The Graduate
Newly minted alumnus
The Graduate is a 1967 American film directed by Mike Nichols, in which a directionless young man fresh out of college is seduced by an older woman, then falls for her daughter.
The film defined a generation's anxieties about conformity and adulthood, and its title has become shorthand for that liminal moment after college when the future feels both wide open and terrifyingly undefined.
He's pulling a Graduate suggests an older-younger liaison or romantic complications across generations.
- Mrs. RobinsonMarried woman's honorific
- Simon & GarfunkelIconic folk rock partnership
- ElaineName meaning "shining"
- cinematographyMotion picture visual craft
Anne Bancroft · Mike Nichols · screenplay · soundtrack · plastics · Oscar · adaptation · wedding scene
Married woman's honorific
- affairRomantic entanglement outside commitment
- temptationUrge toward the unwise
- older womanMature female adult
- manipulationUnderhanded control of others
forbidden · infidelity · hotel · liaison · enticement · pursuit · obsession · desire
Teenage developmental stage
- transitionChange from one state
- self-discoveryLearning one's true character
- identityWho someone is
- independenceFreedom from external control
adulthood · naivety · ambition · uncertainty · directionlessness · quarter-life crisis · future · pressure
Rejection of mainstream values
- generation gapAge-based cultural disconnect
- disillusionmentBitter loss of faith
- conformityAdherence to norms
- materialismPrioritizing goods over spirit
sexual revolution · alienation · restlessness · rebellion · affluence · postwar · American Dream · societal expectations
Of lasting excellence
- landmarkNotable point of reference
- influentialHaving considerable effect
- timelessUnaffected by eras
- masterpieceSupreme artistic achievement
seminal · touchstone · defining · legendary · memorable · groundbreaking · cultural touchstone · quotable
Dustin Hoffman
- Mrs. RobinsonMarried woman's honorific
- Simon & GarfunkelIconic folk rock partnership
- ElaineName meaning "shining"
Anne Bancroft · Mike Nichols · cinematography · screenplay · soundtrack · plastics · Oscar · adaptation · wedding scene · swimming pool
Mrs. Robinson
Married woman's honorific
- affairRomantic entanglement outside commitment
- temptationUrge toward the unwise
- older womanMature female adult
manipulation · forbidden · infidelity · hotel · liaison · enticement · pursuit · obsession · desire · conquest
adolescence
Teenage developmental stage
- transitionChange from one state
- self-discoveryLearning one's true character
- identityWho someone is
independence · adulthood · naivety · ambition · uncertainty · directionlessness · quarter-life crisis · future · pressure · expectations
counterculture
Rejection of mainstream values
- generation gapAge-based cultural disconnect
- disillusionmentBitter loss of faith
- conformityAdherence to norms
materialism · sexual revolution · alienation · restlessness · rebellion · affluence · postwar · American Dream · societal expectations · establishment
classic
Of lasting excellence
- landmarkNotable point of reference
- influentialHaving considerable effect
- timelessUnaffected by eras
masterpiece · seminal · touchstone · defining · legendary · memorable · groundbreaking · cultural touchstone · quotable · celebrated
- 60s CinemaDr. Strangelove, Easy Rider, Bonnie and Clyde, Lawrence of Arabia, Mary Poppins
- DramediesBoJack Horseman, Barry, Atlanta, The Bear, Orange Is the New Black
- Classic FilmsCasablanca, Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind, Some Like It Hot, Vertigo
- Cult FilmsEraserhead, The Room, Donnie Darko, Napoleon Dynamite, Army of Darkness
The GraduateMary Poppins
The GraduatePleasantville
Idealized small-town America
Father Knows Best · Leave It to Beaver · Revolutionary Road · Mad Men
The GraduateThe Apartment
Residential unit in building
Wall Street · Working Girl · Risky Business · Top Gun · Jerry Maguire
graduate, graduation, undergraduate, graduates, graduating, postgraduate, postgraduation