History YMMV / AmericanGraffiti

* AwardSnub: Averted when it was nominated for five Oscars - Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Editing, and Best Supporting Actress for Candy Clark - but played straight when it lost all five. Granted, it was the same year ''Film/TheSting'' came out.

* CommonKnowledge: The film is often cited as being the inspiration for ''Series/HappyDays'', when in fact it was more or less the other way around. ''Grafitti'' was inspired by an episode of ''Love, American Style'' starring Ron Howard, and then its success inspired Gary Marshall to expand that episode into a whole show.

* AwardSnub: Averted when it was nominated for five Oscars - Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Editing, and Best Supporting Actress for Candy Clark - but played straight when it lost all five. Granted, it was the same year ''TheSting'' came out.

* {{Sequelitis}}: The original ''American Graffiti'' is regarded as a classic and one of George Lucas's best movies outside of the ''Star Wars'' franchise. ''More American Graffiti''? Not so much.

** Fifties nostalgia, now old hat, was still a pretty novel subject for a film in 1973.

** Although his God-like voice is present throughout the movie as background chatter, Wolfman Jack's actual appearance at the end - offering Popsicles and wisdom - counts.

* HilariousInHindsight: Steve's remark about Laurie's BigBrotherAttraction, when you realize this film is made by the same guy responsible for the ''Franchise/StarWars'' movies, [[TheEmpireStrikesBack one of which]] is infamous for a passionate kiss between Luke and Leia [[ReturnOfTheJedi before they find out they're siblings.]]

* NightmareFuel: For a nostalgic comedy, the film has a few genuinely creepy scenes.
** Milner and Carol's visit to the auto graveyard.
** Toad and Debbie's walk through the woods, where she tells him about the "[[SerialKiller goat killer]]" that's supposedly loose in the area.
** Curt's mission to hook up the cable to the police cruiser's axle is accompanied by eerily-distorted train sounds.
* OneSceneWonder: Suzanne Somers as the Blonde in the T-Bird. All she does is mouth "I love you" at the camera and fans have been wondering about her character ever since.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: The radio station's night manager [[spoiler: really Wolfman Jack]] having a conversation with Curt about about going back to college - and getting out into the world - encouraging the young man to enjoy life while he can. Also constantly offering Curt a Popsicle as a kind of sacred offering.
** And offering to get Curt's message to the Wolfman so he can get it out there to the Girl in the T-Bird. [[spoiler:Which he promptly does as Curt looks back and realizes what just happened.]]
** What started off as an embarrassing prank on John - tricking him into babysitting the way-too-young Carol - ends up as a chaste romance as the two bond during the night's cruising. [[BittersweetEnding Although they both know in the end]] that the age difference between them would make it impossible for a real relationship to work.
* DawsonCasting: The only exception is for Mackenzie Phillips, who was 12 at the time of filming and played a 13 year old girl.

** What started off as an embarrassing prank on Milner - tricking him into babysitting the way-too-young Carol - ends up as a chaste romance as the two bond during the night's cruising. [[BittersweetEnding Although they both know in the end]] that the age difference between them would make it impossible for a real relationship to work.

* OneSceneWonder: Suzanne Somers as the Blonde in the T-Bird.

* MagnumOpus: Creator/GeorgeLucas ''thought'' this award-winner would be his. After this movie's success gave him official cred as a real movie producer, ''Franchise/StarWars'' was a fun "throw-away" project nobody (including him) expected to have more than a niche audience. The narration in original trailer for ''Film/ANewHope'' called Lucas "the man who brought you ''American Graffiti''".

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Fifties nostalgia, now old hat, was still a pretty novel subject for a film in 1973.

* HilariousInHindsight: Steve's remark about Laurie's BigBrotherAttraction, becomes more like this trope when you realize this film is made by the same [[GeorgeLucas guy]] who made StarWars, [[TheEmpireStrikesBack who's sequels was infamously known for the kiss between Luke and Leia,]] [[ReturnOfTheJedi before they find out they are siblings.]]

* HilariousInHindsight: Steves reemark about Laurie's BigBrotherAttraction, becomes more like this trope when you realize this film is made by the same [[GeorgeLucas guy]] who made StarWars, [[TheEmpireStrikesBack who's sequels was infamously known for the kiss between Luke and Leia,]] [[ReturnOfTheJedi before they find out they are siblings.]]

* MagnumOpus: Creator/GeorgeLucas ''thought'' this award-winner would be his. After this movie's success gave him official cred as a real movie producer, ''Franchise/StarWars'' was a fun "throw-away" project nobody (including him) expected to have more than a niche audience. The narration in original trailer for ''Film/ANewHope'' called Lucas "the man who brought to you ''American Graffiti''".

** The habit of movies looking back 20 years with a nostalgic melancholy in general. ''Film/DazedAndConfused'', ''Film/BoogieNights'', a lot of ComingOfAge movies... it all started with this movie.

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** The habit of movies looking back 20 years with a nostalgic melancholy in general. DazedAndConfused, BoogieNights, a lot of ComingOfAge movies... it all started with this movie.

** Curt's hooking up the cable to the police cruiser's axle is accompanied by eerily-distorted train sounds.

* TearJerker: Finding out the fates of John Milner and Terry the Toad(unless you've seen the sequel) in the epilogue.

* MagnumOpus: GeorgeLucas ''thought'' this award-winner would be his. After this movie's success gave him official cred as a real movie producer, ''StarWars'' was a fun "throw-away" project nobody (including him) expected to have more than a niche audience. The narration in original trailer for ''ANewHope'' called Lucas "the man who brought to you ''American Graffiti''".