Overview
A nostalgic journey through the last night of summer before adulthood beckons.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- nostalgic
- witty
- wistful
- nostalgic movie night
- classic film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a funny, vividly observed, influential, and emotionally affecting portrait of teenage life and cultural memory at the end of an era.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film reconstructs one late-summer night in 1962 through period cars, radio broadcasts, teenage rituals, and rock-and-roll music.
Curt, Steve, Laurie, Toad, Debbie, Milner, and Carol pursue distinct goals across the same evening in town.
Curt and Steve face the immediate choice of leaving their California town for college while weighing friendship, romance, and familiar life.
The characters spend the night driving, street racing, borrowing cars, and using vehicles to project confidence and social standing.
Films like American Graffiti, and why
Dazed and Confused
Shared coming-of-age ensemble, youthful uncertainty, nostalgic atmosphere, and bittersweet transition out of adolescence.
The Last Picture Show
Shared teen social dynamics, period nostalgia, romantic tension, and a single-night structure centered on young people at a crossroads.
The Wonder Years
Shared New Hollywood coming-of-age sensibility, wistful nostalgia, friendship, and young characters confronting adulthood.
The Outsiders
Shared car culture, youthful rebellion, small-town restlessness, and romanticized period atmosphere.
Movie Details
- Director
- George Lucas
- Release Date
- 1973-08-11
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (1649)
Cast
- Richard Dreyfuss
- Ron Howard
- Paul Le Mat
- Charles Martin Smith
- Cindy Williams
- Candy Clark
- Mackenzie Phillips
- Wolfman Jack
- Bo Hopkins
- Manuel Padilla Jr.
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- YouTube TV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is American Graffiti about?
- Over one restless California night, recent graduates cruise, flirt, race, and wrestle with the fear that growing up means leaving everything familiar behind.
- What is American Graffiti like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of American Graffiti as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is American Graffiti violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in American Graffiti as mild.
- What did critics think of American Graffiti?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a funny, vividly observed, influential, and emotionally affecting portrait of teenage life and cultural memory at the end of an era.
- Which films are like American Graffiti?
- Films with a similar feel include Dazed and Confused, The Last Picture Show, The Wonder Years, and The Outsiders.
- How long is American Graffiti?
- American Graffiti runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch American Graffiti?
- In United States, American Graffiti streams on YouTube TV.
