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* ManipulativeBastard: Mrs. Robinson. Once TheReveal is made and Ben tries to win back Elaine, he stumbles across Mrs. Robinson first, who explains that a) Elaine is arranged to be married, b) the ceremony is in a matter of days, and c) she's ''called the cops on him'' for breaking and entering. Gee, y'think maybe she doesn't want the two kids to get together?
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* ManipulativeBastard: ManipulativeBitch: Mrs. Robinson. Once TheReveal is made and Ben tries to win back Elaine, he stumbles across Mrs. Robinson first, who explains that a) Elaine is arranged to be married, b) the ceremony is in a matter of days, and c) she's ''called the cops on him'' for breaking and entering. Gee, y'think maybe she doesn't want the two kids to get together?
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** This might be a ploy to make Ben prove his manhood. Mrs. Robinson ''is'' a manipulative bastard, after all.
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** This might be a ploy to make Ben prove his manhood. Mrs. Robinson ''is'' a manipulative bastard, bitch, after all.
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* KavorkaMan: Ben is plain, awkward, unemployed, with no prospects or ambition for getting them. [[SarcasmMode Quite a catch for a mother and daughter to fight over and both throw their lives away for.]]
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* KavorkaMan: Ben is plain, awkward, unemployed, with no prospects or ambition for getting them. [[SarcasmMode Quite a catch for And yet a mother and daughter to fight over and both throw their lives away for.]]for him.
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* FalseRapeAccusation
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* FalseRapeAccusationFalseRapeAccusation: How Mrs. Robinson describes her affair with Ben to Elaine.
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* ThemeTuneCameo: Ben whistles the "Mrs. Robinson" song while driving in one scene.
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* RaceForYourLove Ben, on his way to the wedding.
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* RaceForYourLove RaceForYourLove: Ben, on his way to the wedding.
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* ShesGotLegs: Mrs. Robinson, rather famously. Although those weren't Anne Bancroft's on the poster (actually Linda Gray, aka [[{{Dallas}} Sue Ellen Ewing]], was the leg double), somebody's sure got 'em. In the famous picture at the top of this page, Ben was actually starting to leave - then Mrs. Robinson decided to put her stockings back on...
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* ShesGotLegs: Mrs. Robinson, rather famously. Although those weren't Anne Bancroft's on In the poster (actually Linda Gray, aka [[{{Dallas}} Sue Ellen Ewing]], was the leg double), somebody's sure got 'em. In scene from which the famous picture poster image shown at the top of this page, page was taken, Ben was actually starting to leave - then Mrs. Robinson decided to put her stockings back on... (Incidentally, those actually aren't Anne Bancroft's legs on the poster. Linda Gray, aka [[{{Dallas}} Sue Ellen Ewing]], was the leg double.)
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* DeadSparks: The Robinsons. (Assuming the sparks were ever really there in the first place.)
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* SexlessMarriage: At one point Mrs. Robinson reveals to Ben that she and her husband have separate rooms.
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''The Graduate'' is a 1967 film, directed by MikeNichols and based on the book of the same title, about recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock's affair with the wife of his father's partner, MrsRobinson. Famous for being lauded as the first movie made for the (then) new Baby Boomer generation, prominently featuring Music/SimonAndGarfunkel music (most memorably the toe-tapper "Mrs. Robinson"), and sky-rocketing DustinHoffman to fame. Also contains ''many'' extremely memorable and oft lovingly parodied scenes and lines.
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''The Graduate'' is a 1967 film, directed by MikeNichols and based on the book of the same title, about recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock's affair with the wife of his father's partner, MrsRobinson. Famous for being lauded as the first movie made for the (then) new Baby Boomer generation, prominently featuring Music/SimonAndGarfunkel music (most memorably the toe-tapper "Mrs. Robinson"), and sky-rocketing DustinHoffman Creator/DustinHoffman to fame. Also contains ''many'' extremely memorable and oft lovingly parodied scenes and lines.
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** RogerEbert's [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19970328/REVIEWS/703280304 1997 re-review]] is a love letter to Mrs. Robinson.
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** RogerEbert's Creator/RogerEbert's [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19970328/REVIEWS/703280304 1997 re-review]] is a love letter to Mrs. Robinson.
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* MrsRobinson: The TropeNamer.
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* MrsRobinson: The TropeNamer.[[TropeNamers Trope Namer]].
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* ThrowItIn: Ben grabbing Mrs. Robinson's breast during their first liason was completely unscripted, and the reason Ben walked to the back of the room and started banging his head against the wall after she didn't react (see WallBang below) was because DustinHoffman [[{{Corpsing}} couldn't stop laughing]].
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* ThrowItIn: Ben grabbing Mrs. Robinson's breast during their first liason was completely unscripted, and the reason Ben walked to the back of the room and started banging his head against the wall after she didn't react (see WallBang below) was because DustinHoffman Creator/DustinHoffman [[{{Corpsing}} couldn't stop laughing]].
