THE GRADUATE: 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
(PG)
MOVIE: ** (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5)
STARRING
Anne Bancroft as MRS. ROBINSON
Dustin Hoffman as BENJAMIN BRADDOCK
Katharine Ross as ELAINE ROBINSON
Created by: Mike Nichols
Studio: MGM
BY KEVIN CARR
Let me preface this review by saying that until I watched this particular DVD, I had never seen “The Graduate.” I know that doesn’t speak well to my self-proclaimed position as a film expert, but it’s the truth. However, it does give me a unique perspective among film critics in that I’m viewing it as an adult in my mid-30s rather than a young college graduate in my early 20s.
In this respect, I found the story somewhat pointless. I can get into the fantasy of being shown the sexual ropes by an older seductress, but I never saw where the aimlessness and disconnection of the characters come from. No having grown up in the 60s, I came to age outside of the encroaching hippie culture that whined about “finding themselves.” Instead, I’m looking at this film as an adult, and I couldn’t get past the fact what a tool Benjamin Braddock was.
From a filmmaking standpoint, I respect this movie. The filmmaking techniques, while tired today, were innovative and fresh. It’s an impeccably shot film, and the acting is top notch. Fans of the film will want to snatch up this 40th anniversary set. It includes a short-list CD that includes Simon & Garfunkle’s memorable songs (which sound great but make no sense in the context of the film, actually).
The DVD comes with two audio commentaries featuring Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross, Mike Nichols and Steven Soderbergh. There’s also three retrospectives culled from the 25th anniversary release. The features are rounded out with the film’s trailers.
THANK YOU! You are the only critic I have found to mirror my exact thoughts on this movie, and bravo! You are apparently brave enough to do so. Everyone else is caught up in the “Respect-because-it’s-vintage” camp and it’s very frustrating because it’s not a good movie.
As you said, from a filmmaking perspective, it’s not bad. Parts of it were very Fellinesque, to me–especially the awkward scuba diving part, and the close-ups of all the obnoxious suburbanites. The angles and shots are all very interesting and what I like about that era of filmmaking.
But the plot and the script is absolute shit. The second half of the film plummets into a tawdry world of melodrama more fitting on a daytime soap of lesser quality. Benjamin Braddock is a tool. He legitimately comes off as someone with mental problems. I don’t know if everyone was so hysterical in the 60’s, but I got really damn tired of hearing someone scream bloody murder every two seconds for literally no reason. And I did not understand his character at all. Post-graduation malaise–I get it, you don’t know what to do. I even understand why he would resent his parents’ friends hovering and trying to give him advice–even if it’s really good advice, like getting into plastics. It’s a little obnoxious, I get it.
I even understand why he fell into an affair with Mrs. Robinson out of boredom and curiosity. What I don’t understand is how he could have fallen in love with Elaine after ONE DATE!!!! Like, seriously? If you fall in love with someone and want to marry them after one date, you have a mental disorder. Let’s not also forget about the fact that he basically stalked and harassed her when he followed her to Berkeley. Any normal person would have been extremely disturbed by his behavior, especially considering his mercurial moods–he was such an ass to her on their first date when he took her to the strip club. And why? Because he was being manipulated by Mrs. Robinson. Well, that makes sense. Sexuality is a powerful motivator and it’s such an intense experience–especially one’s first time. The person who takes your virginity can have a powerful hold on you, I get it. Especially if they’re older and wiser, or in some position of power/authority over you, which Mrs. Robinson was. That makes sense.
What doesn’t make sense is how he can so quickly snap out of that control, how he can snap out of his devotion to Mrs. Robinson and become instantly and permanently attached to Elaine for no particular reason. Because she cried and he realized what an ass he was? Because she actually listened to him whine and complain? Because she applies too much self-tanner? Like, what was the reason? Why was he so enamored of her? I don’t understand. This is the same generation that produced Disney’s Cinderella, which I don’t get either, so maybe it’s just a generational divide. (I mean, the Prince had two lines, he sang a song, they somehow ‘fell in love’ in the span of ten minutes, and then he can’t even get off his lazy ass to find her with her shoe? He makes his servant go and retrieve her?) Ugh. Damn it, people. For real?
Anyway, I suppose we could chalk up my lack of understanding to a generational divide. But I am just genuinely shocked that anyone could watch this film and find it moving or inspiring. And I’m a young person! By the end of the movie, I was pissed more than anything. As he’s frantically driving to stop the wedding, all I could think was: so THIS is why Hollywood tortured us with all of those horrible Race-to Stop-the-Wedding rom-coms. THIS is why I had to watch all those shitty movies when I was growing up, depicting people doing things they would NEVER do in real life because it would just be too damn embarrassing and stupid.
I feel like the film wasted a great opportunity to explore some great material such as: the issues of an inter-generational relationship, the effects of an affair on the human psyche, the power of jealousy, and the bitter downward spiral of a failing relationship. That was honestly what I thought the movie would be about. I thought it would showcase an older woman’s feelings of insecurity and inadequacy with a younger man, coupled with that fantasizing or fetishizing of wanting a young man at an older age–the teacher/student allure. I thought it would go into Mrs. Robinson’s fears of being replaced by a younger woman–which it did, but in a stupid way, and it seemed less about Mrs. Robinson than Benjamin. There was even an incredible opportunity to delve into Benjamin’s dilemma–he’s connected to Mrs. Robinson on a physical level, but attracted to Elaine on an emotional level. That dichotomy could have been richly developed if they had given Elaine more meaningful dialogue and if they had emphasized Benjamin’s attachment to Mrs. Robinson. I have to hand it to Anne Bancroft–she was a great actress. She imbued her character with more depth than the script gave it, I think. I felt all of that coming from her, when it wasn’t explicitly in the script. I think she was trying–the director just didn’t focus on her as much.
Sigh. It was just very disappointing, on the whole. So much potential. So much wasted.
And I also agree with you about the Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack. It made absolutely no sense in the context of the movie. Also, I don’t know if directors were aware of this in the 60’s, but it’s really stupid to play the same song two times in a row.