American Graffiti (1973)

Director: George Lucas
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark

American Graffiti takes place in what feels like real time between one evening and sunup of the next morning in California 1962. A group of friends spend one last night as summer vacation ends, each of them dealing with some sort of dilemma - whether major, like doubts about leaving home for college, or minor, like getting a date with a cute girl. Everything takes place against backdrops such as a burger drive-in, a high school dance, a downtown 'cruising' strip, or other places all of which have a totally authentic feel for the place and time. By sunup the next morning, everyone has their issues sorted out and we are left knowing what happens to each of them in the months and years to come.

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