American Graffiti

• Directed by George Lucas
• August 2, 1973 (Locarno) / August 11, 1973 (US)

This is the story of a group of teenagers and their adventures over the course of a single night.

If George Lucas had not made the original Star Wars his life and career could have gone in a very different direction. Despite THX 1138 that came before this, this showed he had some real creative range. American Graffiti is a slice of life film as well as a coming-of-age tale about a group of kids on the cusp of adulthood and their adventures during one summer night.

This is considered a classic car film as well. It certainly showcases the vehicles of the era and features a drag racing scene as the finale. It touches on our relationship with those vehicles. All this was inspired by Lucas’s youth in Modesto.

Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, and Charles Martin Smith star as Curt Henderson, Steve Bolander, John Milner, and Terry Fields respectively. Curt starts the night out uncertain of his future and what to do. So uncertain in fact that he spends a good chunk of the story chasing down some woman he sees in passing. Steve looks at his future at feels it is not in the confines of Modesto. So interested in leaving his life behind he essentially dumps his girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams) so they can see other people while at college but get back together on break. John is trying to hold on to as much of his old life as he can while Terry, when I think about it, has no firm plan of his future but is rather just lacking direction.

This is probably one of the few times you will see a screen credit that says, “Co-Starring Harrison Ford”. All things considered it’s just unusual to see him in what amounts to a minor role. He’s not even the hero, but rather the local jerk. Yet he shines very brightly in his moments. There is a level of charm to Bob Falfa that clearly lead into Han Solo.

After Ford, Dreyfuss is probably the second biggest actor to come from this with Howard moving into directing and Smith being more in the area of character actor. Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips, Bo Hopkins, and Wolfman Jack also show up show with some earning a place in pop culture for later work. On an interesting note, Wolfman Jack plays a radio personality and the calls you hear him taking are reportedly actual callers he dealt with.

And there’s some amazing music in American Graffiti. I don’t know how much of what we hear are recordings of the actual performers, but it’s all good stuff. This film is a great representation of a specific moment in American history. But for me what really sells this is that little card at the end that tells what happened to everyone afterwards. And it says that for some life proceeds well, but for others, life comes at them hard and fast and not everyone gets a happy ending.

George Lucas gave us a classic film that is completely different from what he is best known for. It’s not action heavy or special effects heavy. It’s about characters and all there is some action it’s nothing on the same level as Star Wars. It has great dialogue and great performances and it’ll hook you from the start. You can easily relate to these characters and what they’re feeling. And most have had at least one late adventure in their lives. Lucas crafted something still relatable to this day. This did not take the easy way and become a simplistic teen comedy.

American Graffiti is a classic. It’s a great film that treats youth moving into adulthood with seriousness. It is something everyone interested in quality films should take a look at it.