American Graffiti (1973)

NEUTRAL

In-Theaters

89%

1973, Comedy/Drama, 1h 50m

RT Critics’ Score: 96% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 5 Oscars
9 wins & 13 nominations total

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Critics Consensus

One of the most influential of all teen films, American Graffiti is a funny, nostalgic, and bittersweet look at a group of recent high school grads’ last days of innocence

Audience Consensus

American Graffiti is a classic coming-of-age film that captures the essence of small-town life in the 1950s. The characters are relatable and the soundtrack is filled with classic rock hits that will have you tapping your feet and singing along. George Lucas did a fantastic job directing this film, and it’s no wonder it’s still beloved by audiences today. So, hop in your car, roll down the windows, and take a trip down memory lane with American Graffiti. Just don’t forget to bring your poodle skirt and leather jacket!

Storyline

It’s the proverbial end of the summer 1962 in a small southern California town. It’s the evening before best friends and recent high school graduates, Curt Henderson and Steve Bolander, are scheduled to leave town to head to college back east. Curt, who received a lucrative local scholarship, is seen as the promise that their class holds. But Curt is having second thoughts about leaving what Steve basically sees as their dead end town. Curt’s beliefs are strengthened when he spots an unknown beautiful blonde in a T-bird who mouths the words “I love you” to him. As Curt tries to find that blonde while trying to get away from a local gang who have him somewhat hostage, Curt may come to a decision about his immediate future. Outgoing class president Steve, on the other hand, wants to leave, despite meaning that he will leave girlfriend, head cheerleader and Curt’s sister, Laurie Henderson, behind. Steve and Laurie spend the evening “negotiating” the state of their relationship. Meanwhile, two of their friends cruise around town for the evening. Steve has left his car to meek and mild-mannered Terry “Toad” Fields to look after during his absence. The wheels give Toad a new sense of confidence, which he uses to try and impress Debbie Dunham, a more experienced girl generally out of his league. And John Milner, who is seen as the king of the street race in his souped-up yellow deuce coupe, tries to get rid of precocious pre-teen, Carol Morrison, who has somehow become his passenger for the evening, while dealing with the challenge of bold out-of-towner, Bob Falfa.

Production Company(ies)
Decla-Bioscop AG,

Distributor
Universal Pictures

Release Type
Theatrical

Filming Location(s)
Mel’s Drive-in – 140 South Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, California, USA

MPAA / Certificate
PG

Year of Release
1973

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Dolby
Aspect ratio:

2.39 : 1
Runtime:

1h 50m
Language(s):

English
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Aug 11, 1973 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 15, 1998

Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama

Keyword(s)
starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, directed by George Lucas, written by George Lucas, Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck, comedy, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Kevin Maher, Jan Dawson, Alan R Howard, Jay Cocks, Nell Minow, A.D Murphy, Quentin Tarantino, Richard Propes, Mike Massie, John Simon, Bernard Drew, Danielle Solzman, PG, last day of summer vacation, 1962, small-town California, disc jockey, classic rock’n’roll tunes, high school grads, innocence, nostalgia, coming of age, car culture, cruising, teenage life, Altman-esque vibe, misadventures, authentic, 1950s, teen films, influential, music-filled, vibrant small-town milieu, enslaved to the image of themselves, media, Kevin Maher, Times (UK), Jan Dawson, Sight & Sound, Alan R Howard, Hollywood Reporter, Jay Cocks, TIME Magazine, A.D Murphy, Variety, Quentin Tarantino, The New Beverly, Richard Propes, TheIndependentCritic.com, Mike Massie, Gone With The Twins, John Simon, Esquire Magazine, Bernard Drew, Gannett News Service, Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies, Francis Ford Coppola, Gary Kurtz, Universal Pictures, Surround, Mono, Scope (2.35:1)

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $115,000,324
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $856,526,480
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 127
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 93,405,287

US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $750,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $5,586,027
Production budget ranking: 1,853
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $3,008,075
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $847,932,378
ROI to date (est.): 9,866%
ROI ranking: 8

