Top 5 Film Class Movies: FILM #4

Rating: 7/10 (27 July 2005)

I am going "Old School" with my 4th favorite film from class with Mike Nichols coming of age hit The Graduate. A very young Dustin Hoffman plays Benjamin Braddock, an extremely shy and indecisive college graduate. He returns home with the pressures from his family and friends about his future goals (which he could care less about). The very attractive Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) turns Ben's life upside down when they begin sleeping together. The situation does not get any easier for the young man as he falls for Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine, despite a stern warning from the seductress.
You would not know it unless you watched this film two or three times, but Nichols is a genius with the symbolism he uses in showing the confusing journey that is Benjamin's life. Framed portraits of clowns on the wall, the water motif, and the selective focusing are just a few of the now famous traits of his film that shows the goofy mannerisms and entrapment Ben has encountered. Hoffman portrays one of the finest "airheads" I've ever seen on screen. Not in the sense of someone who is dumb, instead someone who is always unsure and careless.
This film is listed as a comedy, but probably will not provide the guffaws most would expect. The comedy comes from the relatable situations Braddock faces and the very odd ways he chooses to handle them. "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?" Even this famous quote shows his unconfident demeanor and social anxiety. Nichols also shows his psychic abilities with Ben receiving the unwanted advice to invest in "plastics." Keep in mind, this film was made in 1967.