The Graduate (1967)
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A recent college graduate finds himself entangled in a complicated web of attraction and family secrets after being seduced by an older woman.
The story
After earning his bachelor's degree, Benjamin Braddock returns to his parents' home in Pasadena, California. During his graduation party, he is asked by Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father's law partner, to drive her home. She reveals she is an alcoholic and attempts to seduce him. While he initially resists, he later finds himself spending his summer in a state of aimless transition, caught between his parents' expectations and the complicated reality of his interactions with Mrs. Robinson and her daughter, Elaine. The narrative explores his growing uncertainty about his future as he navigates the complexities of his burgeoning relationships.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After his graduation, Benjamin Braddock is seduced by Mrs. Robinson, a married woman. He later begins a relationship with her daughter, Elaine, after being pressured by their families. The two bond over their shared uncertainty about the future. However, the situation becomes complicated when Mrs. Robinson threatens to expose their affair. To protect himself, Benjamin tells Elaine that the woman is her mother. The truth eventually comes out, and the two reconcile. When Mr. Robinson discovers the truth, he forces Elaine to leave college to marry a medical student, Carl. Benjamin travels to find her and eventually tracks her to a wedding in Santa Barbara. He arrives just as the ceremony ends and creates a scene, leading to a public confrontation with Mr. Robinson. Ultimately, Benjamin and Elaine flee the wedding together on a city bus, their expressions shifting from ecstatic to ambivalent as they face an uncertain future.
- First release year
- 1967
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mike Nichols
- Writers
- Buck Henry · screenplay; Calder Willingham · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Anne Bancroft · Mrs. Robinson; Dustin Hoffman · Benjamin Braddock; Katharine Ross · Elaine
- Genres
- romantic comedy-drama; comedy-drama; romantic comedy; independent; satirical
- Themes
- alienated spirit of modern youth; coming-of-age
- Tone and mood
- satirical; melancholy
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; romance; forbidden love; post-college malaise
- Source material / true-story basis
- Charles Webb's 1963 novella
- Reception
- The film was met with generally positive reviews and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made, noted for its portrayal of post-college malaise.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 87% · scale: percentage · review count: 94; Metacritic · score: 83 · scale: 100 · review count: 19
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Director · win
- Production trivia
- The film was the highest-grossing film of 1967 in North America.; The car driven by Benjamin is an Alfa Romeo Spider.; The film was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry in 1996.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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