The summer of 1962, for these four Youths, it's the closest they will ever get to the Garden of Eden. The music, the cars, the drinking, the dancing, and the innocence, American Graffiti is a harder film to make than Star Wars. To identify with the generation and to create truth from the characters, George Lucas's masterpiece is American Graffiti. From the town Big shot, the future Race car Driver, the Perfect Couple, and the local Nerd, it is amazing how the audience identifies with all these characters from out past. Like a page out of the high school year book, this movie jumps back into the early 60's, before the war, before the lines were drawn, the age of innocence in America would soon be coming to an end. This is the last party of the summer before the dream finally ends.
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caspian19785 August 2004
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The_Void22 May 2005As many people know, George Lucas is most famous for the fact that he wrote a certain series of fantasy films. Most of those films certainly were a great achievement, but one thing that many Star Wars fans overlook is the other entries in Lucas' list of directorial credits; one of which is this film, American Graffiti. The movie tells the story of the last night in town for a bunch of school kids about to leave to go to college. Now, this might not seem like a great base for a classic movie to work from; and it isn't, it's the handling that makes it great. In spite of his latest batch of movies, Lucas has shown with this movie that he has the talent to create an innovative and groundbreaking movie in spite of the plot. It's this fact that made Star Wars work so well, and it's nice to see the same effort transplanted into an earlier film that doesn't have the special effects and grandiose that Star Wars had. The energy and vitality that Lucas gives his multiple stories makes for a great ride, and American Graffiti is a lot of fun throughout.
The film is most notable for the way that it captures the American youth of the sixties. It benefits from a great soundtrack that adequately helps to achieve this, and includes the likes of Buddy Holly and The Beach Boys. The film takes place in one night, and makes use of a number of different characters and story lines; all of which are interesting and unique. A lot of which are also really funny, and this is where my favourite part of American Graffiti comes in. The film works because it's such a good time, and the way that Lucas shows us that ensures that we have just as good a time as the characters on screen are having. The events that befall the characters in the movie will no doubt touch a nerve with anyone that has gone through childhood - things such as splitting up with your girlfriend, to being forced into doing things that could get you into trouble...all the way to asking an adult to go into a store to buy alcohol for you are shown with great care, and show that Lucas obviously knew what he was doing when he took on this movie. On the whole...it's very good stuff indeed. -
planktonrules10 August 2011Whether you love this movie or not, you have to admire this movie for two reasons. First, its return on the dollar was among the best ever for any film. While the budget was a very modest $777,777.111 (no kidding), it returned $115,000,000 in the United States alone! No wonder this film made George Lucas famous. Second, it was very innovative. While I was not a huge fan of the film's style, it was unique and sure had an impact on the world as well as future films. No one had made a film like this before--chock full of one song after another blaring across the soundtrack and its odd semi-structureless plot was also quite unique.
The film concerns a bunch of young adults just hanging out and cruising. There really isn't a lot more to it than that. Sure, their stories all reveal a bit about them through the course of the film, but most of the characters have no great depth. It's more like you are a voyeur watching some likable and not especially likable kids doing...well...nothing. Now if you grew up in the early 60s and remember all this, then it's a great stroll down memory lane. If you didn't, I think the movie will be more of a tough sell, as the nostalgia angle is non-existent. As for me, I wasn't even born until 1964, so the nostalgia aspect was less--but I loved the music and great cars. My daughter, while less impressed about EVERYTHING did grudgingly say that the music was great. She also said that she pretty much ignored the plot and just listened to the songs! And, perhaps, this is pretty typical of a person from her generation. As for me, the film was mildly interesting and I respect it--though I did not love it. This isn't really meant as a criticism--just a statement about how this film appealed to this 47 year-old guy. For the right audience, it's the perfect film. Otherwise, you might feels it's all a bit overrated.