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''The Graduate'' is a 1967 film, directed by MikeNichols and based on the book of the same title, about recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock's affair with the wife of his father's partner, MrsRobinson. Famous for being lauded as the first movie made for the (then) new Baby Boomer generation, prominently featuring SimonAndGarfunkel music (most memorably the toe-tapper "Mrs. Robinson"), and sky-rocketing DustinHoffman to fame. Also contains ''many'' extremely memorable and oft lovingly parodied scenes and lines.
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''The Graduate'' is a 1967 film, directed by MikeNichols and based on the book of the same title, about recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock's affair with the wife of his father's partner, MrsRobinson. Famous for being lauded as the first movie made for the (then) new Baby Boomer generation, prominently featuring SimonAndGarfunkel Music/SimonAndGarfunkel music (most memorably the toe-tapper "Mrs. Robinson"), and sky-rocketing DustinHoffman to fame. Also contains ''many'' extremely memorable and oft lovingly parodied scenes and lines.
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* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Gene Hackman (who'd started his acting career alongside Dustin Hoffman at the Pasadena Playhouse, and was just seven years older than Hoffman) was considered for the role of Mr. Robinson. CandiceBergen was considered for the role of Elaine. Patricia Neal, Ava Gardner, and Doris Day were considered for the role of Mrs. Robinson. JackNicholson, RobertRedford, WarrenBeatty, Charles Grodin, and Burt Ward (yes, [[{{Series/Batman}} the Boy Wonder himself]]) were considered for the role of Benjamin.
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* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Gene Hackman (who'd started his acting career alongside Dustin Hoffman at the Pasadena Playhouse, and was just seven years older than Hoffman) was considered for the role of Mr. Robinson. CandiceBergen Creator/CandiceBergen was considered for the role of Elaine. Patricia Neal, Ava Gardner, and Doris Day were considered for the role of Mrs. Robinson. JackNicholson, RobertRedford, WarrenBeatty, Charles Grodin, and Burt Ward (yes, [[{{Series/Batman}} the Boy Wonder himself]]) were considered for the role of Benjamin.
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* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Gene Hackman (who'd started his acting career alongside Dustin Hoffman at the Pasadena Playhouse, and was just seven years older than Hoffman) was considered for the role of Mr. Robinson. CandiceBergen was considered for the role of Elaine. Patricia Neal, Ava Gardner, and Doris Day were considered for the role of Mrs. Robinson. JackNicholson, Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, Charles Grodin, and Burt Ward (yes, [[{{Series/Batman}} the Boy Wonder himself]]) were considered for the role of Benjamin.
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* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Gene Hackman (who'd started his acting career alongside Dustin Hoffman at the Pasadena Playhouse, and was just seven years older than Hoffman) was considered for the role of Mr. Robinson. CandiceBergen was considered for the role of Elaine. Patricia Neal, Ava Gardner, and Doris Day were considered for the role of Mrs. Robinson. JackNicholson, Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, RobertRedford, WarrenBeatty, Charles Grodin, and Burt Ward (yes, [[{{Series/Batman}} the Boy Wonder himself]]) were considered for the role of Benjamin.
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* DeadSparks: The Robinsons.
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* DeadSparks: The Robinsons. (Assuming the sparks were ever really there in the first place.)
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** And the ending suggests [[spoiler: they may not actually love each other]].
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** And the ending suggests [[spoiler: they may not actually love each other]].other. In fact, WordOfGod is that they're going to end up exactly like their parents.]]
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* GenerationXerox: In the final scene, according to WordOfGod, this is what Ben and Elaine are realizing will eventually happen to them.
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* GenerationXerox: In the final scene, according to WordOfGod, this is what Ben and Elaine are realizing will eventually happen to them.them.
* GetOut: Elaine screams this at Ben after realizing that the older woman he had mentioned sleeping with was her mother.
* GetOut: Elaine screams this at Ben after realizing that the older woman he had mentioned sleeping with was her mother.
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That\'s just his opinion.
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** And Ben is just another drone. Ebert states, "There were true rebels in movies of the period (see ''Film/EasyRider''), but Benjamin Braddock was not one of them. I wonder how long it took him to get into plastics."
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* HotAndCold: Mrs. Robinson, towards the beginning of the film. Later on, she slips into full-on PsychoticLover.
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* {{Tsundere}}: Mrs. Robinson, towards the beginning of the film. Later on, she slips into full-on {{yandere}}.
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* AbusiveParents: A somewhat uncommon take on this trope: Elaine's, and to a lesser extent Ben's, parents basically want to control the lives of their children, despite the latter being adults. This fits into the movie's broader theme of a confused youth exploited and betrayed by a cynical, corrupt older generation.
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* BettyAndVeronica: An odd but fairly well-done contrast between[[spoiler: Mrs. Robinson and her daughter, Elaine.]]
