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Directed by: Mike Nichols Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft I checked and was surprised to see this not reviewed already. If it is, sorry. I came into this hearing about how it was a counter-cultural film for the time. Fine, that's cool, I appreciated what Easy Rider did. The film starts out with Ben (Hoffman) fresh out of school and now trying to decide what he must do. Amidst the superficiality of his family and their friends, he has no idea what he is going to do with his life. I was really into this aspect of the film, the uncertainty of the youth who have been in academia their entire life because I feel that's going to be me when I graduate. However, the seductive Mrs. Robinson (Bancroft) comes into the picture to provide Ben with a little excitement in his life. After a somewhat unfulfilling string of late-night meetings, Ben is forced to go out with Elaine Robinson (Catherine Ross), the daughter of aforementioned seductress. He had been forbidden to do this by the mother, but he did anyways and apparently falls in love after one date. I realize that whenever he's with her, he comes out of his seemingly lithium-induced haze, but I found the love story kind of schlocky. Anyways, he has to overcome many obstacles to get back with Elaine and it culminates with the best use of a cross in a fight scene ever (as far as I know). The acting was bearable, but nothing great and I don't know why this might be considered the launching pad for Hoffman's career. Editing was inventive, but nothing outstanding and the soundtrack was cool (Simon and Garfunkel). Maybe it was disappointing to me because of the hype I was given, but it really didn't seem like anything all that special to me. RATING: 3.5 PROS: Flow, soundtrack CONS: Unbelievable love story ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061722
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Jan 28, 2006 00:26
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 02:17 |
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To me, it's not an "unbelievable love story". I think the whole point is that Benjamin is so bored, lost and aimless that he's going to latch on to the first halfway-decent thing that comes along as his next goal. The ending especially hammers this home. Anyway, one of my favorites. A movie that I can sit down at almost any time and watch all the way through. Rating: 5
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Jan 28, 2006 23:21
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One of the better movies I've seen. The soundtrack and ending were some of the best I've seen in any movie. Simon & Garfunkel do a tremendous job with the soundtrack and the ending is just phenomenal. Plastics. 5/5
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Jan 29, 2006 06:16
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A great film with a pretty good soundtrack from S&G. One of the biggest problems this movie has is, like Rear Window, the film is so iconic. That isn't really the film's fault though, but the thing is having watched it, its all stuff I've seen parodied elsewhere, and the impact that the movie should have made on me was lost as it was something brilliant that had been retread so many time that it just became hogwash. Still- 4.5/5
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Jan 29, 2006 21:36
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I just watched this movie today, and really enjoyed it. Hoffman as Benjamin reminded me in a way of Napoleon Dynamite (sorry if this bothers some film snobs), in that almost everything he did was incredibly, incredibly awkward. I loved it. The movie also captures very well the feeling of utterly lacking direction. Wow. 4.5/5 from me.
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Jul 2, 2006 05:29
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"Ive got one word for you...Plastics" Absolutely fantastic film, though I have yet to decide whether its uplifting or horribly depressing. The soundtrack is fantastic though, and is almost worth seeing the movie on its strength alone. 5/5
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Jul 3, 2006 01:34
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I thought this movie was really great, especially the early scenes of Ben's alienation. Its biggest drawback, for me, was the soundtrack: I know it's a really important soundtrack, and I have no problem with the songs themselves, but it was so repetitive. I felt like if I never heard "Scarborough Fair" again, it would be too soon. Still, it's a wonderful movie. I want to note that if you're not familiar with the entire plot of the movie before watching, don't check out the trailer on the DVD, since it's full of memorable clips from the last half hour of the film. We complain about today's trailers, but I think they might have been worse back then. 4.5/5 (but I'll round up to 5 since we can't do half-votes at the moment) Propaniac fucked around with this message at 15:52 on Sep 14, 2007 |
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Sep 14, 2007 15:49
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Mrs. Robinson is a rare kind of antagonist, and this movie is a rare gem. Visually, The Graduate is a beautiful movie to watch. It's filled to the brim with adultery, awkward situations and stuff that certainly raised some eyebrows back then. 5/5
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Dec 28, 2011 02:13
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