Aside from the nostalgia for the early 60s, the movie also is quite interesting when seen today because so many future stars and super-stars are in it--mostly when they were young unknowns. Ron Howard (a child star but not all that popular yet as an adult), Cindy Williams, Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfus, Charles Martin Smith, Mackenzie Phillips and Suzanne Somers all appear in the film. -
moonspinner557 October 2001I don't know if George Lucas really knew what he had in this picture--surely the screenplay seemed funny enough, and the thought of the cars and the period music was enticing--but did he really know these "unknown" actors would bring these characters to life? It seems almost a fluke, shot in 29 days and on a tight budget, but "American Graffiti" is a classic. It is perhaps pure nostalgia, mixing pathos and humor, sadness and craziness, hope and reflection in quiet little bursts of excitement. After cruising with Milner all night, teenage Carol hates to say goodbye but does, waving from her porch with the light on; Toad survives one bad accident after another, but his real moment is in hearing praise from his date (fantastic, husky-voiced Candy Clark, dolled up like a speeding Sandra Dee) just before she says good night; after chasing his dream date all night, Kurt (Richard Dreyfuss, green and anxious, and appealingly bemused) finally gets to talk to the stunning blonde wonder on the telephone, where she whispers a wrenching goodbye. The whole movie is steeped in reflection. It has great, great humor, yet it leaves one with a bittersweet melancholia. For yesterday is in the past, with our music, our memories and our hesitant farewells. ***1/2 from ****
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In 1962, I was 19 years old. So, don,t ask me if I can relate to the movie American Graffiti. Music, emotions, friends, drive-ins, THAT WAS MY LIFE.. . and many scenes remind me of that good time, before making adult decisions.
Darn, Curt leaves friends and family to persue studies in the East. I left friends and family to start my carreer as a jounalist in a small town weekly newspaper in 1963. And YES, I sured danced to music and songs provided by a real little musical groups. The Platters were standard fare for slow dances. Those sock ups dances in gymnasiums were soooooo full of different kinds of emotions. My Wolfman Jack was Joey Reynolds, then a fast talking DJ, at WKBW, in Buffalo, that came in strong at night in Montreal. And yes, I went back years later to my old high school to walk in the halls, like Curt, and remember ... remember friends that I still had and those that had moved into their own world of responsabilities and out of mine. All the songs in me movie can stick to something I lived listening to them, as they came out, got airplay and made me dance or fall in love, if not both. My Mel'S Drive In was a A & W drive in and, yes, in our gang there was a 1957 Chevrolet, with a boosted motor under the hood. Milner would have loved to drive it. I could go on and on.... Don't ask me if it's a great movie. For me, it's a window on my youth and, darn, did I have a great time. So, for me, the movie is GREAT !. I always watch it with a broad smile on my face. No nostalgia goose bumps for me. Life is great also today but when I watch American Graffiti, I have the immense pleasure of reliving my teenage years and enjoy the magic of them, with all my heart and soul. Thanks Lucas !!!! -
Instant_Palmer31 December 2019One end-of-Summer night to remember in 1962 for five 18 y.o. Friends in Modesta California. American Graffiti is the Godfather of Coming Of Age films, produced by Francis Ford Coppola who ensured the financing, and marks the first feature-length film by director George Lucas (who was also writing the Star Wars screenplay at the time), the beginning of Harrison Ford's major film career (and his long-time collaboration with Lucas), and kicked off a late 50s/early 60s music nostalgia craze in the 1970s.
The film stands on its own merit as one of the all-time greatest comedies, and one of the Top 100 Greatest Films Ever Made, even without all the historic film footnotes and rich trivia. I highly recommend this film for all ages 10 to 110!
The fabulously integrated period soundtrack ate up the majority of this film's budget, as it was filmed almost entirely at night in just four weeks on location in the Valley.
A MUST-SEE MOVIE easily making my 100 Greatest Films list, and resides on my "IMDb Top 10 Greatest Comedy Films" list. Graffiti's immense popularity in the 1970's made it THE highest grossing film for many years after its release.
'AG' Influenced the late 50s/early 60s music and dance nostalgia revival of the 1970s, including the 'Happy Days' and spin-off 'Laverne & Shirley' TV shows (starring Ron Howard and Cindy Williams, with Howard going directly from AG to Happy Days (along with Mel's Diner), while Richard Dreyfuss headed over to film George Lucas' best friend's new horror-thriller movie about a giant rogue people-eating shark...the beginning of yet another multi-film actor-director collaboration that resulted in 'Jaws', and 'Close Encounters of a Third Kind', the two films that established the career of the most successful film-maker of all time.
