The Graduate

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3:44

The Graduate

PG

Released Dec 21, 1967

1h 45m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

92 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).

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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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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

Harry Solomons

Loud and Clear Reviews

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.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jan 8, 2025

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

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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

Farah R

Unlikable characters making questionable choices is not the best premise for a movie, but The Graduate follows through with it on the hopes that a decent cast will make it work. Unfortunately, it doesn’t, and the soundtrack isn’t remarkable either.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/08/25

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John W

Immoral people have a bad time in Pasadena to a Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

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Nick M

A wonderful movie that's well ahead of its time

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/21/25

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Candice D

Great cinema and acting, but the main character’s pathos doesn’t cover up his creepy, stalker and pressurising of Elaine. In real life she’d have a restraining order on him.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/20/25

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paul o

Very dated now and fairly unbelievable. Decent acting but way past its sell by date.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/19/25

Full Review

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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

3:44

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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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