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Shallow Love Interest is being renamed and misuse and bitching purged
* SatelliteLoveInterest: Elaine. Sure, she's gorgeous -- she's played by Katharine Ross, after all -- but we never really learn much of anything about her, and indeed, her status as ForbiddenFruit per Mrs. Robinson's orders seems to be the primary source of Ben's attraction to her.
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* ShallowLoveInterest: Elaine. Sure, she's gorgeous -- she's played by Katharine Ross, after all -- but we never really learn much of anything about her, and indeed, her status as ForbiddenFruit per Mrs. Robinson's orders seems to be the primary source of Ben's attraction to her.
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There was no I-5, but there certainly was US 101, and US 99 as well.
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* DrivesLikeCrazy: Ben does this toward the end, during that Berkeley-to-Pasadena-to-Berkeley-to-Santa Barbara shuttle. If, as it appears, he did the whole thing on California Highway 1, that's ''1,300 miles'' in less than 24 hours, much of it on a winding two-lane road along seaside cliffs. The shorter, safer alternatives, Interstate 5 and U.S. 101, were still under construction in 1967, and if available, would only have cut about 300 miles off the overall distance.
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* DrivesLikeCrazy: Ben does this toward the end, during that Berkeley-to-Pasadena-to-Berkeley-to-Santa Barbara shuttle. If, as it appears, he did the whole thing on California Highway 1, that's ''1,300 miles'' It's a minimum of 1,000 miles in less than 24 hours, on what were much of it on a winding two-lane road along seaside cliffs. smaller highways with stops and signal lights in 1967. The shorter, safer alternatives, Interstate 5 US 99 and U.S. 101, 101 freeways were still under construction in 1967, barely half-bypassed at the time, and if available, would only have cut about 300 miles off the overall distance.I-5 not even open yet.
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** And Ben is just another drone. Ebert states, "There were true rebels in movies of the period (see ''EasyRider''), but Benjamin Braddock was not one of them. I wonder how long it took him to get into plastics."
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** And Ben is just another drone. Ebert states, "There were true rebels in movies of the period (see ''EasyRider''), ''Film/EasyRider''), but Benjamin Braddock was not one of them. I wonder how long it took him to get into plastics."
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* DeadpanSnarker: Mrs. Robinson shows signs of this in the scene where he tries to find Elaine at the house but she isn't there.
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and that\'s just a justifying edit
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* StalkingIsLove: Ben is guilty of this. He watches Elaine leave for Berkeley behind the bushes, then goes to Berkley to be near her, then chases a bus to bug her as she's on her way to a date with another guy, despite the fact that this entire time she kind of hates him. Though, to be fair, she genuinely liked him before she found out he was sleeping with her mother.
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* StalkingIsLove: Ben is guilty of this. He watches Elaine leave for Berkeley behind the bushes, then goes to Berkley to be near her, then chases a bus to bug her as she's on her way to a date with another guy, despite the fact that this entire time she kind of hates him. Though, to be fair, she genuinely liked him before she found out he was sleeping with her mother.
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That doesn\'t seem to add anything. It says some things then contradicts them straight after.
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** Although in hindsight, Ben's parents are arguably far wiser than he. (Well, apart from the whole "living vicariously through your son's achievements" thing, and the whole "making your son date somebody he doesn't want to because it's good for Dad's business partnership" thing.)
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* KavorkaMan: Ben is plain, awkward, unemployed, with no prospects or ambition for getting them. [[SarcasmMode Quite a catch for a mother and daughter to fight over and both throw their lives away for.]]
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M Oving from Main/
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M Oving from Main/
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/The_Graduate,_Leg_Shot.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[MrsRobinson Mrs. Robinson,]] [[MemeticMutation you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?]]]]
->''I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Plastics.''
''The Graduate'' is a 1967 film, directed by MikeNichols and based on the book of the same title, about recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock's affair with the wife of his father's partner, MrsRobinson. Famous for being lauded as the first movie made for the (then) new Baby Boomer generation, prominently featuring SimonAndGarfunkel music (most memorably the toe-tapper "Mrs. Robinson"), and sky-rocketing DustinHoffman to fame. Also contains ''many'' extremely memorable and oft lovingly parodied scenes and lines.
Disaffected college graduate Ben, with no idea what to do with his life and no guidance from his shallow parents and their shallow friends, drifts. He begins a clandestine affair with the wife of his father's business partner, who is always "Mrs. Robinson" to him. However, his parents have plans to match him up with Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine. He and Mrs. Robinson both detest the idea (for different reasons) and he has every intention of making Elaine hate him as much as possible... until the two hit it off.
----
!!This film provides examples of:
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Inverted; in the book Ben is quite handsome, which makes Mrs. Robinson seem a good deal less desperate.
* AdultsAreUseless: Ben's parents, specifically.
** Although in hindsight, Ben's parents are arguably far wiser than he. (Well, apart from the whole "living vicariously through your son's achievements" thing, and the whole "making your son date somebody he doesn't want to because it's good for Dad's business partnership" thing.)
