Still hilarious, still affecting

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2005)

"The Graduate" has been part of American pop culture since long before I was born. The story of uncertain college graduate Benjamin Braddock, his affair with older family friend Mrs. Robinson, and his eventual pursuit of her daughter Elaine is now common knowledge, and the many upheavals of the '60s have come and gone. Despite all this, "The Graduate" is still emotionally involving, rather than dated. The acting, screenplay, and direction are all skillfully done, and overall the film truthfully conveys how it feels to be "adrift," like Benjamin.
"The Graduate" is hilarious and painful, often at the same time. Some great humor comes from the satirical skewering of American culture ("Plastics"), but most is character-based, arising from Ben's awkwardness and knack for saying exactly the wrong thing.
Technically, Dustin Hoffman was too old for his role and Anne Bancroft was too young for hers (they were just 6 years apart in age!). And sometimes it's hard to believe that Hoffman is supposed to be 21, but his performance captures so much of Ben's post-college angst, insecurity, and confusion, it's easy to forgive him for looking a little old. Bancroft is able to play older than her actual age, and more importantly, she makes Mrs. Robinson into a complex and human character. Mrs. Robinson could easily be a cartoon of a sex-hungry woman, but in Bancroft's portrayal, she is rueful, bitter, wry, and determined.
"The Graduate" has inspired many other films focusing on youthful alienation and anomie. But, in my opinion, a lot of those movies fail by trying to be "hip" or "ironic" or "quirky" to such a degree that it's impossible to empathize with the characters. "The Graduate" avoids most of this. Sure, the Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack was very hip at the time, but the music always serves the mood of the film, rather than just proving that Mike Nichols listened to cool bands. The film's montages, underscored by this sweet, melancholy folk-rock music, have a surprising emotional power.
The famously ambiguous final shot practically begs you to speculate on what will happen to Ben and Elaine in the future. In other words, the characters are interesting and relatable enough to keep thinking about long after the movie has ended. That should be proof enough that "The Graduate" is still an excellent, relevant, involving film. Go check it out.