:
Richard Dreyfuss,
Richard Dreyfuss,
Ron Howard,
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George Lucas,
George Lucas
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: Universal Studios
: Costume Drama/Period Piece, Coming of Age
: 112 min.
: English, French
: English, Spanish, French
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It's the last night of summer 1962, and the teenagers of Modesto, California, want to have some fun before adult responsibilities close in. Among them are Steve (Ron Howard) and Curt (Richard Dreyfuss), college-bound with mixed feelings about leaving home; nerdy Terry "The Toad" (Charles Martin Smith), who scores a dream date with blonde Debbie (Candy Clark); and John (Paul Le Mat ), a 22-year-old drag racer who wonders how much longer he can stay champion and how he got stuck with 13-year-old Carol (Mackenzie Phillips) in his deuce coupe. As D. J. Wolfman Jack spins 41 vintage tunes on the radio throughout the night, Steve ponders a future with girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams), Curt chases a mystery blonde, Terry tries to act cool, and Paul prepares for a race against Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford), but nothing can stop the next day from coming, and with it the vastly different future ushered in by the 1960s. Fresh off The Godfather (1972), producer Francis Ford Coppola had the clout to get his friend George Lucas's project made, but only for $750,000 on a 28-day shooting schedule. Despite technical obstacles, and having to shoot at night, cinematographer Haskell Wexler gave the film the neon-lit aura that Lucas wanted, evoking the authentic look of a suburban strip to go with the authentic sound of rock-n-roll. Universal, which wanted to call the film Another Slow Night in Modesto, thought it was unreleasable. But Lucas' period detail, co-writers Willard Huyck's and Gloria Katz's realistic dialogue, and the film's nostalgia for the pre-Vietnam years apparently appealed to a 1973 audience embroiled in cultural chaos: American Graffiti became the third most popular movie of 1973 (after The Exorcist and The Sting), establishing the reputations of Lucas (whose next film would be Star Wars) and his young cast, and furthering the onset of soundtrack-driven, youth-oriented movies. Although the film helped spark 1970s nostalgia for the 1950s, nothing else would capture the flavor of the era with the same humorous candor and latent sense of foreboding. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
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| Truly wonderful
by DLeonard
September 18, 2002 - 11:42 AM PDT
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6 out of 6 members found this review helpful
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After counting all his money and awards and listing various technical advances, George Lucas can offer one artisitic achievement; American Graffiti. No other film so deftly captures the emerging suburban youth culture that became the baby boomers, which continues to guide and influence our country's path. If you have a parent or relative in or around their 60's, most likely they identify with this film. I know my parents do.
Lucas follows the neo-realism style so prevelent in late 60's early 70's cinema, and uses it to great effect as he tells the story of several California teens through the course of a day. Nothing seems staged, forced or unrealistic as paths criss-cross and events influence decisions. Some of the conflicts may feel cliched, like Richard Dreyfuss's uncertainty over his future, but really Lucas was charting new territory. Even the constant pop music soundtrack, used as a kind of a Greek chorus here, was a fresh idea. It's only in retrospect that we feel we've seen it all before.
Two things make this film an absolute treasure, actually three things. 1. The fact that this was made by Mr. Star Wars 2. The stellar cast who at the time were all unknowns (except veteran Ron Howard). 3. Lucas's fine blend of nostalgia and critical eye. Obviously he has a fondness for these people, but he's only too aware of the limitations they often place on themselves and their futures.
As much as I enjoy Star Wars, I'll always lament the filmmaker that could have been had Star Wars not taken over his life, the guy who made this American classic. |
| Oh Please
by marcxxx12
September 17, 2002 - 2:08 PM PDT
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3 out of 11 members found this review helpful
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| What a boring film! You know, if you dream of being in the stereotypical cliché of the fiftys do-whop posterart lifestyle this may be the film for you. If not, you've seen this all before in Grease or in countless other incarnations. Save your rental space and get something more interesting! |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.82)
223 Votes
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| Oscar got it wrong? |
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| The Academy has proven to only rarely reward movies that withstand the test of time. Here's some still revered movies that were passed up. These are mistakes to put next to never giving awards to Hitchcock, Cary Grant, Peter O'toole, and Scorsase! |
ALittlefield
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