* AffablyEvil: MrsRobinson, who seduces Ben and calls the police on him later, but she retains her high-class cordiality.
* AlliterativeName: Benjamin Braddock
* AutoErotica: Mrs. Robinson tells Ben that Elaine was conceived in a Ford.
* BetweenMyLegs: One of the most famous shots in cinema history.
* BrokenBird: Mrs. Robinson is a lonely, depressed, alcoholic housewife. Just try not to pity her with her tragic expression when she confesses her major was [[spoiler: art.]] She had to give up on her dreams when she got pregnant and married young, and she'd be the most sympathetic character in the story if not for the fact she apparently feels that since she had to suffer a ShotgunWedding because of her daughter, then she should force her daughter to have one too.
* CharacterTics: That little sound Ben makes in the back of his throat when he's nervous.
* ChekhovsHobby: It's mentioned at his graduation party that Ben was captain of the track team in college. Golly, I wonder if he'll have to do some running later...
* CoolCar: The Alfa Romeo Spider, which became so associated with the movie that in later years there was a trim level called "Graduate".
* CreatorCameo: Buck Henry, who co-wrote the film's screenplay, appears as the hotel desk clerk.
* CringeComedy: A whole lot of it for Ben.
* DawsonCasting: Dustin Hoffman was 30 and Anne Bancroft was 36 at the time this film was made. And she's supposed to be old enough to be his mother. And the movie works.
* DisposableFiance: That blond kid. [[spoiler:Elaine was actually already married to him, but he was still pretty disposable in the end.]]
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Ben does this toward the end, during that Berkeley-to-Pasadena-to-Berkeley-to-Santa Barbara shuttle. If, as it appears, he did the whole thing on California Highway 1, that's ''1,300 miles'' in less than 24 hours, much of it on a winding two-lane road along seaside cliffs. The shorter, safer alternatives, Interstate 5 and U.S. 101, were still under construction in 1967, and if available, would only have cut about 300 miles off the overall distance.
--> (on their first date)\\
'''Elaine:''' Do you always drive like this?\\
'''Ben:''' Yes!
* DullSurprise: Everyone in the film save Mrs. Robinson. But in ''this'' case, it's ''deliberate''.
* FreezeFrameBonus: During Mrs. Robinson's strip for Ben, there are very brief flashes of her nude body.
* GenerationXerox: In the final scene, according to WordOfGod, this is what Ben and Elaine are realizing will eventually happen to them.
* TheGraduateHomageShot: Yes, [[RenamedTropes former]] TropeNamer {{Elaine}}. Also one of the most famous scenes in movie history.
* HotMom: Guess who?
** RogerEbert's [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19970328/REVIEWS/703280304 1997 re-review]] is a love letter to Mrs. Robinson.
--->Well, here ''is'' to you, Mrs. Robinson: You've survived your defeat at the hands of that insufferable creep, Benjamin, and emerged as the most sympathetic and intelligent character in ''The Graduate.'' How could I ever have thought otherwise? What murky generational politics were distorting my view the first time I saw this film? Watching the 30th anniversary revival of ''The Graduate'' is like looking at photos of yourself at an old fraternity dance. You're gawky and your hair is plastered down with Brylcreem, and your date looks as if you found her behind the counter at the Dairy Queen. But--who's the babe in the corner? The great-looking brunette with the wide-set eyes and the full lips and the knockout figure? Hey, it's the chaperone!
** Ben's own mother is actually pretty easy on the eyes herself.
* JerkassFacade: Adopted by Ben on his first date with Elaine.
* KarmaHoudini: Ms. Robinson,[[spoiler: save for getting slapped by Elaine during the wedding crash.]]
* {{Landlord}}: Mr. [=McCleery=], who runs the rooming house Ben stays at in Berkeley.
** HilariousInHindsight: He's played by Norman Fell, who a decade later would achieve great popularity on TV as a different landlord character: [[ThreesCompany Mr. Roper]].
* ManipulativeBastard: Mrs. Robinson. Once TheReveal is made and Ben tries to win back Elaine, he stumbles across Mrs. Robinson first, who explains that a) Elaine is arranged to be married, b) the ceremony is in a matter of days, and c) she's ''called the cops on him'' for breaking and entering. Gee, y'think maybe she doesn't want the two kids to get together?
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Probably averted. When they first meet up to have sex, Mrs. Robinson asks if Ben is; he [[OfCourseImNotAVirgin laughs it off]], but she doesn't believe him. Neither do most viewers, seeing Ben's terrified nervousness.
** This might be a ploy to make Ben prove his manhood. Mrs. Robinson ''is'' a manipulative bastard, after all.
* MaybeEverAfter: So, what happens to Ben and Elaine?
* MayDecemberRomance: Not exactly romance, but Mrs. Robinson wants to regain her youth, and Ben wants to sleep with her...at least till he falls for her daughter...
