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George Lucas’s ode to the social phenomenon of cruisin’ is a remarkably candid affair. Often a victim of adlib and off-the-cuff antics and guffaws from its teenage cast, American Graffiti has a unique soul all of its own – even if it doesn’t always land its zingers. Time certainly has been kind to this hit from 1973. Wonderfully gassed-up with some seriously great 50s-era tunes, George Lucas’s sophomore directorial effort is light years away from the slump he is currently in. The film, restrained by a limited budget and a few stilted performances, isn’t pitch-perfect but, to be precise, that’s exactly what makes it so … wonderfully perfect. It’s a time-bottled portrayal of a drive-thru culture that doesn’t really exist in America anymore.
In this rock and roll coming-of-age narrative, two recent High School graduates, Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss) and Steve Bolander (Ron Howard), and their socially awkward friends - John Milner (Paul Le Mat) and Terry "The Toad" Fields (Charles Martin Smith) - attempt to cash in on an evening of dancing and racing in Modesto, California before they part ways for college and the real life that awaits them outside of the High School. Everyone is in a hurry to grow up or so it seems. Without a clue as to what the real world offers, Bolander argues with his girlfriend, Debbie Dunham (Cindy Williams) while Henderson spends his time chasing an elusive blonde angel in a T-Bird (Suzanne Somers) who mouthed that she loved him. Caught up in a sort of rebellious fantasy, the teens discover just how far one night can take them and their growing pains.
Shot from the hip by Lucas, American Graffiti is a challenging film in that its carefree attitude is properly tested by the misfit lessons each character learns about love, consequences, and mortality. It’s a life-altering night and, for teenagers, sometimes one night can make the whole difference in the many directions their lives take them. It’s certainly a distant world from the one teenagers inhabit today, but it’s a pleasant one with its polished chrome and its need for speed and rocking tunes.
Ironically enough, the criticisms hurled at this are the same ones being hurled at J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 in that it’s a film made for an audience that might only enjoy it for its use of nostalgia. It’s a criticism I call into question as this is a film for all audiences. After all, this is the film that ushered in the whole angsty teenager genre with a careful thought on the specific tunes that would cradle this film toward its financial success. This is a film that celebrates the character of youth and brings it to a new level with its honesty and its fits and struggles; it isn’t clean and it certainly isn’t pure but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.
Lucas’s American Graffiti is about one night. It’s about ‘The Night’. It’s a coolly effortless affair but, deep within its own seemingly innocent ride, it knowingly depicts the coming darkness and desperation that – once upon a time - clung to the edge of the towns it now openly inhibits…
MPAA Rating: PG for Adult Situations,Questionable for Children,Adult Language,Sexual Situations,Suitable for Teens
