Overrated, perhaps... or too simple?

Rating: 8/10 (13 September 2016)

The Graduate is one of those movies which is glorified as an excellent example of an alternative classic movie by some. I was under the impression that what the first two Godfather films are to the gangster/mafia film genre is similar to what The Graduate is to the romance/early-20s-starting-a-life genre. Boy, I was wrong.
I think it's a good film, and it deserves a 100 minutes of one's time even if it's only to be able to comment on such a popular and discussed movie.
The film starts by presenting a theme of "I've just graduated from college, but I don't know what I'm gonna do with my life." One of my favorites, although it is only expressed in similar words in the movie and then forgotten. We only coincide into the theme two more times; one is a compulsory pep-talk from the father, and the other is the incidental ice-breaker topic of conversation between Ben and Ellaine. It would have been OK to use the theme as an ice-breaker both for the couple and for the movie as well. But its absence, or rather, its introduction and then absence, makes the character quite unrelatable and the topic quite irrelevant. Because there is nothing much interesting about some rich man living off his parents complain about the uncertainty he feels regarding his future.
Since the whole drama of the film was based on this premise (exlc. romance), all that is left is a typical, ordinary romantic film where a young person has sex with an older woman, then falls in love with her daughter. The first half of the film is quite good for that matter actually. Ben and Mrs. Robinson are both portrayed as interesting, deep characters. Both develop over time. While Ben's development is rather obvious, we see that Mrs. Robinson isn't just some cougar who sleeps with young men, but has more to offer. Ellaine, though, is not even a character. She is there as if only to fill a void that's left at the script.
Overall, I think the writing of the film isn't strong enough for it be a top-tier movie. Maybe it was for the standards of its time, but compared to some of today's films that could be studied under the same/similar categories, it fails to capture not only a relatable portrayal of the lives of the newly graduated, but also a sophisticated and complicated love story as they really are. I give it 7,5/10 on IMDb if I could, and that's only thanks to the great cinematography and to the marvelous soundtrack.