American Graffiti Details

1973

Rated:
60
from 5023 members

Starring	Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Paul Le Mat, Cindy Williams
Director	George Lucas
Genres	Comedy

American Graffiti

A series of touching and effective vignettes, AMERICAN GRAFFITI presents a powerful collage of youth on the brink of maturity during the innocence of pre-Kennedy-assassination America. The film, set in 1962, follows one night in the lives of several recently graduated high school students. The genial Steve (Ron Howard) prepares to leave for college the next day, and Laurie (Cindy Williams), his girlfriend, is upset by his departure. Laurie's brother, Curt (Richard Dreyfuss), the class intellectual, is also slated for college, but he has serious doubts about his future. Also featured are the hopeless nerd (Charles Martin Smith) and the eternally cool drag racer, John (Paul LeMat), who feels pressure to live up to his reputation. In one of the many subtle, funny scenes, John, after the school dance, picks up chatty 13-year-old Carol (Mackenzie Phillips), thinking she's older than she is. Cruising in their hot rods, eating at Mel's Diner, and listening to Wolfman Jack spin the latest hits, the teenagers draw the audience into a nostalgic web in which the camera jumps from character to character as they each enjoy--or stress over--their last moments of summer freedom. Based on George Lucas's own teenage hot-rodding days in Modesto, California, this brilliant, bittersweet comedy inspired numerous other productions including the long-running TV series HAPPY DAYS. Lucas's second feature, AMERICAN GRAFFITI features an early screen appearance by Harrison Ford, who would figure heavily into the director's next movie, the sci-fi epic STAR WARS.

Starring	Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Paul Le Mat, Cindy Williams, Charles Martin Smith, Mackenzie Phillips, Candy Clark, Harrison Ford, Bo Hopkins, Suzanne Somers, Wolfman Jack
Director	George Lucas
Studio	UCA
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 47 mins
Certificate
Genres	Comedy
Language	DVD: English
Dubbed	French, German, Italian, Spanish
Subtitles	DVD: Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish
Released	DVD: 11 Aug 2003 Production year: 1973
Format	DVD

Critics' reviews (4) of American Graffiti
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How do you follow a modern masterpiece like American Graffiti? Not with this plodding, inferior sequel, which catches up with the Class of 1962 as they live through the Vietnam-dominated, hippy 1960s. The only saving grace is yet another brilliant soundtrack, featuring golden oldies from the Supremes, Mary Wells, the Byrds, Bob Dylan and Cream. Wolfman Jack and Country Joe and the Fish also make appearances in this dismal failure, aimlessly directed by Bill L Norton.
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
The film that launched a thousand careers. Star Wars inventor Lucas got together a bunch of young actors who later went... read more on Time Out
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
Most helpful member's review of American Graffiti
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

Friendship, Music, Cars and Much Much More

This superb early film from Lucas has a raw quality to it that his later big budget films would lose. The performances from a young ensemble cast capture that difficult period as teenagers move forward into adult hood. The future looms large and uncertain for this group of friends as each have to make their own difficult choices about their lives. The backdrop is small town America set in 1962. A fantastic 60s sound track accompanies the movie and whilst it 's a nostaglgic look back to America of the JFK era it's done to perfection. The then largely unknown cast put in stunning performances and many would go on to have glittering carreers. The cars, I forgot the cars, you can't, they are as much an integral part of this film and form the backdrop for much of the action and are the glue that bind this movie and the story of these teenage lives together. There are many comic moments that find their way into the film but this movie is not an out and out comedy. The final credits of the film stop the viewer in their tracks and should not be missed, by this time you have become so involved with the characters that you will find this ending piece truly chilling, don't miss it. Now regarded by many as a cult film, it's easy to see why.
- - A customer from Thurlaston
  - Posted 27 Apr 2007 14:10
Most recent members' review of American Graffiti
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

A Film with soul, cars, broads and booze...

This is a beautiful film ; it’s like a collage of teenage experiences, wish fulfilment and urban legend all set over one summer evening. It’s shot with lots of wide angles and panning shots to give a documentary feel to it and the colours the clothes and cars all look fantastic.

It’s hard to believe that this touching funny and very human film comes from the hands of George Lucas who hasn’t seemed to have been able to coax any decent performances from the apparently tiresome actors that get in the way of his special effects shots in the woeful Star Wars sequels / prequels.

There’s not a weak performance in it ; the very young Richard Dreyfus as Curt and Charles Martin Smith as The Toad are particularly engaging and of course it is graced by the presence of the mighty Wolfman Jack.

So check it out if you haven’t seen it before and revisit it if you have. It makes me nostalgic for growing up in late 50’s early 60’s small town America, which is odd because I grew up in the 1970’s in Brentford…
- - AlPhilp from London
  - Posted 13 Apr 2005 14:40
News and features
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Michael Cera
- 24 Jun 2009
“Meet Your Ancestors” says the poster to Year One over portraits of a hammily ironic Jack Black and a typically bewildered Michael Cera. Black is bearded and even hairier than usual. With his shoulder length blond wig Cera rather like Garth in Wayne’s World and decidedly feminine. The joke is on us, genetically speaking. You wouldn’t take either for the sharpest stick in the forest. A couple of years back your truly suggested that Jack Black embodied the average... Read more
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