Graffiti on many levels resides at the epicenter of the beginning of the history of modern filmmaking. Born out of the creative mind that was just starting to create the Star Wars franchise, and led to the new world of advanced FX and film sound production, and launched modern animation (Pixar), with the film's financial and production backing ('AG' never would have made otherwise) by the genius that made the greatest film of all time ('The Godfather'), which led to the Lucas/Spielberg collaborations, and all of this continuing to directly or indirectly influence the filmmaking industry at large (and will for generations to come), this is an historically and culturally significant must-see movie...(that is also fun and safe for ages 10+). -
SnoopyStyle19 December 2014It's the end of the summer 1962 for a bunch of high school graduates. Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss) is unsure about college. Steve Bolander (Ron Howard) expects to leave town tomorrow with Curt. He tells his girlfriend Curt's sister Laurie (Cindy Williams) that he wants to date other people while he's away. Terry "The Toad" Fields is their flunky friend. John Milner is their friend who's stuck in town. As they drive around on the strip, Curt is entranced by a girl (Suzanne Somers). John picks up little Carol Morrison (Mackenzie Phillips). Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford) is looking to race John. The Toad is driving Steve's car and meets the experienced Debbie Dunham (Candy Clark).
George Lucas presents a convincing slice of American life. It's the music, the cars and the style of his youth. As an artifact, it's a terrific piece of a moment in time. As a story, it's rather scattered. The characters have their own separate stories. It would be more compelling to have them together developing chemistry and advancing their relationships. It is interesting to see some actors in their youth. -
winstonaugusta22 March 2020This was the first movie i ever watched multiple times. The only way to do that in 1973 was to watch it at the theater. With my paper route money i went to the local theater 16 times to see it. As a fifteen year old it captured my spirit. I brought the double album soundtrack and tried to live the spirit of the story. How many acting, and producer, director, and spin offs came from American Graffiti?
American Graffiti is American Gold -
preppy-328 November 2000Nostalgic look at one night/morning of a small California town and some of its teenagers. Story-wise this is nothing new--all the stereotypes are in place--the loving/bickering couple (Ron Howard and Cindy Williams); the rebel (Paul Le Mal) stuck with a 13 year old (Mackenzie Phuillips); the nerd (Charles Martin Smith) having a disastrous date with a blonde (Candy Clark); the hood (Bo Hopkins) showing the good boy (Richard Dreyfuss) a night out and Harrison Ford and Suzanne Somers in small parts.
What makes this movie better than average is the great direction by George Lucas--he fills the Cinemascope screen masterfully; the non-stop soundtrack of 50s/60s hits; a great script and the cast of then-unknowns. It's incredible to see some of these actors so young (especially Ford and Dreyfuss) and full of life. Without this cast, this movie would probably have long-since been forgotten.
So, no great shakes, but very sweet and nostalgic with some good acting. Worth catching. Try to see it letter-boxed or on a big screen. -
classicsoncall30 April 2011Saturday nights have turned into movie night at our household, which includes my wife, my adult daughter and my granddaughter. When my daughter posed the question 'what were the Sixties like', my answer included things like the Kennedy assassination, the Beatles arriving in 1964 to lead the British invasion, LBJ as President, civil rights demonstrations, Woodstock, and finally, Man's landing on the moon in 1969. It was a memorable era, and one that I have the most nostalgia for. "American Graffiti" is George Lucas' film tribute to an age of innocence before November 22nd, 1963; it's principal characters coming to terms with the prospect of tomorrow, a tomorrow that can be as awkward as a child taking his first step.
That sense of nostalgia plays wonderfully today when you see who turned up in the picture. Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard hold lead roles, complemented by the likes of Cindy Williams, Paul Le Mat, MacKenzie Phillips and Bo Hopkins. Harrison Ford makes an early big screen appearance, and the action is all set to a wonderful era score, hosted in the film by legendary DJ Wolfman Jack. The disc jockey has a touching scene near the end of the picture with the Dreyfuss character, one in which he feigns 'knowing' The Wolfman, and promising to put Curt's message on the air to the mysterious blonde in the white '56 T-Bird.
