20 Coming-Of-Age Movies That Are Totally Flawless
12. The Graduate (1967)
Even over fifty years after its release, The Graduate remains a fresh and vital viewing experience for any moviegoer.
The story of an aimless college graduate (Dustin Hoffman) who falls in love with the daughter (Katharine Ross) of the older woman (Anne Bancroft) with whom he's having an affair, Mike Nichols's comedy-drama is an unrivalled treasure trove of iconic one-liners and acute observations of forbidden love and family dysfunction.
Funny and having aged remarkably well, The Graduate is equal part tragedy and black comedy, sweetly serving as a touching ode to the naivety of young romance.
As far as classic coming-of-age movies go, few have been able to match the witty confidence of Nichols' script, or the career-best of its packed ensemble cast.