I recently sat down to watch the film, The Graduates which played at a number of film festivals last year. This independent comedy was shot on location in Ocean City, Maryland. The film is about four friends who head to the beach to celebrate high school graduation. While everyone has a good time partying, the guys learn that there’s more to life than where they all are presently aka they learn to grow up. That’s what coming of age films are all about right? No, not usually. That is why I like this film, these guys are not only characters that can portray real people but they grow up by the end of the film. None of the typical stereotypical characters you see in mainstream teen movies are overplayed in this film.

Of the four main guys, 2 are brothers and they are experiencing family issues, specifically their parents divorce. The family dynamic between the brothers was portrayed so real, I enjoyed seeing that. I have two favorite moments. One favorite moment is when one of the guys asked the girl he was making out with to see her ID. The other favorite moment is when one of the guys was peeved that people weren’t taking off their shoes when they were in his house.

The only fault that I have with the film is that there are way too many sexual references, as with many teen films. Also, one of the girls throwing up I could have done without. Aside from that, all of the actors are very good. The directing is remarkable. Ryan Gielen definitely has a great future in directing, that is for sure. I would recommend this to be a fun movie to watch when you and your friends are on your way to the beach this summer.

For more on this film, click here.