The Graduate

1967

1h 46m

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

3.6K

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Drama

Romance

Comedy

A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.

Directors

Mike Nichols

Writers

Charles Webb(novel by)

Calder Willingham(screenplay by)

Buck Henry(screenplay by)

Stars

Dustin Hoffman

Anne Bancroft

Katharine Ross

See production, box office & company info

Top cast

Ben Braddock

Mrs. Robinson

Elaine Robinson

Mr. Robinson

Mr. Braddock

Mrs. Braddock

Room Clerk

Carl Smith

Mr. McGuire

Mr. McCleery

Mrs. Singleman

Miss DeWitte

Woman on Bus

Hotel Guest (uncredited)

George Bruggeman

Church Member (uncredited)

Garrett Cassell

Hotel Guest (uncredited)

Buddy Douglas

Hotel Lobby Bellhop (uncredited)

Richard Dreyfuss

Boarding House Resident (uncredited)

Directors

Mike Nichols

Writers

Charles Webb(novel by)

Calder Willingham(screenplay by)

Buck Henry(screenplay by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Dustin Hoffman is great in this as the impressionable twenty-one year old "Ben" who falls prey to the wiles of the woman immortalised by Simon & Garfunkel. "Mrs Robinson" (Anne Bancroft) is married to the husband of his father's business partner. She is sexy, alluring, sophisticated - and he, well he is just young, naive and horny. Their assignations proceed with few problems but in parallel, his own family are trying to hook him up with her daughter "Elaine" (Katharine Ross). The plot thickens and poor old "Ben" finds him self more and more conflicted, Whom might he choose? Whom might he be allowed to choose? Can their secret stay just that? What, I think, keeps this stylish effort from Mike Nichols relevant fifty-odd years later is it's ability to expose the human, visceral, need for sex, for love, for "more" - without graphically demonstrating it! How characters evolve into more rounded, measured, less "instant" human beings - and Hoffman carries that development role off perfectly. Bancroft is simply a class act. She manages to morph from glamorous wife and mother to seductress and back again with a distinct panache and chic that is both menacing and tantalising in equal measure. You just know that the equilibrium, the balance of power and dependency between the two will change, it has to - but how? That's the question. At what cost - collateral, emotional, personal? The production standards are excellent, the dialogue potent and the chemistry between the initially hapless Hoffman and Bancroft palpable. Of course, a memorable soundtrack helps it along too and if you can see this on a big screen, then it's well worth the effort.

Geronimo196710 Feb, 2023