Movies…with a little bit of obscure culture and sports mixed in
Before there was Star Wars. Before the billion dollar enterprise. Before the Jedi and the dark side, there was American Graffiti (1973). George Lucas’s breakout role in Hollywood was the furthest thing from science fiction. American Graffiti is a movie about nothing, yet about something existentially important. What are we doing with our lives? Who are we now, and who will we be later, and is there any correlation at all?
“A group of teenagers in California’s central valley spend one final night after their 1962 high school graduation cruising the strip with their buddies before they pursue their varying goals.”
Director: George Lucas
Writers: George Lucas, Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck
Staring: Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips, Wolfman Jack, Harrison Ford
Release Date: August 11, 1973
IMDB
Before there was Star Wars. Before the billion dollar enterprise. Before the Jedi and the dark side, there was American Graffiti (1973). George Lucas’s breakout role in Hollywood was the furthest thing from science fiction. American Graffiti is a movie about nothing, yet about something existentially important. What are we doing with our lives? Who are we now, and who will we be later, and is there any correlation at all?
I know, a bit different than the classic hero’s journey, right?
American Graffiti is a high school coming of age story taking place over the course of one night in a lively central California town. A group of friends, all of whom have different thoughts about what their futures will hold, go gallivanting on various personal journeys. Whether it be deciding if college is the right move, seeing if someone can get a date with a cute girl, or deciding if different generations can genuinely connect; American Graffiti is a time capsule of high school worries still applicable in many ways to people today.
Let’s get personal for a minute. Of all the high school characters in American Graffiti, I connect most deeply with Curt. It really is no competition. Curt is played by Richard Dreyfuss two years prior to his iconic role as Hooper in Jaws (1975). Curt is a man looking for an identity and scared to go out and look for it. He is a man that lacks self confidence and is willing to please whenever possible.
Curt’s journey begins when he sees a gorgeous woman in a car pass by. A woman in a white dress. The most beautiful women in the world. Over the course of the movie we see Curt strive to find and get in touch with this angel. There are many road bumps along the way, including getting involved with a crowd that he normally wouldn’t. And who can’t relate to that?
The most gratifying bit of Curt’s story is in its end. He connects with famous disc jockey Wolfman Jack who agrees to put out a message to this mysterious woman on behalf of a man she doesn’t know. That is one victory for Curt, convincing someone to take a chance on him. A second victory is when Curt does get a phone call from this woman. He doesn’t get a chance to meet her, but that doesn’t matter.
The only thing that does matter is that Curt had the courage to take a chance, and the chance paid off. It didn’t pay off in terms of a date or a tantalizing first kiss, but it reaps immense dividends in regards to his self confidence. Curt proved to himself he did the seemingly impossible. He did everything he could, and he is more than satisfied with that.
These moments of small personal victories live on in people’s minds forever. For me, I remember when I asked for a girl’s number and Dunkin Donuts and she actually said yes. I remember when I went out for the first time after a tough breakup and had a great time, and I remember when I had to stand up for myself against friends who weren’t being friendly.
Curt’s journey in American Graffiti reminds me of a younger self experiencing these personality shaping moments.
Now that I have finished my personal written therapy session, we can move on to a star who would become one of Hollywood’s greatest and most successful actors.
Harrison Ford plays the part of Bob Falfa, an outsider challenging the status quo. Falfa is a man with a funny hat and a really nice car, but those are physical traits. Falfa is an entire vibe, and Lucas found something in Ford that he would harness perfectly in Han Solo four years later. Falfa even has the attractive young lady by his side, but it is as if the camera knows that doesn’t really matter. The focus is always on Falfa, and it doesn’t matter if you never see his full body. There is an aura that would become ever prescient in Hollywood.
Falfa plays a part in the film’s conclusion alongside John (Paul Le Mat), but the car race towards Innonce’s end is merely one of many different endings in American Graffiti.
Your thematic conclusion of choice may be based on what character you connect with most over the course of the one-night story. Lucas, obviously connected with these characters, puts a period at the end of everyone’s sentences with yearbook-esq closing remarks. Usually reserved for true stories, the touch makes the story feel more real. The characters are written in a way that feels personal and the audience may find itself surprised at how deeply they’ll feel at the film’s end.
American Graffiti was nominated for five Academy Awards at the 1974 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. The Sting (1973) won Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay and George Roy Hill won for Best Director. Tatum O’Neal won Best Supporting Actress for Paper Moon (1973).
As of July 2023, American Graffiti was available for streaming on Netflix.
STANKO RATING: A-
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