A Timeless Classic which compels us to ponder "What Now?"

Rating: 8/10 (8 September 2019)

The Graduate is one of the few older movies I can watch over and over repeatedly without ennui. It's also one of the few older movies that can endear itself multi-generationally. Even young audiences today can watch this with emotional investment. For those who think they are strictly going to see a comedy, which it was billed as, they will either be disappointed or deeply and sadly surprised. There are some funny parts, but are not always played for laughs. This movie has an undercurrent of sadness which is made all the more effective by the haunting beauty of Simon and Garfunkel's songs and the moody cinematography. These two elements are beautifully combined to create those moods of despair and loneliness.
In what is considered Dustin Hoffman's debut role, he (Benjamin Braddock) stands out as the typical awkward wimp, small in stature and afraid of his own shadow. However, we hope and believe he can overcome his shortcomings, prove his manhood and achieve an adequate modicum of self-assure. And he does. That is why Hoffman was so suited for this role.
As Ben comes home from college to that empty feeling of despair and that magical feeling of uncertainty it is so evident from the initial scenes. He feels so out of place around all these Middle aged folks at his graduation/coming home party. Director Mike Nichols does an outstanding job of making the older affluent adults look like your typical affluent stereotypes, both annoying and shallow, while making Ben appear like a little victim being overpowered by these adults. But the one person, the most captivating character in the film (Mrs. Robinson), an on-screen MILF, played brilliantly by Anne Bancroft, is the one person who treats him genuinely. With her cool and low-key demeanor she is able to capture his attention. But Ben is not so ready to jump in the hay with her. He's actually mortified at the thought of it at first.
This is one of the many reasons why this story is so fun and enthralling in that we aren't sure how much experience Ben does have if he has any experience with girls at all. Mrs. Robinson is a very attractive and chic woman. But she isn't really the villain some viewers made her out to be. The story gives her far more depth revealing to us that she too is a lonely person looking for an escape.
I have heard other reviewers discuss why this movie is so important and the pathos it exudes: the gap between the young and old generation, internal loneliness, the uncertainty of life once we accomplish a goal, the inability to fit in, infidelity, young love, etc. All these themes are good and germane to the picture and Mike Nichols touches on all of them. After a couple of dramatic turning points in the film there are effective montage sequences beautifully photographed with the affecting Simon and Garfunkel score: a drive up the coast, a walk in the University quad or the climactic ending where Ben and Elaine bashfully glance at each other in the back of the escape bus wondering to themselves, What Now"?
The performances are good throughout and Nichols knows how to get the most out of his actors with so little dialogue. In retrospect I consider the performance of Anne Bancroft to be the most interesting. She was able to convey with subtlety the inner emptiness of a manipulative, dignified, cool, gorgeous, sophisticated and vindictive woman with such depth that we are tempted to sympathize with her despite her unsavory actions.
The Graduate is truly an hypnotic experience, especially for those who are going through a transition in life wondering what it all means.