#62 - American Graffiti

I started my journey through the list with one of my favorites: 1973's "American Graffiti," the movie that put George Lucas on the map (no, it wasn't "Star Wars"). Set in 1962, the movie's central characters are Curt Henderson and Steve Bolander, played by Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard respectively.

The main plotline of the film is the struggle of the two main characters to decide whether to stay at home or go East for college. The movie takes place all in one night, one of its most endearing qualities. The night before Curt and Steve are supposed to leave for college, they spend their time cruising the streets of their small Southern California city. Essentially a film about nothing, we are introduced to some of cinema's most endearing characters, including "Toad," the stereotypical nerd who spends the entire night trying to buy booze for his girl and trying to find the punks who stole his friend's car.

The ensemble cast includes the breakout roles of Harrison Ford and Suzanne Somers, the latter being the mysterious blonde woman in a white Thunderbird who whispers "I love you" to Curt, sending him on a wild goose-chase to find her.

Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, the movie is at the crossroads of the good ol' days and the counter-culture that comes with the assassination of JFK and the Vietnam War. This is the last of the good times for a while, and Lucas pushes the themes of change to a perfect extent--obvious enough to not be obscure, but not thrown in our faces.

The movie's lasting qualities are its humor, its all-star cast, and the constant soundtrack that plays (one of my favorite characteristics is that all of the teenagers are listening to the same radio station the entire night, jockeyed by the elusive Wolfman Jack who becomes a metaphor for things not always being the way the seem). The film is sure to be enjoyed for many generations to come--not just those who long to live in a time of sock hops and drive-in movies.