American Graffiti (1973)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

George Lucas

Writers:

George Lucas (written by) and
Gloria Katz (written by) ...

Release Date:

11 August 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Where were you in '62?

Plot:

A couple of high school grads spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.

Plot Keywords:

Car Hop | Film With Ambiguous Title | School Life | Vomit | Angst

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Richard Dreyfuss	...	Curt Henderson
Ron Howard	...	Steve Bolander (as Ronny Howard)
Paul Le Mat	...	John Milner
Charles Martin Smith	...	Terry 'The Toad' Fields (as Charlie Martin Smith)
Cindy Williams	...	Laurie Henderson
Candy Clark	...	Debbie Dunham
Mackenzie Phillips	...	Carol
Wolfman Jack	...	XERB Disc Jockey
Bo Hopkins	...	Joe Young
Manuel Padilla Jr.	...	Carlos
Beau Gentry	...	Ants
Harrison Ford	...	Bob Falfa
Jim Bohan	...	Officer Holstein
Jana Bellan	...	Budda
Deby Celiz	...	Wendy

Runtime:

110 min | 112 min (re-release) (1978)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (original relase) | Dolby (re-release) (1975)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | South Korea:15 | USA:PG (certificate #23582) | Brazil:14 | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Denmark:15 (video rating) | Finland:K-12 | Iceland:L | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:AA (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Lucasfilm

Trivia:

During the sequence in which John and Carol smeared shaving cream on the 1960 Cadillac and deflated the tires, Paul Le Mat actually jumped onto and over the car during each take, and George Lucas became concerned that Le Mat's boots would put dents in the hood and trunk.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When John is stopped by the policeman, he's a few feet from a movie theater. The movie poster is for Cabaret (1972).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Terry Fields: Hey, what do you say, Curt? Last night in town - you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave?
Steve Bolander: The Moose have been looking for you all day.
[hands check to Curt]
Steve Bolander: They got worried - thought you were trying to avoid them or something.
Terry Fields: What is it? What do ya got?
Curt Henderson: Oh, great.
Terry Fields: That's $2000 man! $2000!
Steve Bolander: Mr. Jennings gave it to me to give to you. He says he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. And he, uh, says they're all very proud of you back at the lodge.
Curt Henderson: Cute. Why don't you hold it for me for awhile?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Step by Step: The Boss (#2.6)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock

A Great Film, That Inspired Many Others!

Probably the single greatest teen movie ever made!

George Lucas' wonderful coming of age film that takes place one late summer night, is one that inspired several other films, including "Dazed and Confused", and "Can't Hardly Wait".

Fine performances, superb directing, and wonderful writing make this one a winner that has endured over the years, and has solidified it's position as one of the greatest films of all times! "American Graffiti" is a film that can be funny without being stupid, and touching without being maudlin.

This is a movie that should be seen at least once by everybody, it was a great film in 1973, and is even better today! A very intelligent and believable film that only seems to get better with repeated viewings, and after seeing it for the first time, you will want to see it again.

"American Graffiti" is a wonderful film that has stood the test of time, and will stand the test of even more time! Thirty years from now, people will still be looking back on this and remembering how much of a superb film it was, and how many fine films it inspired!!!

***** Five Out of five stars! (Outstanding!)