The Graduate
Bottom Line: Extremely funny and thoughtful.
“Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me. Aren’t you?” –Dustin Hoffman as Ben Braddock
Directed by: Mike Nichols
Starring: Anne Bancroft, Brian Avery, Buck Henry, Dustin Hoffman, Elizabeth Wilson, Katharine Ross, Murray Hamilton, Norman Fell, Walter Brooke, William Daniels
After recently graduating from college, shy Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) has decided he has no idea where he wants to go with his future, with no desire or reason to attend graduate school and no particular career planned. One night, he is seduced by his mother’s alcoholic best friend Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), after driving her home from a celebration, and he is trapped in an affair with her. To make matters worse, she is not just his mother’s best friend, but her husband is his father’s business partner. Shortly after, Benjamin meets Elaine (Katharine Ross), who happens to be Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, and immediately falls in love with her. The only problem is that Mrs. Robinson feels emotionally obligated to keep Elaine away from Benjamin at all costs.
