Pivotal Film For 1967

Rating: 6/10 (8 June 2005)

You've got to love The Graduate. It really craps all over the traditional family of the 1960's whose kids are getting out of the house. The mid to late 60's was just such a pivotal time in America. A whole lot of things were turned on their heads regarding the family, alcohol use, drug use, gender bias, age bias, racism, and whatever else you could think of from a leftist point of view. Certainly The Graduate fits into that mold. I did really enjoy the movie though but looking back isn't it just sooooo far fetched? I was thinking of this film because of Ms. Bancroft's passing, I mean she is just any guy's fantasy (at least she was mine in this film). A hot middle aged woman who wants no strings attached sex on the fly. I mean that really sells for a teenager, or younger man as a selling point to watch. So we have this film that just craps all over middle aged traditional grownups (they're all alcoholic cheaters, bored with their suburban lifestyles, etc etc), and it has our glorified ending where the two young lovers in pure bliss go off in the sunset on a bus. Gotta love the pure fantasy this movie sold us, and hey I'll be the first to say I bought it all the way. But I just realized when I saw Ms. Bancroft's age at her death she is just 5 years older than Hoffman in real life! I mean she's playing a woman 15 years older than herself in real life and Hoffman's playing someone 10 years younger! Definitely a good sell there (I bought it), but than again it was that guy fantasy we had where we WANTED a late 40ish woman to look 15 years younger in our fantasy. They were going to make a sequel to this film, called "The Post Graduate". It's where Benjamin and Katherine get off the bus in San Francisco, and get married. She pumps out a couple of kids, finds out her husband had done her mother and turns really really bitter. Mrs Robinson shows up and Benjamin and Mrs Robinson split for Las Vegas (on a bus). The script's out there so it may still happen (along with the alternate 3 way ending and spin off TV show "My Two Mom's"), unfortunately sexy Ms Bancroft won't be in it, so I'll pass when it comes out.