The beauty of the film, and of its cultural legacy, is that it somehow refracts evolving attitudes, especially towards societal norms and gender roles.

A brilliant and funny satire on the affluent, materialistic society.

The Graduate engages its audience almost exclusively at the level of events until the grandly satisfying conclusion, when its problems (Benjamin's problems) seem to arrive at a happy solution.

The Graduate never outright says the suburbs and success are evil. Instead, Nichols uses reframing to make you feel his message. He does it indirectly, so you’ll never notice what he’s doing to you.