As a socially awkward, neurotic young adult who graduated from college a couple of months ago and has no idea what to do next in life, I have to say that I identified with Dustin Hoffman's Ben more than I would have liked to.
I'm not saying that I would jump in bed with a married family friend or aggressively stalk her daughter, but I understand Ben a lot more than any other character in the film. We both come from a relatively well-off family and have spent the majority of our lives living on the straight and narrow with the adults around us pressuring us to consider the next step in our lives. When presented with the opportunity to rebel against this way of life, Ben hesitates because of what his parents would think. The resulting montage, which shows Ben distancing himself from said parents while lazing around the house and fully committing to his affair with Mrs. Robinson is a powerful sequence, scored to the Simon and Garfunkel score which signifies the beginning of the film's next act.
Upon meeting Elaine, Ben finally finds one good thing in his life that is pure and innocent. Even then, his love for her is immature and reckless, with his decision to propose to her after one date and stalking her at her college after she discovers his affair with her mother. The ending, where Ben crashes Elaine's wedding and takes off with her on a bus, is infamous for a reason. The camera lingers on Ben and Elaine's faces as they slowly stop smiling and look perturbed, having just burned their bridges with their family and friends, uncertain of the future that lies ahead.
Having originally started out in theater, Mike Nichols' second feature is a masterwork of craftsmanship and editing. Each role is expertly cast and performed, with Anne Bancroft's Mrs. Robinson being one of cinema's greatest villains. The film zips from one scene to the next without any filler or fat on it's bones. Having now seen the film in it's entirety, I can safely say that The Graduate has earned it's cultural touchstone as one of the most important American films of all time.