Some might say the picture has a dated quality, but heck, I think that's the point. It's a film about the Sixties, particularly the early Sixties, as the Baby Boomer children of the Greatest Generation started to make their presence felt in the world. I'm part of that Boomer crowd, and every day, THOSE times start to look better and better from the vantage point of present day. It was true back in 1940 that 'You Can't Go Home Again' when Thomas Wolfe's novel was published posthumously, and this picture explores some of the angst associated with the knowledge that once tomorrow comes and Curt Henderson heads 'back east' to college, attempts to relive youthful memories with friends and family will forever remain a futile exercise. -
Spuzzlightyear24 September 2005This movie was an innovator in so many ways. Essentially following a group of teens around during one night in 1962, American Graffiti essentially paved the way for a lot of things. First of all, it was one of the first movies that had multiple character studies happening, inter cutting from one to the next, was the movie that got Lucas noticed, and most of all, seemed to star every young actor that later went on big, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips, Wolfman Jack, Richard Dreyfus, Susanne Somers, Wolfman Jack, Susanne Somers, and Paul LeMat . The best performances here come from Dreyfus of course, who was just amazing in his early roles, because he was just cackling with energy (see Duddy Kravitz as well as a great example) and Paul LeMat who hasn't had quite the career as everyone else in the cast, but still shined in amazing roles (Melvin and Howard being an excellent example).
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This multi-layered DVD version of "American Graffiti" is the best trip back to the summer of 1962 Hollywood ever had to offer! The eventful night when freshly graduated high school friends contemplated their futures while immersed in small town America's car-hops, drive-in movies & doo-wop music (the soundtrack is one of the best featured in ANY film!), is shown in "real time".
Richard Dreyfuss is perfect as the smart kid, ready to drive off to college the next morning, but wondering if he's doing the right thing. Ron Howard and Cindy Williams get some practice for their soon to follow "Happy Days", while Charles Martin Smith and Candy Clark are wonderful as the goofus who wants to show a pretty girl a good time.
Wolfman Jack plays himself (and cupid) when he plays a very special request going out from Richard Dreyfuss to his dream girl Suzanne Sommers. Look for a pre-teen McKenzie Phillips and a young Harrison Ford in minor roles. This film is a big winner in my book! -
grantss31 January 2017Good human drama. Looks at the lives of several American teenagers on one night in 1962, as their lives are about to change forever. Fills you with nostalgia for your own teenage years, when things were simpler and everything was ahead of you.
Good plot, though has some random detours that go nowhere.
Great performances from a then-unknown cast. Many of these unknown actors are now very well known: Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Harrison Ford.
Superb soundtrack. The 50s music adds a lot to the nostalgia and general feel of the movie.
Solid direction from George Lucas. Yeah, who knew that he used to make dramas? Unfortunately, his next movie was Star Wars, and the good dramas ended, as he stuck to making sci fi-for-the-masses. -
Many people love this film and consider it to be a brilliant classic. At the risk of offending them, I'm going to have to admit I don't find this movie to be particularly brilliant at all. I respect everyone's right to their opinion, but if you're like me, you'll wonder why there's so much buzz about this movie at all.
First of all, I'm not sure what is so brilliant about this movie when all it amounts to is watching several characters wander around doing whatever enters into their heads. Nothing really happens, and the many different story lines never really interact. There are so many different things going on that it's hard to follow what's happening, and there's no compelling reason for me to want to care what these characters are doing. It's really just an aimless film without any point. What's so brilliant about that? Personally, I thought it was pretty boring. I wouldn't watch this again, and I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
On the other hand, you may like this movie if you are nostalgic for the early 1960s, or if you want to catch a glimpse of some young actors early in their careers, or if you'd like to see a 1973 version of a teen drama. It just wasn't all that great to me. -
jantoniou1 June 2004I was born at the beginning of the next decade--1970--yet "American Graffiti" was a chord that rippled throughout my life.
My father, who, like George Lucas, grew up in California's Central Valley, said this movie perfectly captured what it was like to grow up there--street cruising, hot rodding, picking up chicks, pulling pranks. Though this movie necessarily sidesteps the boredom inherent in growing up in the pesticide-choked San Joaquin Valley, the place itself is not as important the time it explores. It was a time just before the 1960s descended into the beginning of the end of American culture--the prototypical middle America that existed in almost all its small towns and now has substantively disappeared thanks to the urbanization and suburbanization of much of this country.