* MoodWhiplash: The film gets a bit more serious once Elaine discovers her mother's "relationship" with Ben.
* MrsRobinson: The TropeNamer.
* MyBelovedSmother: Mrs. Robinson becomes a rather twisted version of this vis-à-vis Elaine.
* NewHollywood
* ''TheNewlywedGame'': The Robinsons are shown watching this on TV when Ben comes to pick up Elaine for a date.
* NoNameGiven: Mrs. Robinson's first name is never revealed.
* NoRomanticResolution: While the romance is implied, some are of the opinion that the relationship is ultimately going to fail. Will it? Who knows, it doesn't tell us.
* PerpetualExpression: Ben in the above mentioned montage. His expression changes maybe once.
* PlayingGertrude: Anne Bancroft was 36.
* POVCam: Used in the scuba-gear scene, along with VaderBreath.
* PrecisionFStrike: When Mr. Braddock confronts Ben about his failure to apply for graduate school:
-->'''Mr. Braddock:''' Look, I think it's a very good thing that a young man, after he's done some very good work, should have a chance to relax and enjoy himself, lie around and drink beer and so on. But after a few weeks, I'd believe that person would want to take some stock in himself and his situation and ''start to think about getting off his ass!''
* RaceForYourLove Ben, on his way to the wedding.
* RealSongThemeTune: Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence".
* TheReveal: When Elaine finds out just who that older woman was. Awkward.
* RunawayBride: Man, those people on that bus must have been so confused.
* SadTimesMontage: Set to Simon and Garfunkel, of course. Features mostly clips of Ben floating around in a pool and jumping into bed repeatedly with MILF Mrs. Robinson, one might think that this should be a GoodTimesMontage. However, the music is sad, Ben's facial expression almost never changes from one of lost boredom, and the general idea conveyed is that he's just drifting with no idea what to with himself or his life, lost in a sea of easy-on-the-ears folk rock angst. (Another, even sadder one comes after Elaine discovers Ben's affair with her mother and leaves for Berkeley.)
* SayMyName: ELAINE! (repeated twenty times!)
** ''BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!''
* ShallowLoveInterest: Elaine. Sure, she's gorgeous -- she's played by Katharine Ross, after all -- but we never really learn much of anything about her, and indeed, her status as ForbiddenFruit per Mrs. Robinson's orders seems to be the primary source of Ben's attraction to her.
* ShesGotLegs: Mrs. Robinson, rather famously. Although those weren't Anne Bancroft's on the poster (actually Linda Gray, aka [[{{Dallas}} Sue Ellen Ewing]], was the leg double), somebody's sure got 'em. In the famous picture at the top of this page, Ben was actually starting to leave - then Mrs. Robinson decided to put her stockings back on...
** Not to mention the initial seduction scene; see BetweenMyLegs, above.
* ShotgunWedding: Mr. and Mrs. Robinson's wedding was one of these.
* SmugSnake: Mrs. Robinson.
* SoWhatDoWeDoNow: The last seven seconds of the movie. Their faces say it all.
* SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace: He's a bit late, but hey, what's too late? "It's too late!" "Not for me!"
* StalkingIsLove: Ben is guilty of this. He watches Elaine leave for Berkeley behind the bushes, then goes to Berkley to be near her, then chases a bus to bug her as she's on her way to a date with another guy, despite the fact that this entire time she kind of hates him. Though, to be fair, she genuinely liked him before she found out he was sleeping with her mother.
* StarCrossedLovers: Ben and Elaine. Heck, the kid had an affair with her mother, was accused of rape, and her parents [[spoiler: forced her into marrying another guy]] to keep them apart. Thanksgiving's going to be awkward.
** Except for the fact Elaine is the girl ''his parents picked out for him''.
** And the ending suggests [[spoiler: they may not actually love each other]].
* StarMakingRole: For Dustin Hoffman.
* StepfordSuburbia: The elder Braddocks and Robinsons live in a version of this.
** And Ben is just another drone. Ebert states, "There were true rebels in movies of the period (see ''EasyRider''), but Benjamin Braddock was not one of them. I wonder how long it took him to get into plastics."
* StockingFiller: That scene, where they're getting dressed, and she's putting on her stocking... yeah.
* TelevisionGeography: Everyone in Northern California knows this movie shows Ben driving the wrong way over the Bay Bridge when he goes to Berkeley.
** What they fail to wonder is why he's on the Bay Bridge in the first place, since most of the major routes from the south run along the Berkeley/Oakland side rather than the SF side.
* ThrowItIn: Ben grabbing Mrs. Robinson's breast during their first liason was completely unscripted, and the reason Ben walked to the back of the room and started banging his head against the wall after she didn't react (see WallBang below) was because DustinHoffman [[{{Corpsing}} couldn't stop laughing]].
* {{Tsundere}}: Mrs. Robinson, towards the beginning of the film. Later on, she slips into full-on {{yandere}}.
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Ben, arguably.
