The Graduate

Play trailer

3:44

The Graduate

PG

Released Dec 21, 1967

1h 45m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

91 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).

Watch on Fandango at Home

Rent Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Myles Standish

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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

May 1, 2024

Full Review

Jacob Brackman

The New Yorker

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.

Jun 23, 2023

Full Review

Victoria Luxford

BBC.com

Something that any lover of American Cinema should see.

Rated: 5/5

Jun 6, 2022

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

The camera and editing moves differently than other movies of its day and the deliberate uses of light, shadow, angle, and focus amaze me to no end.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 14, 2024

Full Review

Chase Hutchinson

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

A withering dramedy that pulls no punches as it builds to one of the most iconic and haunting endings ever put to screen, The Graduate remains as clear-eyed as ever.

Jul 25, 2024

Full Review

Zita Short

InSession Film

You really can’t miss Bancroft’s iconic performance, but I wouldn’t blame anybody for feeling a bit disappointed by the film itself. The years have not been kind to it and it now seems shallow and overly calculated.

Feb 1, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Spencer Nielsen

A near perfect film I wish I liked just a little bit more. Very interesting to see a very intimate, personal story shot in anamorphic widescreen. Accurately captures the struggle of legally being an adult while still functioning as a kid in the world you grew up in.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/21/24

Full Review

Keith N

This was one of the worst movies I've ever seen, it just made me feel so uncomfortable

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/16/24

Full Review

Fatima A

I really liked this movie, I liked the story of it. It was an interesting movie. I liked how he kept going back to the same hotel. I liked he still loved wit his parents. The scenes where he was in bed then ended up in the pool, was cool. I recommend this movie, it was a great movie.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/28/24

Full Review

Syed R

I would give this movie a 3.5/5 because it was kind of hard to watch but even harder to look away. It was a very funny movie and interesting. The graduate kept my attention throughout the movie but it had a lot of different twists that I believe that could have been a little bit better. Other than that, I think this movie was pretty solid.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/01/24

Full Review

Maryam A

Although I understand The Graduates cultural significance and the boldness of its themes for the time it was released, I did not enjoy the film as much as I thought I would. The central story about the relationship between Ben and Mrs. Robinson, and later Ben and Elaine felt a bit aimless and rushed, although it was interesting at first. Ultimately, Ben did not acknowledge the family that he ruined, and the hurt he caused people, the ending was extremely abrupt, and overall the story felt a bit run on. One of the strengths that I do believe the movie had was the symbolism and use of music throughout the film.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/30/24

Full Review

Daniel C

Very well done movie overall. My only real complaint is that the soundtrack gets repetitive throughout the movie. The dynamic between Ben and Mrs.Robinson is really interesting and it is really clear to see who the antagonist of the film is and what their focus is. At the beginning of the movie, the use of non-diegetic sound of Simon & Garfunkel combined with the close ups especially at the beginning of the movie provides a lot of character development for Ben showing his confusion and depression as to what he wants to do with his life. Elaine’s introduction is perfectly timed and really increased the pace of the plot overall.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/30/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Mike Nichols

Director

Dustin Hoffman

Benjamin Braddock

Anne Bancroft

Mrs. Robinson

Katharine Ross

Elaine Robinson

William Daniels

Mr. Braddock

Murray Hamilton

Mr. Robinson

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

The Sterile Cuckoo

88%

65%

The Sterile Cuckoo

Watchlist

The Landlord

93%

79%

The Landlord

Watchlist

Goodbye, Columbus

92%

51%

Goodbye, Columbus

Watchlist

Alfie

97%

76%

Alfie

Watchlist

Kotch

75%

68%

Kotch

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Know Your Critic: Max Weiss, Editor-in-Chief at Baltimore Magazine

Captain America: Civil War, Cafe Society, Amores Perros, and More on Netflix and Amazon Prime

Lainie Kazan’s Five Favorite Films

The Graduate: Trailer 1

3:44

View more videos

View more photos

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: Embassy Pictures Corporation, Lawrence Turman Inc.
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)

Most Popular at Home Now