American Graffiti

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American Graffiti
Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith
Directed by George Lucas

Synopsis:
In small town America in 1962, a group of high school friends come together for one final night together before they go their separate ways.  Enjoying the warm California night, they cruise the streets in their classic cars, listen to some of the best music ever created, and encounter love, loss, nostalgia and fears of the future.

Steve (Ron Howard) and his longtime girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams) face the prospects of a long-distance relationship.  Curt (Richard Dreyfuss) goes on the search of a mysterious, beautiful woman while dealing with his fears of leaving his friends behind.  John (Paul Le Mat) cruises the strip and picks up Carol (Mackenzie Phillips), a girl way too young for him, and is forced to babysit her as he races against his nemesis Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford).   Terry (Charles Martin Smith), the nerd of the group, gets a car and lies to Debbie (Candy Clark) about who he is and the two embark on a fun-filled night filled with fighting, drinking and love.

Review:
Before "Star Wars," George Lucas was a rather unknown director, who decided to embark on a coming-of-age film.  Casting a rather unknown group of actors, Lucas faced an uphill battle in hopes of getting the film released to the general populous, but it happened and what came out of it was one of the best films ever made, one that's still revered today and holds a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and also garnered five Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress for Candy Clark), and is currently 66 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list.  Any way you look at it, the film is a cinematic masterpiece.

The film doesn't rely on extreme action or over-the-top CGI effects, but tells a rather simplistic story, one that even kids today can relate to.  How would you spend the last night with your friends, before facing the real world?  For these kids, it's a night of wonderful classic cars, amazing music and stories that would last a lifetime.  In the small timeframe after World War II and before the JFK Assassination and Vietnam, the US was a great place to live.  Strangers rode in cars with other strangers, the front doors were unlocked even in the dead of night, and life was a simple, yet wonderful, thing.  "American Graffiti" brings out the best, and delivers it with amazing actors that are now household names, but back then it was seen as a huge gamble, which obviously paid off in spades.

Summary:
A film that withstands the test of time, "American Graffiti" deserves the history it's made, and it's one of those films that shouldn't be missed.

My Rating: A+

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