* VaderBreath: Ben, when he is wearing the scuba outfit and the camera sees things from his perspective.
* VanillaEdition: The Blu-Ray has fewer bonus features than any of the [=DVDs=]! Sometimes Fox tries to justify this by including commentaries and interviews on the bonus DVD copy.
* VirginityMakesYouStupid: To some extent Ben, especially in the beginning.
* WallBang: Ben does this during his first hotel tryst with Mrs. Robinson, when he grabs her breast and she's too busy trying to rub a stain from her blouse even to notice.
* WeddingDeadline: The last half hour or so is built around Ben trying to beat this. [[spoiler:He fails, but it winds up not mattering much.]]
** [[spoiler:In the book, he actually does make it, but director Mike Nichols felt that it was too corny.]]
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Gene Hackman (who'd started his acting career alongside Dustin Hoffman at the Pasadena Playhouse, and was just seven years older than Hoffman) was considered for the role of Mr. Robinson. CandiceBergen was considered for the role of Elaine. Patricia Neal, Ava Gardner, and Doris Day were considered for the role of Mrs. Robinson. JackNicholson, Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, Charles Grodin, and Burt Ward (yes, [[{{Series/Batman}} the Boy Wonder himself]]) were considered for the role of Benjamin.
** Pretty funny to think of Warren Beatty and Doris Day [[PlayingAgainstType trying to play the virginal Ben and the vampy Mrs. Robinson]].
** Mike Nichols asked Paul Simon to write a whole batch of new songs for he and Garfunkel to record expressly for the film. Only one of the new songs ("Mrs. Robinson") was deemed good enough to use, so preexisting S&G recordings were used to fill the soundtrack instead. However, two of the other intended songs ("Punky's Dilemma" and "Overs") would be included on the duo's ''Bookends'' album the following year.
----
[[caption-width-right:350:[[MrsRobinson Mrs. Robinson,]] [[MemeticMutation you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?]]]]
->''I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Plastics.''
''The Graduate'' is a 1967 film, directed by MikeNichols and based on the book of the same title, about recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock's affair with the wife of his father's partner, MrsRobinson. Famous for being lauded as the first movie made for the (then) new Baby Boomer generation, prominently featuring SimonAndGarfunkel music (most memorably the toe-tapper "Mrs. Robinson"), and sky-rocketing DustinHoffman to fame. Also contains ''many'' extremely memorable and oft lovingly parodied scenes and lines.
Disaffected college graduate Ben, with no idea what to do with his life and no guidance from his shallow parents and their shallow friends, drifts. He begins a clandestine affair with the wife of his father's business partner, who is always "Mrs. Robinson" to him. However, his parents have plans to match him up with Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine. He and Mrs. Robinson both detest the idea (for different reasons) and he has every intention of making Elaine hate him as much as possible... until the two hit it off.
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!!This film provides examples of:
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Inverted; in the book Ben is quite handsome, which makes Mrs. Robinson seem a good deal less desperate.
* AdultsAreUseless: Ben's parents, specifically.
** Although in hindsight, Ben's parents are arguably far wiser than he. (Well, apart from the whole "living vicariously through your son's achievements" thing, and the whole "making your son date somebody he doesn't want to because it's good for Dad's business partnership" thing.)
* AffablyEvil: MrsRobinson, who seduces Ben and calls the police on him later, but she retains her high-class cordiality.
* AlliterativeName: Benjamin Braddock
* AutoErotica: Mrs. Robinson tells Ben that Elaine was conceived in a Ford.
* BetweenMyLegs: One of the most famous shots in cinema history.
* BrokenBird: Mrs. Robinson is a lonely, depressed, alcoholic housewife. Just try not to pity her with her tragic expression when she confesses her major was [[spoiler: art.]] She had to give up on her dreams when she got pregnant and married young, and she'd be the most sympathetic character in the story if not for the fact she apparently feels that since she had to suffer a ShotgunWedding because of her daughter, then she should force her daughter to have one too.
* CharacterTics: That little sound Ben makes in the back of his throat when he's nervous.
* ChekhovsHobby: It's mentioned at his graduation party that Ben was captain of the track team in college. Golly, I wonder if he'll have to do some running later...
* CoolCar: The Alfa Romeo Spider, which became so associated with the movie that in later years there was a trim level called "Graduate".
* CreatorCameo: Buck Henry, who co-wrote the film's screenplay, appears as the hotel desk clerk.
* CringeComedy: A whole lot of it for Ben.
* DawsonCasting: Dustin Hoffman was 30 and Anne Bancroft was 36 at the time this film was made. And she's supposed to be old enough to be his mother. And the movie works.
* DisposableFiance: That blond kid. [[spoiler:Elaine was actually already married to him, but he was still pretty disposable in the end.]]