The ensemble cast, including so many that went on to become hugely successful in Hollywood--Ron Howard, Cindy Williams (well, with Laverne & Shirley at least), Richard Dreyfuss, and of course Harrison Ford (not to mention Lucas himself)--is handled with great skill from such a young director and reinforces the mystery why Lucas has so horribly mishandled Star Wars Eps. I and II. Lucas simply has been at the Ranch too long and his brilliant career has arrived parked in the garage at a large, entirely perfunctory business and media empire.
Anyway, regardless of Lucas' drift far away from the cutting edge, "American Graffiti" still stands as a kind of monument to his precocity. It is the kind of movie that hits every note with effortless precision, which I think is less the effort of great editing as it is a combination of youthful exuberance and actors and a director at essentially the beginning of their ascent as some of the best in the business.
This movie also withstands the test of time simply because it works magically both for those who have no particular emotional connection to the '60s and for those who were there on nearly equal levels. There is tremendous humor and naturalistic character play and dialog that few can help but be drawn into. Anyone with any sense of history will acknowledge that all the characters are standing at the edge of the deflowering and self-destruction of America in the '60s. It is a time of tremendous innocence, change, and harrowing decisions. The Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam haven't happened yet.
With Iraq and terrorism chewing at our consciousness every day, it's pretty easy for modern youth to identify and yearn for the nostalgia of such innocence. -
BruceCorneil24 March 2003As the plot and the characters of this movie have already been thoroughly discussed elsewhere , perhaps I can just make one additional observation in regard to the wider influence that it had during its initial release.
Specifically, the outstanding success of this landmark film was largely (although not entirely) responsible for starting the "retro" craze that quickly grew into a major international subculture and is still going strong today. Although, back in the '70s we used the word "nostalgia".
The movie's soundtrack album, which was nothing more than a compilation of 1950s and early 60s Top 40 hits, generated massive sales figures across the globe and immediately triggered a flood of similar vinyl offerings from other record companies.
Being the ripe old age of 13 in 1973, I totally lost interest in the music of the day and started to collect many of the aforementioned compilation albums.
Again, as others have correctly pointed out, the initial retro scene was mainly confined to the musical side of things which included the establishment of "Oldies" radio stations. It wasn't long, however, before the general mood of nostalgia became more widespread with an increasing number of people becoming interested in other pop culture commodities of the era such as movies,TV shows, cars and clothes.
Pretty soon the whole thing exploded and the "Good Old Days" suddenly became big business. And why not? There's some fabulous entertainment to be found in the archives for those who care to look.
Give me 'dem ole' time movies any day of the week! In fact, when you look back, I think we owe a debt of gratitude to George Lucas and the gang for giving us "American Graffiti". It started a positive and enjoyable marketing trend which has brought a great deal of pleasure to millions over the years. And that's a pretty nice legacy for any movie to leave behind. -
pmtelefon31 October 2021The success of "Star Wars" ruined George Lucas as a filmmaker. Exhibit A would be his excellent "American Graffiti". This is only movie that George Lucas was part of that's actually about people. There's no razzle-dazzle in this movie. It's a beautifully acted movie. It's filled with characters we really care about. I've seen "American Graffiti" a bunch of times. It actually gets better every time I see it. It is a true classic. Honorable mention: Wolfman Jack.
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djdamato21 January 2002This is one of the original teen movies. Many people now love movies like Can't Hardly Wait and Dazed and Confused well this movie is what they copy those after. I thought that the cast was great and it was cool to see many of these people in their younger years. It is the story of a group of teens over one night. Nothing really special just enjoyable and you can reminisce about what it was like living then or when you were that age.
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departed0723 October 2003I remember watching this movie on May 31, 2002, the night before my high school graduation and when I watch this film, it reminded me of the things that happened with me throughout my senior year: from a guy I knew, who cheated on his girlfriend with a cheerleader, to the terrorist attack that tore America apart; causing Americans to go against one another, from the crushes, the heartbreaks, prom night, to Spider-Man being the movie of the year, graduation rehearsal, and technology becoming the new aspect in my life and when I watched American Graffiti, it reminded me of when the good times meant something with those around me.
