It's almost unreal how good it is

Rating: 10/10 (22 November 2009)

The fact that this remains so relevant, when it so perfectly satirized everything wrong with the 60's, is equal parts unnerving and a credit to how thoroughly it nails numerous of the darker aspects of us as a species. Every young person can relate to Ben, played flawlessly by a young and already talented Dustin Hoffman, whose troubles simply seem to keep piling up. More than a mere love story, this captures that sense of an uncertain yet steadily approaching future, not to mention the obnoxious situations that our lead finds himself in. The comedy that comes from most of them tends to be great, if it can be a tad annoying here and there. It never tries too hard, and it usually feels natural, getting laughs from stuff we can relate to. Bancroft is deliciously seductive and playful in her performance, without the character degenerating into nothing other than a sex object. Nichols the master directs it all brilliantly. The editing(as seen in the famous sequence that has been parodied and referenced countless times) and cinematography are amazing, with subtlety and smart camera angles and cuts. Superficiality, hollow values and the problems the generation gap causes, all far too prevalent at the time this was made in the environment that it depicts, are torn apart. The music by Simon & Garfunkel is beautiful and poetic, and the rest of the tunes are marvelous, as well. There is a little nudity and some potentially disturbing content in this. I recommend this to any and all fans of drama. 10/10