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Ben does this toward the end, during that Berkeley-to-Pasadena-to-Berkeley-to-Santa Barbara shuttle. If, as it appears, he did the whole thing on California Highway 1, that's ''1,300 miles'' in less than 24 hours, much of it on a winding two-lane road along seaside cliffs. The shorter, safer alternatives, Interstate 5 and U.S. 101, were still under construction in 1967, and if available, would only have cut about 300 miles off the overall distance.
--> (on their first date)\\
'''Elaine:''' Do you always drive like this?\\
'''Ben:''' Yes!
* DullSurprise: Everyone in the film save Mrs. Robinson. But in ''this'' case, it's ''deliberate''.
* FreezeFrameBonus: During Mrs. Robinson's strip for Ben, there are very brief flashes of her nude body.
* GenerationXerox: In the final scene, according to WordOfGod, this is what Ben and Elaine are realizing will eventually happen to them.
* TheGraduateHomageShot: Yes, [[RenamedTropes former]] TropeNamer {{Elaine}}. Also one of the most famous scenes in movie history.
* HotMom: Guess who?
** RogerEbert's [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19970328/REVIEWS/703280304 1997 re-review]] is a love letter to Mrs. Robinson.
--->Well, here ''is'' to you, Mrs. Robinson: You've survived your defeat at the hands of that insufferable creep, Benjamin, and emerged as the most sympathetic and intelligent character in ''The Graduate.'' How could I ever have thought otherwise? What murky generational politics were distorting my view the first time I saw this film? Watching the 30th anniversary revival of ''The Graduate'' is like looking at photos of yourself at an old fraternity dance. You're gawky and your hair is plastered down with Brylcreem, and your date looks as if you found her behind the counter at the Dairy Queen. But--who's the babe in the corner? The great-looking brunette with the wide-set eyes and the full lips and the knockout figure? Hey, it's the chaperone!
** Ben's own mother is actually pretty easy on the eyes herself.
* JerkassFacade: Adopted by Ben on his first date with Elaine.
* KarmaHoudini: Ms. Robinson,[[spoiler: save for getting slapped by Elaine during the wedding crash.]]
* {{Landlord}}: Mr. [=McCleery=], who runs the rooming house Ben stays at in Berkeley.
** HilariousInHindsight: He's played by Norman Fell, who a decade later would achieve great popularity on TV as a different landlord character: [[ThreesCompany Mr. Roper]].
* ManipulativeBastard: Mrs. Robinson. Once TheReveal is made and Ben tries to win back Elaine, he stumbles across Mrs. Robinson first, who explains that a) Elaine is arranged to be married, b) the ceremony is in a matter of days, and c) she's ''called the cops on him'' for breaking and entering. Gee, y'think maybe she doesn't want the two kids to get together?
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Probably averted. When they first meet up to have sex, Mrs. Robinson asks if Ben is; he [[OfCourseImNotAVirgin laughs it off]], but she doesn't believe him. Neither do most viewers, seeing Ben's terrified nervousness.
** This might be a ploy to make Ben prove his manhood. Mrs. Robinson ''is'' a manipulative bastard, after all.
* MaybeEverAfter: So, what happens to Ben and Elaine?
* MayDecemberRomance: Not exactly romance, but Mrs. Robinson wants to regain her youth, and Ben wants to sleep with her...at least till he falls for her daughter...
* MoodWhiplash: The film gets a bit more serious once Elaine discovers her mother's "relationship" with Ben.
* MrsRobinson: The TropeNamer.
* MyBelovedSmother: Mrs. Robinson becomes a rather twisted version of this vis-à-vis Elaine.
* NewHollywood
* ''TheNewlywedGame'': The Robinsons are shown watching this on TV when Ben comes to pick up Elaine for a date.
* NoNameGiven: Mrs. Robinson's first name is never revealed.
* NoRomanticResolution: While the romance is implied, some are of the opinion that the relationship is ultimately going to fail. Will it? Who knows, it doesn't tell us.
* PerpetualExpression: Ben in the above mentioned montage. His expression changes maybe once.
* PlayingGertrude: Anne Bancroft was 36.
* POVCam: Used in the scuba-gear scene, along with VaderBreath.
* PrecisionFStrike: When Mr. Braddock confronts Ben about his failure to apply for graduate school:
-->'''Mr. Braddock:''' Look, I think it's a very good thing that a young man, after he's done some very good work, should have a chance to relax and enjoy himself, lie around and drink beer and so on. But after a few weeks, I'd believe that person would want to take some stock in himself and his situation and ''start to think about getting off his ass!''
* RaceForYourLove Ben, on his way to the wedding.
* RealSongThemeTune: Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence".
* TheReveal: When Elaine finds out just who that older woman was. Awkward.
* RunawayBride: Man, those people on that bus must have been so confused.
* SadTimesMontage: Set to Simon and Garfunkel, of course. Features mostly clips of Ben floating around in a pool and jumping into bed repeatedly with MILF Mrs. Robinson, one might think that this should be a GoodTimesMontage. However, the music is sad, Ben's facial expression almost never changes from one of lost boredom, and the general idea conveyed is that he's just drifting with no idea what to with himself or his life, lost in a sea of easy-on-the-ears folk rock angst. (Another, even sadder one comes after Elaine discovers Ben's affair with her mother and leaves for Berkeley.)
