City Cinema Classic of the Month: American Graffiti

Drama, Comedy. PG.
Dir: George Lucas, US, 1973, 110 min.
Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat.

“George Lucas envisioned American Graffiti as a coming-of-age story that took place on a single evening in the late summer of 1962 (the year Lucas graduated from high school). Two friends, Steve (Ron Howard) and Curt (Richard Dreyfuss) have each been accepted to college back east, and are set to leave the next morning. One of them however, is hesitant about leaving their small town, while the other is anxious to go. Over the course of the evening, both characters are challenged to decide just what they are going to do. Interwoven with the narratives about Steve and Curt are a number of humorous misadventures involving characters like Steve’s strong-willed girlfriend, Laurie, radio DJ Wolfman Jack, the eager young Terry the Toad and his new friend Debbie, as well as the popular hot rodder John Milner and a teen who is wise beyond her years named Carol. An antagonist in the form of a rival hot rodder named Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford) cruises the streets in search of Milner. With a nostalgic soundtrack of ‘50s and ‘60s hits, American Graffiti captures a moment in time. The nation was at the peak of its first rock ‘n roll era, when cruising and street racing were activities that obsessed teenagers in small towns everywhere. America was also on the cusp of great cultural and socio-political change, from the British Invasion of new rock music to the civil rights movement to the Vietnam War.” —Lucasfilm