History YMMV / TheGraduate

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/SimonAndGarfunkel breaths life into this film, including FolkRock tracks such as "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7XqimTfEKo Mrs. Robinson]]", "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLAqx8JxLFA&list=PLF0B8E08A26922C98&index=4 Scarborough Fair]]", and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8khnmDCws4k The Sound]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqHr_m4gBfk of Silence]]".

* MisaimedFandom: Kids in the 1960s cheered for Ben. A couple decades later, many of the same people found themselves sympathizing more with Mrs. Robinson after realizing what an idiot Ben was. (Creator/RogerEbert notes this in his re-review.) A more modern perspective, presumably closest to the original vision of the film, is that they're ''all'' messed up and not terribly likable.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: Like many of Creator/MikeNichols' films, this one is more subversive than it seemed to be at the time. For example, the advice "Plastics"? It's ''good advice''. The part about plastics ''[[{{Misblamed}} wasn't]]'' [[{{Misblamed}} intentional]], however - shortly after the movie was released, new advances in plastics production (that the script writers were highly unlikely to know about) caused the industry to grow at an extremely rapid pace. The fortuitous timing resulted in the entire plastics industry becoming a PeripheryDemographic.

* WTHCastingAgency: Creator/DustinHoffman was completely wrong for the role of Benjamin as described in the book; Book!Benjamin was a handsome, blond jock who was confident and on track for success in love and life, while Dustin Hoffman was small and rather unattractive. When Hoffman was cast at the last minute, Nichols and Hoffman rolled with it and made him insecure and socially-awkward, and the rest was history.

* MeaningfulName: WordOfGod never confirmed if this was intentional or a coincidence, but Mrs. Robinson shares her name with Lydia Robinson, the notorious older, married mistress of Branwell Brontë ([[Creator/CharlotteBronte Charlotte]], [[Creator/EmilyBronte Emily]], and [[Creator/AnneBronte Anne]]'s brother), while Benjamin Braddock shares his initials with the latter.

* DiagnosedByTheAudience: Benjamin has little social ability and little motivation to take part in society, largely due to the overbearing presences of the adults in his life. He was an outstanding student and athlete, and his parents and their friends all adore him. But he has no friends of his own and no idea what he wants to do with his life, preferring floating in his parents' swimming pool to going out into the real world.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Benjamin has little social ability and little motivation to take part in society, largely due to the overbearing presences of the adults in his life. He was an outstanding student and athlete, and his parents and their friends all adore him. But he has no friends of his own and no idea what he wants to do with his life, preferring floating in his parents' swimming pool to going out into the real world.

** According to the IMDB, that's Creator/ElaineMay bringing the DearJohnLetter from Elaine to Benjamin.

** A young Creator/MikeFarrell (aka [[Series/{{MASH}} B.J. Hunnicutt]]) can be briefly glimpsed as one of the hotel staff greeting "Mr. Gladstone" when Ben takes Elaine there for a drink.

** The "plastics" line is meant to give a humorous contrast between how far apart the parents' are from the younger generation's concern. The irony is that decades later, plastic has proven to be [[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-waste-pollution-trash-crisis/ one of the greatest threats to the earth's environment.]]

* MisaimedFandom: Kids in the 1960s cheered for Ben. A couple decades later, many of the same people found themselves sympathizing more with Mrs. Robinson after realizing WhatAnIdiot Ben was. (Creator/RogerEbert notes this in his re-review.) A more modern perspective, presumably closest to the original vision of the film, is that they're ''all'' messed up and not terribly likable.

* MisaimedFandom: Kids in the 1960s cheered for Ben. A couple decades later, many of the same people found themselves sympathizing more with Mrs. Robinson after realizing What an Idiot Ben was. (Creator/RogerEbert notes this in his re-review.) A more modern perspective, presumably closest to the original vision of the film, is that they're ''all'' messed up and not terribly likable.

* AdaptationDisplacement: Yes, it is based on a novel, by Charles Webb. Ben in the book is a blond jock and a good deal stronger than movie-Ben. No wonder they auditioned Creator/RobertRedford for the role, and no wonder Creator/MelBrooks was confident Creator/DustinHoffman would fail ''his'' audition, and be available to work in ''Film/TheProducers''.

* MisaimedFandom: Kids in the 1960s cheered for Ben. A couple decades later, many of the same people found themselves sympathizing more with Mrs. Robinson after realizing What an Idiot Ben was. (Creator/RogerEbert notes this in his re-review.) A more modern perspective, and presumably closest to the original vision of the film, is that they're ''all'' messed up and not terribly likable.

** Speaking of Richard Dreyfuss, he would later butt heads with Mr. Robinson after the latter apparently became [[Film/{{Jaws}} mayor of Amity Island]].

* MisaimedFandom: Kids in the 1960s cheered for Ben. A couple decades later, many of the same people found themselves sympathizing more with Mrs. Robinson after realizing WhatAnIdiot Ben was. (Creator/RogerEbert notes this in his re-review.) A more modern perspective, and presumably closest to the original vision of the film, is that they're ''all'' messed up and not terribly likable.

* WTHCastingAgency: Creator/DustinHoffman was completely wrong for the role of Benjamin as described in the book; Book!Benjamin was a handsome, blond jock who was confident and on track for success in love and life, while Dustin Hoffman was small and rather unattractive. When Hoffman was cast at the last minute, Nichols and Hoffman rolled with it and made him insecure and socially-awkward, and the rest was history.

* OneSceneWonder: Walter Brooke as the avuncular Mr. [=McGuire=], who buttonholes Ben at his graduation party. He's onscreen for all of about forty seconds and has just a few lines, but the single word of advice he offers to Ben -- "Plastics" -- is one of the most memorable and iconic parts of the entire movie.

* OneSceneWonder: Walter Brooke as the avuncular Mr. [=McGuire=], who buttonholes Ben at his graduation party. He's onscreen for all of about forty seconds and has just a few lines, but the single word of advice he offers to Ben -- "Plastics" -- is one of the best-remembered things about the entire movie.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/SimonAndGarfunkel breaths life into this film, including FolkRock tracks such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7XqimTfEKo Mrs. Robinson]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLAqx8JxLFA&list=PLF0B8E08A26922C98&index=4 Scarborough Fair]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8khnmDCws4k The Sound ]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqHr_m4gBfk of silence]].

** Norman Fell ([[Series/ThreesCompany Mr. Roper]]) is Ben's landlord in Berkeley.

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