* SayMyName: ELAINE! (repeated twenty times!)
** ''BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!''
* ShallowLoveInterest: Elaine. Sure, she's gorgeous -- she's played by Katharine Ross, after all -- but we never really learn much of anything about her, and indeed, her status as ForbiddenFruit per Mrs. Robinson's orders seems to be the primary source of Ben's attraction to her.
* ShesGotLegs: Mrs. Robinson, rather famously. Although those weren't Anne Bancroft's on the poster (actually Linda Gray, aka [[{{Dallas}} Sue Ellen Ewing]], was the leg double), somebody's sure got 'em. In the famous picture at the top of this page, Ben was actually starting to leave - then Mrs. Robinson decided to put her stockings back on...
** Not to mention the initial seduction scene; see BetweenMyLegs, above.
* ShotgunWedding: Mr. and Mrs. Robinson's wedding was one of these.
* SmugSnake: Mrs. Robinson.
* SoWhatDoWeDoNow: The last seven seconds of the movie. Their faces say it all.
* SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace: He's a bit late, but hey, what's too late? "It's too late!" "Not for me!"
* StalkingIsLove: Ben is guilty of this. He watches Elaine leave for Berkeley behind the bushes, then goes to Berkley to be near her, then chases a bus to bug her as she's on her way to a date with another guy, despite the fact that this entire time she kind of hates him. Though, to be fair, she genuinely liked him before she found out he was sleeping with her mother.
* StarCrossedLovers: Ben and Elaine. Heck, the kid had an affair with her mother, was accused of rape, and her parents [[spoiler: forced her into marrying another guy]] to keep them apart. Thanksgiving's going to be awkward.
** Except for the fact Elaine is the girl ''his parents picked out for him''.
** And the ending suggests [[spoiler: they may not actually love each other]].
* StarMakingRole: For Dustin Hoffman.
* StepfordSuburbia: The elder Braddocks and Robinsons live in a version of this.
** And Ben is just another drone. Ebert states, "There were true rebels in movies of the period (see ''EasyRider''), but Benjamin Braddock was not one of them. I wonder how long it took him to get into plastics."
* StockingFiller: That scene, where they're getting dressed, and she's putting on her stocking... yeah.
* TelevisionGeography: Everyone in Northern California knows this movie shows Ben driving the wrong way over the Bay Bridge when he goes to Berkeley.
** What they fail to wonder is why he's on the Bay Bridge in the first place, since most of the major routes from the south run along the Berkeley/Oakland side rather than the SF side.
* ThrowItIn: Ben grabbing Mrs. Robinson's breast during their first liason was completely unscripted, and the reason Ben walked to the back of the room and started banging his head against the wall after she didn't react (see WallBang below) was because DustinHoffman [[{{Corpsing}} couldn't stop laughing]].
* {{Tsundere}}: Mrs. Robinson, towards the beginning of the film. Later on, she slips into full-on {{yandere}}.
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Ben, arguably.
* VaderBreath: Ben, when he is wearing the scuba outfit and the camera sees things from his perspective.
* VanillaEdition: The Blu-Ray has fewer bonus features than any of the [=DVDs=]! Sometimes Fox tries to justify this by including commentaries and interviews on the bonus DVD copy.
* VirginityMakesYouStupid: To some extent Ben, especially in the beginning.
* WallBang: Ben does this during his first hotel tryst with Mrs. Robinson, when he grabs her breast and she's too busy trying to rub a stain from her blouse even to notice.
* WeddingDeadline: The last half hour or so is built around Ben trying to beat this. [[spoiler:He fails, but it winds up not mattering much.]]
** [[spoiler:In the book, he actually does make it, but director Mike Nichols felt that it was too corny.]]
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Gene Hackman (who'd started his acting career alongside Dustin Hoffman at the Pasadena Playhouse, and was just seven years older than Hoffman) was considered for the role of Mr. Robinson. CandiceBergen was considered for the role of Elaine. Patricia Neal, Ava Gardner, and Doris Day were considered for the role of Mrs. Robinson. JackNicholson, Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, Charles Grodin, and Burt Ward (yes, [[{{Series/Batman}} the Boy Wonder himself]]) were considered for the role of Benjamin.
** Pretty funny to think of Warren Beatty and Doris Day [[PlayingAgainstType trying to play the virginal Ben and the vampy Mrs. Robinson]].
** Mike Nichols asked Paul Simon to write a whole batch of new songs for he and Garfunkel to record expressly for the film. Only one of the new songs ("Mrs. Robinson") was deemed good enough to use, so preexisting S&G recordings were used to fill the soundtrack instead. However, two of the other intended songs ("Punky's Dilemma" and "Overs") would be included on the duo's ''Bookends'' album the following year.
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