Unlike George Lucas’ soulless science fiction features American Graffiti (1973) is a film of warmth and compassion. It’s an episodic narrative that uses nostalgia to frame carefully observed truths regarding American adolescence. American Graffiti is a film concerned more with characters rather than rigid archetypes and is, on a formal level, not afraid to be messy.
Of course credit is due as much to Lucas as it is his collaborators. Screenwriters Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck gave the characters their voices while producer Francis Ford Coppola kept the film organized and in tact. The sensibilities of these artists contrast with the aloof and inarticulate Lucas ensuring that his yarn about hot rods, teen romance and oldies music resonates as a very specific snapshot of popular culture and those teenagers who consumed it.
To this day American Graffiti resonates with audiences. Its influence can be felt in films like Dazed & Confused (1993), Mary Jane’s Not A Virgin Anymore (1996), and Booksmart (2019). Because of American Graffiti there is a whole sub-genre of teen “hangout” movies. Every generation since American Graffiti has their own version of this kind of film that reflects each generation’s culture and social structures.
When I was in high school I had a friend who was, for a time, obsessed with American Graffiti. The film captured for him the aimlessness of just hanging out with friends and the uncertainty of life in college. American Graffiti and Almost Famous (2000) spoke to my friend and reassured him that life would, inevitably, make some kind of sense. American Graffiti connects with people in a way that Star Wars (1977) simply cannot.
