American Graffiti

Lucas doesn't disappoint, for a guy who is famous for his location shots, he is just driving in one car, a good old car. American Graffiti George Lucas is a formidable filmmaker. Especially the randomness of his vision. The singularity that cannot be unmasked in the traffic of the ideas bombarded by him over his career. And as one does, as any filmmaker would do, he dives in on genre with utmost honesty and no bars holding him back. This film that reminds me of Richard Linklater's Dazed And Confused and Everybody Wants Some is a testimonial to what I think was the start off for the coming-of-genre. At least, in a more successful way. And even though it might not have set a trend for the other filmmakers, the unique elements driving this one long adventurous night is not the elements but their elaborative narrative structure. For instance if looked at the type of the film he has made, the sketch scenes are the bane of its existence. Good or bad, that is what we will get, have and deserve for consenting on driving along with these eccentric fellows. But as mentioned it is not enacted elaborative nature of the sketch but the meticulous branches it embraces. Those deep character peaks that broadens you mind and widens the theme giving the opportunity to let the makers gloat and enjoy what they have earned. And it has to be earned. Celebration doesn't come through its dutiful or necessary obligations but a well earned prophecy that it had already proclaimed in all its conscious behavior. Now drunk and completely full, the film has to just fire the repercussions that these characters had been inadvertently causing both to them and the environment they find palpable. The result is George Lucas's American Graffiti smartly and ambitiously pulling off a long sitcom special show or a finale, with a warm, sensible and a happy ending, just as the Saturday family matinee shows used to, in those days.

This is definitely one of the most influential of all coming-of-age films. I assume that this movie has established a new narrative style, and has proved that nostalgic films are not necessarily made for the sake of nostalgia, for it captures the zeitgeist of the 1960s America instead of mimicking it. A notable example of the influence of American Graffiti is Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused. And while I wasn't as engaged and invested in the characters of the former as I was with of the latter, American Graffiti admittedly is the more mature and thought-provoking of the two. The characters here have some depth you would probably never see in slice-of-life movies. And this comes from the sharp dialogue that fleshed out the characters throughout the movie's running time in a very subtle way. Some characters have better and more well-developed arcs than the others. They all are relatable, somewhat likable, and played by very good actors who did their best in their roles; but some character arcs feel as if they aren't fully-developed and lack some pieces in the middle. Ron Howard's character, Steve is a case in point; although I was quite invested in his character by the end of the movie. This leads us to my second issue with this movie, which I mentioned above. It's that the movie took me a little while to get into its characters and whole the story in general. I think the reason of this problem is that the movie promised me from its very beginning that it would focus on the characters' story-lines to flesh them out; not their journeys. Don't get me wrong, I adore slice-of-life and road movies, and I also knew that American Graffiti is this kind of a movie. But I guess the first minutes would a bit misleading, and therefore it took me sometime for the movie to draw me in. I can't praise the movie's soundtrack enough! I mean, it's absolutely one of the greatest film soundtracks ever! The movie wouldn't have been so nostalgic, if it wasn't for its killer soundtrack. It is a key factor in capturing the era's spirit, and also in giving the movie its distinctive bitter-sweet vibe. I think I won't stop listening to it for a long time! American Graffiti is also a proof that George Lucas is a great director as he is a great writer. I know that the dialogue is one of the film's best merits; but man, the camera work is so exquisite, and the color-grading is superb and quite expressive. The movie also has some brilliant moments of scene-blocking that, once again, gave the movie its evocative atmosphere. (8/10)

I thought it was an ok movie. Nothing spectacular. The pacing seemed slow to me. Acting was fine. Worth a watch, but I don't think I will revisit often.

Don't hate me but I really dont see what the big deal is. Some good parts but also a whole lot of boring.

Also ich weiß echt nicht, was die Leute alle an diesem Film finden. Mag sein, daß es einfach nicht meine Art Film ist, aber ich habe das Gefühl, der Streifen lebt vor allem von der Sentimentalität der Zuschauer. Die Quintessenz, die ich persönlich aus diesem Film ziehe ist: Typen sind alles Trottel und die Weiber alles Schlampen und zwar schon mit 16 oder 17. Nun könnte man annehmen, daß das eigentlich schon genug Raum für eine Story bietet, diese ist aber eigentlich kaum vorhanden. Der Film ist so öde wie sonst nix. Ich kann mich durchaus für Filme des New Hollywood begeistern, aber der hier zündet bei mir kein Stück. Story öde, Schauspieler blaß... nix für mich.