting with The Graduate.
Mike Nichols knew what he wanted in this movie, and to sum it up in one word, it would be awkwardness. The camera's sense of space and character's sense of space during the entire movie was jarring and sometimes very uncomfortable to watch, but that's what Nichols was striving for, I think. You have Ben Braddock (played admirably by Dustin Hoffman) just graduating from college, and like so many other listless 20-somethings of that era, had no idea what he wanted. Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) of course had plans of her own.
While mothers preying on young awkward men is nothing new nowadays, at the time this movie came out it was landmark and debaucherous all at the same time. Likewise, this movie was anchored by a haunting tailored soundtrack by Simon & Garfunkel, and some of their best songs were written specifically for this film. Tracks like "Scarborough Fair" and "Sounds of Silence" add to the awkward coming of age in the movie, feeling comforted and uneasy at the same time.
All in all, definitely a movie worth watching, if not for its racy content, then certainly for some of the best cinematography of the era.