MovieChat Forums > Harold and Maude (1971) Discussion > Mike Nichols/Buck Henry knock-off?

Mike Nichols/Buck Henry knock-off?

posted 9 years ago by clocksnmirrors-932-761321
5 replies | jump to latest

Anyone else get the sense this was heavily influenced by The Graduate? Maybe to the point of being derivative?

[–] jesusofjonesboro 9 years ago

No.

jj

[–] TheManInOil 9 years ago

It concerns similar issues but is much more gratifying.

[–] clocksnmirrors-932-761321 9 years ago

In what way do you find it more gratifying than The Graduate?

[–] janet-conant 9 years ago

Harold and Maude had a meaningful friendship. Benjamin Braddock and Mrs. Robinson had casual sex. No comparison at all. By the way hated the ending of Graduate...so lame.

[–] bsharporflat 9 years ago

Harold and Maude had a meaningful friendship. Benjamin Braddock and Mrs. Robinson had casual sex. No comparison at all. By the way hated the ending of Graduate...so lame.

In The Graduate, the meaningful relationship was between Ben and Elaine. They had both been imprisoned by the same shallow lifestyle and values of their parents and they both managed to break free, together.

Why was the ending lame? (it perfectly captures the ending of the book, btw).

What would have made the ending better for you? Ben simply takes the blond guy's place on the altar and they get married and live happily ever after, in a nice California mini-mansion?

The ambiguous ending is a big part of what made The Graduate a centerpiece of 60's-era values. The whole generation was having a revolution. They didn't know where they were going and it didn't really matter. They were escaping the 40's-50's era corruption of their parents and that was enough.