More American Graffiti captures something of the transition from innocence to a constant worry with life and death issues that were very much a part of coming of age from the mid-Sixties onward. In 1973, there was a poignancy to the end of the original when the fates of four of the main characters were revealed. This becomes the launching point for the sequel. If the ending of the original hit you like a hammer -- as I think it did most audiences in 1973 -- put this on your list of movies to rent some day. If not, well, too bad: you have already missed experiencing something important about the original. American Graffiti, fond look back that it is, was conceived and executed at a time of tumult. More American Graffiti is a bittersweet look back at the tumult in which loose ends are tied up and favorite characters come alive again. Not as vividly, to be sure, but satisfyingly, nonetheless.
Review of More American Graffiti
More American Graffiti
(1979)
Not the iconic film the original is but...
28 February 2006
Warning: Spoilers