Monday, July 13, 2009
Friends of this blogger know that I don’t watch old movies, with the exception of a few favorites like Psycho so this review of The Graduate will come as a surprise. I don’t know what possessed me to see this movie that came out pretty soon after I was born. Dustin Hoffman is a cool cat and Anne Bancroft is amazing. He is like a woman, he wants to know her, to understand her, and she wants for it to be about sex. It’s such a fabulous role reversal and I guess that’s one of the many reasons people loved the movie back in the day. That and the role reversal.
An older man wanting to be with a girl his daughter’s age is as familiar as a good cappuccino here in Los Angeles. It makes them feel like gods. They can control the woman, they can tell her what to do. There was a book that came out about this. It’s called The Jennifer Syndrome. Men who have to have a young woman to adore them, listen to them, hang on their words. It makes them feel big. I always think all that adoration would get boring after a while, but apparently not.
Gina’s husband says he wants to be a woman who is his equal. I love that in a human being. I think a person who wants to be challenged by the person he’s with is worth his or her salt and blood and heart. Ah, I remember when I met Mark, I knew I could stay and play. And I knew I would run my whole life to keep up. All good.
So this movie is a role reversal, the woman who wants a boy to play with. An interesting twist. I can’t quite imagine wanting a boy, but I like this movie. I like it because it’s about being lost in the world, and I think all the interesting people are questing and confused and wild anyway.
The part with Elaine Robinson is a bit odd, but I like odd compulsive behavior. Him chasing. Her holding back. Very complicated relationships. Good movie. Great music.