Cast & Crew

Richard Dreyfuss

Ron Howard

Paul Le Mat

Charles Martin Smith

Cindy Williams

Curt Henderson

Steve Bolander

John Milner

Terry “The Toad” Fields

Laurie Henderson

Richard Dreyfuss – Curt Henderson
Ron Howard – Steve Bolander
Paul Le Mat – John Milner
Charles Martin Smith – Terry “The Toad” Fields
Cindy Williams – Laurie Henderson
Candy Clark – Debbie Dunham
Director – George Lucas
Producers – Francis Ford Coppola, Gary Kurtz
Writers – George Lucas, Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck

George Lucas

Francis Ford Coppola

Gary Kurtz

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
George Lucas

Writer(s)
George Lucas, Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck

Producer(s)
Francis Ford Coppola, Gary Kurtz

Film Festivals

Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 5 Oscars
9 wins & 13 nominations total

Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees

Top Reviews

Kevin Maher

Jan Dawson

Alan R. Howard

Jay Cocks

Nell Minow

Times

Sight & Sound

Hollywood Reporter

TIME Magazine

Beliefnet

AMERICAN GRAFFITI
All Critics (53) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (2)
The ostensible narrative focus is Curt (Richard Dreyfuss), the sensitive scholarship kid determined to break away, but the film, sometimes to its detriment, is more in love with the vibrant small-town milieu.

February 20, 2021 | Rating: 4/5

Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Without unnecessary nudging or underlining, Lucas beautifully establishes his characters as both enslaved to the image of themselves which the media have given them and permanently in need of its company.

March 27, 2020

Jan Dawson
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
The movie is a comic poem which celebrates the past but also catalogues its textures with telling precision. American Graffiti looks like no other movie, an achievement which is always the best measure of a truly gifted director.

August 1, 2017

Alan R. Howard
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
This superb and singular film catches not only the charm and tribal energy of the teen-age 1950s but also the listlessness and the resignation that underscored it all like an incessant bass line in one of the rock-‘n’-roll songs of the period.

July 7, 2014

Jay Cocks
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Brilliant and highly influential.

February 14, 2012 | Rating: A+

Nell Minow
Beliefnet
TOP CRITIC
There is brilliant interplaying and underplaying, of script, performers and direction which will raise howls of laughter from audiences, yet never descends on the screen to overdone mugging, pratfall and other heavy-handed devices normally employed.

June 27, 2007

A.D. Murphy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Like a lot of great nostalgia pieces (Meet Me in St. Louis, Summer of ‘42, Cooley High, New York New York, Dazed and Confused) it seems to get better the further it gets from its original release date.

June 30, 2022

Quentin Tarantino
The New Beverly
I was, and remain, very tempted to add this film to my Top 100.

September 2, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0

Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
A fun-filled cultural snapshot imbued with classic rock and reminiscence.

August 27, 2020 | Rating: 9/10

Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
George Lucas has directed with a remarkably firm but unostentatious hand, two virtues equally rare in a young film maker.

July 23, 2020

John Simon
Esquire Magazine
Stop reading this and go out and see it!

October 2, 2019

Bernard Drew
Gannett News Service
… the music-filled picture still holds up nearly a half-century later.

August 24, 2018

Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies…

Plot
It’s the proverbial end of the summer 1962 in a small southern California town. It’s the evening before best friends and recent high school graduates, Curt Henderson and Steve Bolander, are scheduled to leave town to head to college back east. Curt, who received a lucrative local scholarship, is seen as the promise that their class holds. But Curt is having second thoughts about leaving what Steve basically sees as their dead end town. Curt’s beliefs are strengthened when he spots an unknown beautiful blonde in a T-bird who mouths the words “I love you” to him. As Curt tries to find that blonde while trying to get away from a local gang who have him somewhat hostage, Curt may come to a decision about his immediate future. Outgoing class president Steve, on the other hand, wants to leave, despite meaning that he will leave girlfriend, head cheerleader and Curt’s sister, Laurie Henderson, behind. Steve and Laurie spend the evening “negotiating” the state of their relationship. Meanwhile, two of their friends cruise around town for the evening. Steve has left his car to meek and mild-mannered Terry “Toad” Fields to look after during his absence. The wheels give Toad a new sense of confidence, which he uses to try and impress Debbie Dunham, a more experienced girl generally out of his league. And John Milner, who is seen as the king of the street race in his souped-up yellow deuce coupe, tries to get rid of precocious pre-teen, Carol Morrison, who has somehow become his passenger for the evening, while dealing with the challenge of bold out-of-towner, Bob Falfa.

Trivia