The film takes place in 1962 California, a pre JFK assassination which showed the innocence of youth crusin' the streets and talking to buddies outside of their windows as they drive; now, in today's world it's a bloodbath. Even the music played a part of innocence back in the 60's where artist such as Fats Domino, Beach Boys, Bill Haley and the Comets, The Platters, even Chuck Berry were a pain in the butt to most of the adults of that time, but a joy. Now? Songs about sex, drugs, and murder have become the new waves to today's youth of America.
American Graffiti has four teenage boys who cruise in different directions in their hometown where some question their own faith. The main character in the story is Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss) who is about to leave east for college where he is dubious on whether or not he should leave town in order to start a new life. Yet his friend Steve (Ron Howard) encourages him to leave and tells him not to crawl back into his little nest. All night, Curt cruises the streets with his sister Laurie (Cindy Williams) and Steve, where he sees a blonde woman driving a white T-Bird who mouths "I love you." Now Curt is on the hunt to find this blonde woman as he encounters a gang called The Pharaohs who want to pound him after he scratches the gang's car.
The next character is Steve whose Curt's best friend and happens to be dating Laurie and wants to rush things as quickly as possible. He wants to break up so they can see other people; but later when they are named King and Queen at the homecoming dance, they are together again where he tries to have sex with her. Yet, things don't work out well between them, and Steve questions his own destiny on whether he should stay or not, leaving Curt to be right as usual.
John Milner (Paul LeMat) is the hotshot of the state who doesn't want to leave town because he is afraid that everything will change. After the beginning of the film he talks to Curt about "The Pickin's are really getting' slim" that everything is changing in terms of music, girls, crusin' the street even from his friends departing. He cruises the streets where he accidentally picks up an underage girl (MacKenzie Phillips) who becomes more of a pal to John as they listen to Wolfman Jack and hear good old time music. Yet, John is up for a little competition, as a new drag racer by the name of Bob Falfa, (Harrison Ford) wants to race him.
The other character of the gang is Terry "The Toad," Fields (Charles Martin Smith) the nerd who drives a mophead, gets to take Steve's car for a ride in the town. Yet, as he tries to impress people, he meets one girl Debbie (Candy Clark) who decides to go with Terry after she hears about him talking about his "new" car. Terry who thinks he is a reject is now proved that he is a man as he cruises the streets with the girl on his arms, and just trying to prove that even nerds have their moments as well.
American Graffiti in my opinion is a retrospect of the good times that people had when everything was innocent, in an era where crusin' was important, especially rock n' roll. But as time changes on, people will always remember the good times. -
samumemm21 February 2019The movie was really hard to follow but other than that it was amazing. this movie was made by Lucas Films before he made Star Wars which led him to making it because of the money he got for the movie. Harrison Ford was a great choice of actor because he looked like he belonged in the movie and during this time he looked like a teenager. the movie was supposed to be about an average teenager during this time but none of it seemed average. overall it was a great movie and a great classic.
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dataconflossmoor11 September 2002American Graffiti was a compilation of pop culture pique, a harbinger of political changes, and the birth of an era that explodes the "Leave it to Beaver America" simply by saying farewell to it!!!...Set in a small town in Southern California, with a bunch of people who's existence in 1962 means the 13th and final year of the fifties, it correlates a cosmic awareness with an innocent societal disagreement.... People are happy, but not happy enough to want to stay the same.... The constant bond throughout the film is Wolfman Jack, the "supercool" disc jockey who creates a thousand different images of himself just by virtue of what he says on the radio...He is illuminating as well as socially influential to a bunch of naive teenagers....The music in this movie is extremely entertaining, as it signifies the end of an Eisenhower style Utopia.. The couples that are paired off in this movie homogenize the attitudes and aspirations of these precocious 1962 teenagers, who are on the verge of growing up!! All of the characters in this film have an imperviousness to the objections related to a perceived totalitarianism brought on in the sixties, not just because the radical aspect of the decade has yet to be, but also, because locking horns with the authority figures is not second nature to them ...(Even Big John Milner)... The bevy of Radicalism which besieges our nation over the remainder of this decade, (the 1960's) created a metamorphosis in social behavior that would change all Americans, even the people living in the town of Graffit, California!!! This movie superbly exemplifies the phrase "The calm before the storm" It gives the entire movie audience a crystal ball concept analysis report that sparks a bittersweet realization and empathy for everyone who plays a significant role in this George Lucas masterpiece!! Director George Lucas has never been better...The cast is sensational!!and the film's unassuming demeanor surprisingly captures the honor of being one of America's greatest films on record!!! Five stars!! No question!!
