American Graffiti (1973)

Set in the Central Valley region of California in 1962, two high school graduates are both set to go East to college but one (Richard Dreyfuss) is starting to doubt if college is what he really wants and the other (Ron Howard) is having difficulty with his high school sweetheart (Cindy Williams) when he suggests they see other people while he is away at college. Directed by George Lucas (STAR WARS), this coming of age dramedy received critical acclaim (including 5 Oscar nominations) and was a massive box office hit. The movie is drenched in nostalgia for 1960s small town Americana and the era's music and cruising culture. There's no doubt this is expert film making but I found that it didn't hold up well for me. Things that were amusing or we let slide in 1973 are more grating now. Williams' whiny character dragging down her boyfriend to give up his dreams and stay in their small town so he can be next to her (the epilogue says he became an insurance salesman) leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Dreyfuss's escapade with a gang of thugs in destroying property and stealing isn't amusing the way it was in 1973. Lucas dismisses the female characters in the film when we're only told about the fate of the male characters in the film's epilogue. The huge cast includes Harrison Ford, Candy Clark (in an Oscar nominated performance), Charles Martin Smith, Kathleen Quinlan, Mackenzie Phillips, Paul Le Mat, Suzanne Somers and Bo Hopkins.