American Graffiti (1973)

Joe: [gleefully] Rome wasn’t burned in a night.

I’ve watched this many times over the years and it always makes me happy.

The setting is the last night of summer 1962 in Modesto, California.  Teens spend the evening as they do every evening basically cruising the main drag in their cars.  The story is told in vignettes.  Steve (Ron Howard) and Curt (Richard Dreyfuss) are best friends and are both planning to depart for college in the morning.  Steve is dating Laurie (Cindy Williams), Curt’s sister. Curt is not so sure he wants to go to college, at least not at the moment.  Laurie dreads Steve’s leaving.

Steve loans his nerdish friend Terry (Charles Martin Jr.) his car.  With wheels, Terri is able to pick up the ditzy Debbie (Candy Clark) and they have quite a series of mishaps and adventures.

While cruising, Curt spots a beautiful blonde (Suzanne Summers) in a white Thunderbird. He spends the rest of the night trying to make contact.

Eventually, Curt is essentially kidnapped by a local gang “The Pharoahs” who give him a choice between helping them carry out some very risky crimes and becoming a Pharoah or being tied to a car and dragged.  Needless to say Curt feels he has to cooperate and ends up having a really memorable adventure.

Another major character is John Milner (Paul LeMat), an older boy who is working as a mechanic and has the reputation of having the fastest car in town.  Another driver, Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford) challenges him to a drag race.  To his embarrassment, however, John finds himself saddled with Carol (MacKenzie Phillips), the pre-teen sister of a girl he hit on.  They have quite a time too.  With DJ Wolfman Jack as the voice of the night.

I love this movie.  It is unique in milking nostalgia for a period that was hardly gone at the time it was made.  And yet things had already changed so much that the film was nostalgic indeed.  Lucas is not my favorite person but he did know how to put his finger on the pulse of the American consumer.  That’s not a bad thing. The chrome and neon art direction is perfect.   All the characters are like old friends by now and the soundtrack is to die for.  Warmly recommended.

American Graffiti was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Picture; Best Supporting Actress (Clark); Best Director; Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced; and Best Film Editing.