American Graffiti

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2:49

American Graffiti

PG

1973

1h 50m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

61 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

From director George Lucas (Star Wars) and producer Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather), American Graffiti is a classic coming-of-age story set against the 1960s backdrop of hot rods, drive-ins and rock n’ roll. Starring Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips and Suzanne Somers in their breakout roles, this nostalgic look back follows a group of teenagers as they cruise the streets on their last summer night before college. Nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, American Graffiti features the howling sounds of Wolfman Jack and an unforgettable soundtrack with songs by Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys and Bill Haley & His Comets.

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Critics Consensus

One of the most influential of all teen films, American Graffiti is a funny, nostalgic, and bittersweet look at a group of recent high school grads' last days of innocence.

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Jake Cole

Slant Magazine

Nov 8, 2023

The primary interest of American Graffiti is its setting and the nostalgia that it conjures.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Sep 19, 2023

The movie has no resonance except from the jukebox sound and the eerie, nocturnal jukebox look.

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Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

Aug 26, 2023

A surprise blockbuster hit with an enormous and lasting cultural footprint.

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Charlotte Simmons

The Treatment (Substack)

Apr 9, 2026

And so what George Lucas ends up getting at, ultimately, is the question of not only whether America is mature enough to make choices, but also if we can get hints of an answer by looking at the kinds of choices America creates for itself.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Mar 18, 2026

3.5/4

...a slightly overlong yet mostly rewarding endeavor that grows more and more absorbing as it unfolds...

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Jack Walters

Loud and Clear Reviews

Jul 24, 2024

4/5

American Graffiti uses catchy music, bright visuals, and strong characters to take audiences back to their childhood and observe it from a new perspective.

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Gayle B

Oct 2, 2026

Classic movie that beautifully recreates a lost time. Excellent performances all around.

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Anthony P

Sep 21, 2026

THIS MOVIE SAVED ME. How? The beautiful atmosphere of 1962. The lovely rock 'n roll everyone grew up with. The cars, the cruising, the stories. I learned very vaguely that you don't need solely ONE plot to tell a story, this movie taught me you could come up with several plots for one story. Curt, John, Terry, and Steve have such amazing chemistry and adventures in this picture. I love how the story is simply the group of high schoolers celebrating their final night of summer vacation in glorious 1962 Modesto, heavily reminding me of the Rhapsody in Blue segment from Disney's powerful Fantasia 2000, the second movie that saved me. Four friends going on outrageous adventures, and this movie is the live action counterpart of that segment. I'm writing stories because of this movie, and i can NOT, nor WILL NOT ever imagine my life without American Graffiti. It's a POWERFUL movie that EVERYBODY needs to see.

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LD

Aug 28, 2026

Love the nostalgia of this movie!

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Joanne Kiefer

Mar 25, 2026

What a great period piece. It was so much fun going back in time in a teenage drama.

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Lord W

Sep 3, 2023

Classic! Amazing in theaters.

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Google

Aug 29, 2022

Important film making an important statement about youth and American pop culture and coming of age in the 1960s. Fun movie, yet also serious.

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George Lucas

Director

Richard Dreyfuss

Curt Henderson

Ron Howard

Steve Bolander

Paul Le Mat

John Milner

Charles Martin Smith

Terry "The Toad" Fields

Cindy Williams

Laurie Henderson

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Synopsis

From director George Lucas (Star Wars) and producer Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather), American Graffiti is a classic coming-of-age story set against the 1960s backdrop of hot rods, drive-ins and rock n’ roll. Starring Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips and Suzanne Somers in their breakout roles, this nostalgic look back follows a group of teenagers as they cruise the streets on their last summer night before college. Nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, American Graffiti features the howling sounds of Wolfman Jack and an unforgettable soundtrack with songs by Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys and Bill Haley & His Comets.

Director: George Lucas
Producer: Francis Ford Coppola, Gary Kurtz
Screenwriter: George Lucas, Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Lucasfilm Ltd., Universal Pictures, Coppola Company
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 11, 1973, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Aug 27, 2023
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 13, 2015
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Surround, Mono
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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