Amazing in the 60s, today it seems awfully overrated

Rating: 6/10 (7 October 2008)

THE GRADUATE is well into the top 250 Best Films on IMDb, yet I think it is highly overrated. That's because I think it scores so highly due to its impact when it was released and innovation, though today the movie seems, to me, flawed but interesting.
Dustin Hoffman stars in one of his earliest films as a young college graduate who is extremely insecure and adrift emotionally. Into this aimlessness comes the very seductive friend of the family, Mrs. Robinson, who does practically everything a woman can do to seduce him. Eventually, Hoffman takes the "forbidden fruit" and begins an affair that is based only on sex. Heck, even after they become intimate, he continues calling her "Mrs. Robinson" and this continues for several months.
Later, when the Robinsons' daughter (played by Katharine Ross) comes home from college to visit her parents, Hoffman is encouraged by all (except, of course, Mrs. Robinson) to date Ross. Despite only going on one date, Hoffman falls hopelessly in love and naturally chaos ensues when the truth is revealed.
The film is very creative in many ways, such as with its sexual imagery and creative film shots. Examples are the creative cutting of scenes as well as images of the womb and several phallic references--all done in a rather subtle manner. I really liked how Hoffman's mother was deliberately made up to look like Mrs. Robinson--what a great Freudian device. Audiences of the day were obviously very shocked yet intrigued by all this sexual innuendo and blatant disregard for traditional values. Because its very amoral message was such a huge slap in the face of traditions during the same time that society was questioning itself in the 60s, it certainly doesn't seem surprising that the film was one of the biggest hits in film history. However, some creative shots, a very unusual script and the moral questions alone don't make for a movie that deserves to be rated so highly--that is unless the rating is simply for movies that have a huge impact on the film world (which this obviously did).
What bothered me was not just that the message was morally questionable (at best) but that some of the movie was actually pretty poor and deserves a re-examination. First, much of the film was filmed like a music video and was perhaps the first film to do this. So, instead of a lot of speaking, often huge portions of the movie were dialog-free and consisted of very loud Simon & Garfunkle songs as montages filled the screen. A little of this went a long way, but the film used this technique repeatedly. Second, and this is by far me biggest complaint, is that the script really has some holes (though considering the film made a bazillion dollars, no one seemed to mind). Hoffman only dates Ross one time and decides to tell about his affair with the mother. While this is hard to believe, when he then stalks Ross incessantly and she finally agrees to marry Hoffman, it just strained believability to the breaking point. After all, she already was engaged to a man she knew very well AND this particular fiancé hadn't had sex with Mrs. Robinson!! Yet we are expected to believe that somehow it all works out in the end?!
Overall, a very good and innovative film that comes with a really lousy and completely unbelievable ending. On top of all that (great choice of words), the film is very offensive to many out there--not just because of the sexuality but the way religion seems to be mocked at the end of the film as well as all the swearing. For me, a real mixed bag. I wanted to like it and there was some real creativity here, but 41 years later it really hasn't aged well.