The Graduate (1967) * * * *

Directed by:  Mike Nichols

Starring:  Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, William Daniels, Murray Hamilton, Elizabeth Wilson


At one time, The Graduate was my favorite film.  Period.  Nothing else could possibly top it.   That was over twenty years ago.  The Graduate remains a great film, even if the years have eroded some of its luster, but it's still thoroughly enjoyable. 

The Graduate follows Benjamin Braddock (Hoffman), a recent college graduate facing an uncertain future.    These days, college graduates need to worry about whether any jobs will be available.   In 1967, graduates like Benjamin were undecided about their direction.    Once they decided, a job was more than likely available.    A family friend suggests "plastics" to Benjamin, who has no idea what is meant by that.    At his graduation party, Benjamin retreats from constant interrogation from his parents' friends to a quiet room with a fish tank.     Mrs. Robinson (Bancroft) "accidentally" comes into the room and asks (more like insists) that Benjamin drive her home.

Mrs. Robinson, the sultry, bored wife of Benjamin's father's law partner, takes her clothes off and offers to seduce Benjamin.   He doesn't take her up on the offer at first, but soon they are engaged in a months-long affair which seems to lack any joy for either person.   This is why Mrs. Robinson's objection to Benjamin's eventual pursuit of her daughter Elaine  (Ross) is a swerve.  She seemed to regard Benjamin as a meaningless sex partner and little else, so why is Mrs. Robinson suddenly jealous of her daughter?  This is never fully explained.

Elaine is a pretty girl who seems to love Benjamin, but is being pushed into marriage to a blond jock by her parents.   Her relationship with Benjamin sours when his affair with her mother is revealed.   Brokenhearted Benjamin decides to win Elaine back, which considering that he banged her mother, turns out to be a fairly easy accomplishment.  In one scene, she confronts Benjamin with the belief that he raped her mother.    He denies it and soon they are talking marriage.   The ending is well-known, as Benjamin interrupts Elaine's wedding and the two run away together.  The final shots of the two aboard the bus have also been the subject of debate.  Are they happy?   Scared?   Relieved?  Uncertain?   

Despite the years between viewings, I found The Graduate to be a superior romantic comedy.  Yes, there are plot points that are glossed over for the sake of moving the story forward, but the performances are always great.   Hoffman's Benjamin lacks confidence and certainty, leading to some awkward, yet funny moments.   Watch Benjamin's reaction when a hotel desk clerk, played by Buck Henry (who also co-wrote the script), asks innocuously, "Are you here for an affair, sir?"  Bancroft, who was actually only six years older than Hoffman, remains a figure of desperation and loneliness even though the plot turns her into a spiteful witch.  

My view of The Graduate twenty-plus years ago was that it was a near-perfect film.  It is still a classic, albeit not perfect, but how many movies are?