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Mr-Fusion2 September 2023"Where were you in '62?"
Well, I can tell you where I wasn't: in existence yet. I'm pretty sure this is why "American Graffiti" didn't take hold in me like it did for a generation.
As a cultural artifact, I totally get it: cast of pre-famous faces; all of this classic cars; the soundtrack, my god, the soundtrack! It was primarily the story that I found sort of dull, which I know would break my parents' hearts, but it does settle into a lull after a while. Of all the characters we hang with during the story, Dreyfuss is the most interesting, and my interest waned when he wasn't the focus.
One thing this film does very well is capture that aimless anything-is-possible feeling on the last night of high school. And it's fascinating to see Lucas flexing autobiographical in the movie that helped "Star Wars" get financed. That right there is film history and I am all for it. -
This is definitely one of the most influential of all coming-of-age films. I assume that this movie has established a new narrative style, and has proved that nostalgic films are not necessarily made for the sake of nostalgia, for it captures the zeitgeist of the 1960s America instead of mimicking it. A notable example of the influence of American Graffiti is Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused. And while I wasn't as engaged and invested in the characters of the former as I was with of the latter, American Graffiti admittedly is the more mature and thought-provoking of the two. The characters here have some depth you would probably never see in slice-of-life movies. And this comes from the sharp dialogue that fleshed out the characters throughout the movie's running time in a very subtle way.
Some characters have better and more well-developed arcs than the others. They all are relatable, somewhat likable, and played by very good actors who did their best in their roles; but some character arcs feel as if they aren't fully-developed and lack some pieces in the middle. Ron Howard's character, Steve is a case in point; although I was quite invested in his character by the end of the movie.
This leads us to my second issue with this movie, which I mentioned above. It's that the movie took me a little while to get into its characters and whole the story in general. I think the reason of this problem is that the movie promised me from its very beginning that it would focus on the characters' story-lines to flesh them out; not their journeys. Don't get me wrong, I adore slice-of-life and road movies, and I also knew that American Graffiti is this kind of a movie. But I guess the first minutes would a bit misleading, and therefore it took me sometime for the movie to draw me in.
I can't praise the movie's soundtrack enough! I mean, it's absolutely one of the greatest film soundtracks ever! The movie wouldn't have been so nostalgic, if it wasn't for its killer soundtrack. It is a key factor in capturing the era's spirit, and also in giving the movie its distinctive bitter-sweet vibe. I think I won't stop listening to it for a long time!
American Graffiti is also a proof that George Lucas is a great director as he is a great writer. I know that the dialogue is one of the film's best merits; but man, the camera work is so exquisite, and the color-grading is superb and quite expressive. The movie also has some brilliant moments of scene-blocking that, once again, gave the movie its evocative atmosphere.
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evanston_dad8 June 2007Maybe I'm just not the right age to fully appreciate the nostalgic tug of this film, but I've never warmed to the charms of "American Graffiti."
I usually like movies with loose, improvisational styles, which "Graffiti" certainly has. But here it feels more like pointless meandering than it does hip improvisation. The film stars a number of actors whose faces would become familiar but who were as yet unknown: Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, and notably Mackenzie Phillips, who gives the funniest and most outrageous performance of the group. Fans of 1960s music and hot rods will also get a kick out of the soundtrack and the souped up cars these kids cruise around in, whiling away the hours before life -- and particularly the Vietnam War -- takes them in separate directions.
Many lament the fact that George Lucas went on to make the "Star Wars" series when he could have instead made more films like this. I don't know. I for one enjoyed "Star Wars" a hell of a lot more.
Grade: B -
sol-5 July 2005An atmosphere of the 1960s attitudes and values is set up well in this film, and there are some themes of maturity at hand, but otherwise there is little to compliment, unless one was there and can comment on nostalgic value. For a comedy, it is not very funny, nor amusing, with a few gags but no real jokes. For a drama, it is all a bit too disjointed to cut deep, with many different story-lines all over the place. All in all, the film is merely just a display of different events showing teenage angst and spirit, as opposed to a film that tells a solid story. Dreyfuss is fairly good, and it is satisfactory viewing, but it does not come recommended.