Before “Star Wars”, George Lucas directed “American Graffiti”, an enjoyable coming of age film. Some consider it a classic and while I would definitely not go that far, I do have to agree that this is a good movie.

Set in 1962, “American Graffiti” follows the misadventures of several high school graduate students on their final night out before they go off to university. They cruise around while they listen to pirate radio and eat in diners so it’s not the most eventful film but it’s not trying to be. This is clearly a teen film that is grounded in reality.

The film features several individuals that would go on to have very successful careers. Richard Dreyfuss (“Jaws”, “What About Bob?”), Ron Howard (“A Beautiful Mind”, “The Shootist”) and Harrison Ford (“Air Force One”, “The Fugitive”) all have roles in this movie. Most of the characters in the film feel very realistic and they are not caricatures like later teen films such as “Animal House”. However, the character of Terry (Charles Martin Smith “The Untouchables”) does come across as a little exaggerated. My favourite teen is probably the one played by Harrison Ford but he sadly does not have a lot of screen time.

“American Graffiti” is not a particularly exciting film but it is not trying to be. For the most part. This seems to be an honest look at the transition of teens to adults as the teens in this film face the reality that in the morning, they will be off to university. Some of the gags are funny but some of the others are not and the one where a guy pretends he wants to molest a child is not remotely amusing. A lot of the movie is building towards a big car race but what we get is somewhat underwhelming. Again, I think the film was trying to be more realistic than anything else. I recommend “American Graffiti” and while it is not “Star Wars”, it’s infinitely better than “THX 1138”.