Line #3 YMMV/AmericanGraffiti


1	* {{Adorkable}}: Terry "Toad" Fields is an endearing nerd, who is socially awkward, wears large glasses, and wins the affections of the [[GiveGeeksAChance sweet popular girl]], with whom he spends an adventurous evening.
2	* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail:
3	** Creator/{{Universal}} thought so little of the film (not knowing how to market it, and certain that as it had no stars it would flop), that it sat on TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment for six months before the studio finally decided to release it. To their great surprise, it became enormously successful at the box-office.
4	** Creator/RichardDreyfuss thought at the time that this was just another film.
5	* AwardSnub: The film received five MediaNotes/AcademyAward nominations – for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Editing, and Best Supporting Actress for Candy Clark – but lost all five. Granted, it was the same year ''Film/TheSting'' and ''Film/TheExorcist'' came out. There's also Creator/RichardDreyfuss missing out on a Best Actor nomination.
6	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The entire soundtrack, really, but special mention has to be made of "Green Onions" by Booker T. and the M.G.'s accompanying the climactic drag race.
7	* 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 ''Series/LoveAmericanStyle'' starring Creator/RonHoward, and then its success inspired Creator/GarryMarshall to expand that episode into a whole show.
8	* EnsembleDarkHorse: Ask any fan who their favorite characters besides the four heroes (and maybe the blonde in the T-bird) are, and they will likely answer GiveGeeksAChance Debbie (who got the film’s only acting Oscar nomination), John’s rival drag racer Bob Falfa (a young Creator/HarrisonFord), helpful DJ Creator/WolfmanJack, AffablyEvil GreaserDelinquents leader Joe, and TagAlongKid Carol (all of whom, with the exception of Jack, were brought back for the sequel).
9	* FanonDiscontinuity: A lot of people try to disregard the SuddenDownerEnding WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue giving grim futures for [[spoiler:Terry and John]], who some fans consider the best characters in the movie.
10	* HarsherInHindsight: The scene where Paul Le Mat's character pretends to come on to Mackenzie Phillips' to get her to go home is more than a little uncomfortable, given [[ParentalIncest what would allegedly happen to Mackenzie a few years later]]...
11	* HilariousInHindsight:
12	** While Curt is cruising with the Pharaohs, they pass a car driven by Bob Falfa, the man in the cowboy hat. One of the Pharaohs remarks that the driver looks like a wimp – hilarious when one remembers that Falfa is played by Creator/HarrisonFord, who nearly embodies the cool leading man archetype in later films.
13	** Steve's remark about Laurie's BigBrotherAttraction, when you realize this film is made by the same guy responsible for the ''Franchise/StarWars'' movies, [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack one of which]] is infamous for a passionate kiss between Luke and Leia [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi before they find out they're siblings.]]
14	*** Additionally, Creator/CindyWilliams (Laurie) was one of the many actresses who auditioned to play Princess Leia!
15	*** Similarly, John and Carol's chaste MayDecemberRomance from the director of one that becomes [[Film/ThePhantomMenace not]] [[Film/AttackOfTheClones so]] [[Film/RevengeOfTheSith chaste]] and with the genders reversed. And the age gaps are comparable: Anakin and Padmé are 5 years apart, and John and Carol are 5 at minimum (if John is between 18-20 and Carol is 12-13).
16	** Creator/RonHoward would later direct a ''Star Wars'' movie, but only after some serious drama between the studio and the original directors that Lucas himself would be proud of. For extra hilarity, said movie? ''Film/{{Solo}}'', the origin story for Harrison Ford's character!
17	*** And even [[Creator/BryceDallasHoward his daughter]] followed in his footsteps on ''Series/TheMandalorian''.
18	** Bob Falfa wears a hat because Creator/HarrisonFord was unwilling to cut his hair for a period-appropriate hairstyle. This would be oddly inverted when Ford starred in ''Film/BladeRunner'' nine years later; there, Deckard was supposed to wear a Cool Hat, but Ford deliberately had his hair cut to avoid this, especially because he'd [[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk recently starred as another hatted hero]].
19	** During the climactic race Bob flips and crashes his car. Harrison Ford grew to have a real life reputation as [[https://www.wideopencountry.com/rare-harrison-ford-airplane/ an especially accident-prone pilot.]]
20	* MagnificentBastard: The unnamed liquor store thief who an oblivious Terry tries to get to buy alcohol for Debbie and himself. He instantly sees through the lie before Terry can even tell it, but then agrees to buy a bottle of alcohol with the money Terry gives him. Instead of spending that money, he holds up the liquor store, getting in and out in less than twenty seconds, without firing a shot. He also bothers to snatch the bottle that Terry wanted and tosses it to his new acquaintance without missing a stride before escaping from the gun-toting storekeeper.
21	* OnceOriginalNowCommon:
22	** Fifties nostalgia, now old hat, was still [[NostalgiaFilter a pretty novel subject]] for a film in 1973.
23	** The habit of movies [[TwoDecadesBehind looking back a decade or two]] with a nostalgic melancholy in general. ''Film/CooleyHigh'', ''Film/DazedAndConfused'', ''Film/BoogieNights'', a lot of ComingOfAge movies... it all started with this movie.
24	** This was also the first film to make its soundtrack basically another character, made up entirely of specifically chosen songs for each scene, which directors like Creator/MartinScorsese and Creator/QuentinTarantino have since made into its own artform.
25	* OneSceneWonder:
26	** Creator/SuzanneSomers 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.
27	** Although his God-like voice is present throughout the movie as background chatter, Creator/WolfmanJack's actual appearance at the end – offering Popsicles and wisdom to Curt – counts. It was even more so at the time, as his appearance was the first time his legions of fans got to see what he looked like after two decades of his radio show.
28	* ParodyDisplacement: The WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue [[TropeCodifier which everyone has mimicked/spoofed]] since, originated with that film.
29	* RetroactiveRecognition: For a big chunk of the cast.
30	* {{Sequelitis}}: The original ''American Graffiti'' is regarded as a classic and one of Creator/GeorgeLucas' best movies outside of the ''Star Wars'' franchise. ''More American Graffiti''? Not so much.
31	* TearJerker: Finding out the fates of [[spoiler:John Milner and Terry the Toad]] (unless you've seen the sequel) in the epilogue.
32	** In the sequel, [[spoiler: Toad is drafted to Vietnam, and he so desperately tries to get back home (to the point of self-inflicted injuries). Then in order to get out of the war, he fakes his own death (with everybody, including his friends and family, thinking he's dead) and becomes a deserter in the jungles of Vietnam, never to be seen again]].
33	** Likewise, [[spoiler: Bo's gruesome death in the sequel, while serving in Vietnam.]]
34	* ValuesResonance: The film is relatively progressive on the issue of avoiding DateRape.
35	** When Toad tries to kiss Debbie and she moves away, he doesn't refuse to take no for an answer and draws back, apologizing, before it turns out that Debbie just wanted to take off her jacket before the makeout session.
36	** While Steve is unhappy that Laurie changed her mind about having sex at the last minute and argues with her about it, he does immediately sit up and move away rather than insist on taking advantage of her initial consent.

Context YMMV / AmericanGraffiti