The Graduate

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3:44

The Graduate

PG

1967

1h 45m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

94 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) has just finished college and, back at his parents' house, he's trying to avoid the one question everyone keeps asking: What does he want to do with his life? An unexpected diversion crops up when he is seduced by Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), a bored housewife and friend of his parents. But what begins as a fun tryst turns complicated when Benjamin falls for the one woman Mrs. Robinson demanded he stay away from, her daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross).

Critics Consensus

The music, the performances, the precision in capturing the post-college malaise -- The Graduate's coming-of-age story is indeed one for the ages.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Sep 17

5/5

The beauty of the film, and of its cultural legacy, is that it somehow refracts evolving attitudes, especially towards societal norms and gender roles.

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Myles Standish

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

05/01/2024

A brilliant and funny satire on the affluent, materialistic society.

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Jacob Brackman

The New Yorker

06/23/2023

The Graduate engages its audience almost exclusively at the level of events until the grandly satisfying conclusion, when its problems (Benjamin's problems) seem to arrive at a happy solution.

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Jack Hawkins

HeyUGuys

Sep 15

5/5

A rare film that is both zeitgeisty and timeless, The Graduate is destined to find generation after generation — especially with StudioCanal’s new 4K restoration.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Sep 15

5/5

…a key film in cinema history, tackling sexual issues head on, reflecting a moment of revolutionary ethos; you don’t have to love everything about Benjamin Braddock’s story to appreciate this portrait of suburban youth rebelling against parental hypocrisy

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Harry Solomons

Loud and Clear Reviews

01/08/2025

4.5/5

Now as iconic as any great of the 1960s, The Graduate remains, by far, the most joyful treatise on the divide between the American young and old.

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Spencer Nielsen

09/21/2024

One of those definitive films of the New Hollywood era. I wished I thought it was a masterpiece like so many others, but I still enjoy it very much.

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Michael D

@MichaelX Mar 2

As we continue through the film canon of the 1960s and 70s, this week’s feature film was "The Graduate", and a welcome excuse to spend time with the always-compelling Anne Bancroft. This was Mike Nichols’s debut, and you can see the sharp instincts that would define a remarkable career (including a favorite, "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"). The film rides on the profound ennui of Benjamin Braddock, a drifting recent college graduate who stumbles into an affair with the iconic original cougar, Mrs. Robinson, before complicatedly falling for her daughter. It’s very much of its time, particularly in its casual treatment of sexual coercion, but there’s a darkness here that elevates it beyond simple romantic comedy. Beautifully shot and precisely observed, it builds to one of the most enigmatic and memorable endings in American cinema along with several notable songs by Simon and Garfunkel. It’s a fascinating, if occasionally uncomfortable, snapshot of a generation in limbo.

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ron S.

@editR Feb 16

A classic of American cinema by a first time director. Amazing performances and a great script. It rarely gets better than this

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matthew w

@Matthew1972 Jan 11

Watched this classic for the first time, but have to say not as good as I imagined, yes Hoffman is great as always, but Bancroft steals the show as the seductive, jealous & scheming Mrs Robinson.

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Austin T.

@Bringbackblockbuster Jan 4

Made me cry at the end. Reminds me that love has to be fought for.

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Tommy H

@RT54797553 Dec 23

This might be the most ironic movie I’ve ever watched

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Mike Nichols

Director

Dustin Hoffman

Benjamin Braddock

Anne Bancroft

Mrs. Robinson

Katharine Ross

Elaine Robinson

William Daniels

Mr. Braddock

Murray Hamilton

Mr. Robinson

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The Graduate: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) has just finished college and, back at his parents' house, he's trying to avoid the one question everyone keeps asking: What does he want to do with his life? An unexpected diversion crops up when he is seduced by Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), a bored housewife and friend of his parents. But what begins as a fun tryst turns complicated when Benjamin falls for the one woman Mrs. Robinson demanded he stay away from, her daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross).

Director: Mike Nichols
Producer: Mike Nichols, Lawrence Turman
Screenwriter: Charles Webb, Calder Willingham, Buck Henry
Production Co: Lawrence Turman Inc., Embassy Pictures Corporation
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 21, 1967, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Apr 23, 2017
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 3, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $285.8K
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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