The Graduates

This film is so much better than any of those crappy gross-out teen movies they throw at us every summer. When did the characters in American Pie actually learn something worthwhile and maybe even grow up a little?

Nick Vegara is the hottest unknown I've seen in a long time. Hats off to these guys for discovering him. I can't wait to see where he goes. Incredibly sweet performances are also given by Josh Davis and Rob Bradford as the two mismatched brothers.

The guys who made this movie are smart, funny and clearly CARE about telling not just a smart, funny story, but also one that MEANS something and GOES somewhere. Love it.

So, I saw this movie the other week because a friend told me it was online for free as some kind of a promo. I wasn't expecting much - it looked like another standard teen sex romp movie on the outside - but I found that there was a lot more to "The Graduates" than other movies in its genre.

Let's face it, a lot of comedies made today suck. I mean: "Scream 4"!? "Disaster Movie"? Come on! What happened to the smart, clever movies that people like Steve Martin USED to make, like "The Jerk?" Now all you have to do is say or do something outlandish or weird in order to get a movie made (cough - Will Ferrell).

Judd Apatow's crew are on the right track. They've put the emphasis back on character and relationships, but the people that did "The Graduates" seem to be pushing for more - something with quality acting and grounded relationships - things that people can relate to and connect to and FEEL for. I don't remember the last time I saw a teen sex comedy or coming of age comedy where I really gave a hoot whether the characters/actors lived or died - and that's just what happened for me with "The Graduates." I liked "The Graduates." I really did. I liked it even MORE when I found out that it was made for under $100,000.00. Now that's impressive. Think of how much money is wasted on such terrible movies, then see this movie - wow.

I saw all these bizarre reviews/comments on their page which really didn't make sense - a rating of 4.4? Weird, vague comments by other users who didn't seem to be talking about the same movie I saw and openly admitting that they only watched 30 mins of a 90 min film? I hope that this blemish doesn't hurt the success of this otherwise well-received film.

The plot is pretty typical, but it's what they DO with it that matters. The cinematography and direction is pretty straight forward, which makes sense for a film like this on this scale - you can only do so much with a small budget and you only SHOULD do so much with a character-driven piece. The acting? From these unknowns? Really kind of impressive - I saw that Nick Vergara, who plays Mattie in the film, got commended by my favorite website: FilmschoolRejects.com. I agree with their review. There really are no weak links in this film in terms of the talent.

I found more info at www.TheGraduatesMovie.com about the film and got a free soundtrack and I will see it again when/if it plays near me.

Though independent and "low budget", what others have deemed "staged" and "faked" (perfect "in frame" shots), seems to be a disguised complement on the quality of camera work for an "amateur" production!

The characters are realistic representations of people we all knew (maybe even were) throughout high school.

The cast seemed well selected (from looks/costuming/etc) for their "parts". The main characters, are not the "beautiful", "popular", "jocks"..... they are the other ones, the ones that weren't "popular" per se', but weren't outcasts.

Remember that beautiful girl that everybody wanted? How about the "nice girl" who fell in love with her best friend? Or (my favorite) the "dead beat" older brother who still is scarred from his first time having sex.

Yes, there are a few clichés but really.....they're clichés for a reason. BECAUSE THEY'RE REAL!!!!

All the characters I could put names to my former schoolmates.

This was all-in-all a fun, nostalgic romp through what was an otherwise traumatizing time.

This movie is not just a run of the mill coming of age comedy, but one with heart, insight, and new adventures. I thoroughly enjoyed it. the scenes were authentic and i'm still quoting several memorable lines. As a newbie to the world of indie films, i was really impressed to see how much could be accomplished with very limited resources. It makes me want to see more from this group of very dedicated and talented film makers and actors. i definitely recommend seeing this film. Whether you are waiting to experience senior week for yourself or reliving the one(s) that you remember, this movie will leave you smiling and waiting anxiously for summer 2009!

I'm not sure if those giving this movie such harsh reviews really paid attention to what (I thought) the movie was aiming for, or kept in mind that it's a low-budget, grassroots indie. It seems to me like it's trying to appeal equally to teens and adults: teens because it depicts something pretty true to their current experience and adults because it definitely tells the story through the perspective of an adult. By that I mean it's a little satirical and more realistic than a lot of teen comedies aimed just at teens.

I also didn't get the impression it was trying overtly to be a comedy. It was too realistic for that--yes, some scenes were funny or were meant to be funny, but only in the context that there is a lot of humor in the life of a 18-year-old (whether or not the kid's aware of it). It wasn't just going for cheap laughs.

Is this a perfect movie? No. Some areas could be improved: the trailer (doesn't create a lot of interest and gives away too much), one-dimensional female characters, some holes in the storytelling, for example. Is it clearly an indie? Oh, yes. But it does show a lot of promise on the part of the cast (especially the actors playing Josh, Mattie, Andy, and Megs) and the director. It's smarter and more thoughtful and mature than most teen movies (and thank god there's not some kind of freaking moral at the end or any form of makeover/lifechanging montage sequence). Knowing now that the budget was so small--I'm quite impressed. I'd like to see what they'd all do with a more developed screenplay and a larger budget. And the use of music was excellent; it really added to the storytelling.

Now I'm climbing on a soapbox, but for this genre I'd rather watch an imperfect but entertaining movie that's realistic and a little more grassroots than something overproduced, unrealistic, clichéd, and bloated.