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Actors: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Graduate |
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Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) is at a crossroads in his life. He has just graduated college which means he has reached adulthood and must decide what to do with his life. The problem is Benjamin is too immature to handle it. He is passive and watches as the world around him moves on. He prefers to laze around in the pool rather than consider graduate school or finding good job. He is beginning to realize that the path his parents have chosen for him isn't the one he wishes to follow. From the opening scenes you can see how tight their hold is on Benjamin by the claustrophobic camera shots at his graduation party. Everyone at the party is a friend of his parents which apparently makes them a friend of his, but he barely knows them past their last name and occupation.
Enter Mrs. Robinson, probably the most interesting character in film history not to have a first name. She is sophisticated, elegant and aloof. Just like Benjamin, she doesn't fit in with the party crowd, and she is drawn to him. She asks (forces?) Benjamin to take her back to her place where she attempts to lure him into sex. He embarks on an affair with Mrs Robinson but later falls for her daughter, Elaine.
This is a movie with many layers. Mrs Robinson is on a quest for her lost youth. She is often in control of everything around her but she loses it when she discovers that Benjamin will go on a date with Elaine. To her, the flings with Benjamin are a source of rejuvanation, since she is unhappy with her life, and her husband, so Bejamin provides her only escape. We soon discover that the real reason Mrs. Robinson doesn't want Benjamin with her daughter is because she is jealous of Elaine's youth and freedom. SHe refuses to realize that she is no longer a girl in her 20s. She doesn't want to lose the fountain of youth she has with Ben.
A passive Benjamin must come into his own and achieve independence. Will he continue a loveless affair with Mrs. Robinson, or ignore her wishes and pursue Elaine, the one thing he truly desires? Is he genuinely in love with Elaine, or does he choose to go after her as an act of rebellion?
--Melissa Connelly, Resident Scholar
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In this coming-of-age classic, Ben, a recent college grad, has just returned home. Unable to relate to his parents and unsure about his future, Ben is a passive, vulnerable individual. An older, married woman, known only as Mrs. Robinson, takes advantage of Ben and seduces him. Despite their sexual dalliance, there is no emotional connection between the two of them. When Ben hits it off with Mrs. R's daughter, though, not only does find romance but he also sheds some of his passivity.
--Elana Starr, Resident Scholar
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Dustin Hoffman gives a riveting performance as new graduate named Ben. One night, Mrs. Robinson asks Ben to drive her home. She soon starts to seduce him, and then corners him into a room, naked. Ben later meets her daughter, Elaine. He is then head-over-heels in love with her. Not if Mrs. Robinson can help it, though. This is the picture that brought such popular phrases, like "One Word: Plastics" and "You're trying to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson" into the world. Dustin Hoffman gives his best performance as the nervous Ben.
--Estefan Ellison, Resident Scholar
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In Dustin Hoffman's breakout performance, he plays a college graduate who is being seduced by a woman twice his age (Anne Bancroft). However, he's targeting the seductress' daughter (Katherine Ross) for a relationship. He sets out on a quest to find out where his place is in the world. Simon and Garfunkel perform a song that says it all with the hit song Mrs. Robinson.
--Teddy, Resident Scholar
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Ben is a normal guy, just out of college. His parent's friend, Mrs. Robinson, tries to seduce him. Ben goes along with it. But he has no idea that he'd also be falling for Mrs. Robinson's daughter, too.
--Sam, Resident Scholar
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The Graduate is a cult classic. Not only was it a movie for the generation of baby-boomers in the Sixties, but it still remains a symbol of the teenagers today that are searching for something and those that are "a little unsure about their future". Benjamin Braddock, a college graduate comes home only to be seduced by his father's business parter's wife. He then falls in love with her daughter, Elaine, which in turn leads to a rollercoaster of events which end up leading to the final scene of Benjamin taking Elaine away after getting married to another man.
--Kevin Hurst, Resident Scholar
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Dustin Hofman plays a college graduate who has returned home for the summer. He is increasingly questioning his purpose in life. Meanwhile, he is seduced by a friend of the family's wife, Mrs. Robinson. (Bancroft) Then, he begins to fall in love with her daugher. Featuring hilarious acting performances, an incredible soundtrack featuring hit simon and garfunkel songs, this is an outstanding movie. A true commentary on the 60's, and a cinematic classic.
--Evan McKearn, Resident Scholar
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Benjamin Braddock (Hoffman), distance runner and top student, has just gotten out of college and doesn't know what to do with himself. His wealthy California suburban parents are puzzled that he's at such loose ends, and they buy him more toys. While he's waiting for something to happen, Mrs. Robinson (Bancroft), the wife of his father's business partner, welcomes him into her bed. Then her daughter Elaine (Ross) briefly comes home from college and Ben is quite taken with her, so he finds himself in a real mess. This movie, only his second, made Hoffman a star. It captured the feel of the itchy, almost-swinging Sixties as few other films did, and the soundtrack of Simon & Garfunkel songs sure didn't hurt.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The Graduate |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1960's-1970's
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Inner struggle or disability
Yes
Lover is...
- much older/younger
Sexing?
- first sexual experience
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average
Unclothed?
- Chest
Events of movie makes character more...
- tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn straight
How much in movie?
- 20%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 40's-50's
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
City?
Yes
City:
- Los Angeles
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
- seeing breasts
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Classic/oldies rock
Is this movie based on a
- book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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