Introducing: "How To Make Films and Influence People" - The Graduate

Send us Fan MailPeter and Andrew discuss Mike Nichols’ iconic 1967 film The Graduate, exploring how its blend of comedy, melancholy, and social commentary captured the uncertainty of a generation. They analyze Dustin Hoffman’s breakout performance, the film’s ambiguous tone, and why Benjamin Braddock’s aimlessness still resonates today.Plus, they discuss the movie’s famous Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack and its lasting influence on coming-of-age cinema. In their remake scenarios, they tackle a generational challenge: How do you adapt a story about drifting youth for modern audiences? Could it work as a family film without the affair? What would a no-budget hotel version look like? Would it be better as a TV series about finding meaning in the 21st century?The hosts also share their current viewing habits, including Ready or Not 2, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, and The Drama, while referencing Tootsie, Risky Business, American Pie, and May December.Topics covered: The legacy of 1960s counterculture, generational drift, the evolution of the coming-of-age story, ambiguous endings, and why some films are both funny and sad.