The Graduate

"Plastics." The secret to a successful life and I life of superficiality, what Ben is trying to avoid.
The Graduate won a well-deserved Oscar for best director, Mike Nichols. It was also nominated for best actress in a leading role (Anne Bancroft), best actress in a supporting role (Katharine Ross), best cinematography (Robert Surtees), best picture (Lawrence Turman), and best writing/screenplay based on another medium (Calder Willingham, Buck Henry). It's recieved countless more awards from the Golden Globes, DGA, BAFTA, Grammy, Golden Laurel, National Film Registry, NYFCC, PGA Hall of Fame, Satellite, and WGA. The Graduate was a film that changed the industry forever and orginated concepts that we call standard movie-making today.
The graduate is about Ben (Dustin Hoffman), a boy fresh out of college with more opportunities than one could imagine and no idea what to do with his life. After reluctantly bringing Mrs. Robinson home from a party, she continually offers him a drink and opens up about her life, leading to the famous line, "Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?!" and we come to find out that, although she refutes his claim, she really is seducing him once she takes her panties off... or at least that's my defintion of seduction. Then begins the long, weird, and awkward affair between a young man and an old, experienced cougar. But then Ben meets Elaine Robinson (Katharine Ross) and his world is rocked. He experiences great difficulty trying to win her over after she finds out about his affair with HER MOTHER! All is wrapped up with an epic wedding scene in which the audience will be completely satisfied.
I really enjoyed this movie! Although the wedding scene got a little crazy, I absolutely loved every aspect of this film. The director used very interesting and original shots throughout the film keeping it very visually entertaining. Also the musical soundtrack really made the movie. Songs such as, "Scarborough Fair", "The Sound of Silence", and "Mrs. Robinson" really made the movie that much better. I thought all of the actors performed superbly and really understood their characters. I give it an A.