#77- American Graffiti

Here's the thing:
American Graffiti is a testament to George Lucas in two ways.
First, and most obviously, it did wonders for his career. Released in 1973, American Graffiti placed third in the box office for that year. This was right before his creation of Star Wars, and gave him the momentum he needed to make that as big of a success as it was (and is).
Second, this film offered an opportunity for nostalgia of the pre-vietnam America that so many longed for in the chaotic, drug-tripping 1970s. The American public missed the 1950's, and so did George Lucas. These were his his high school years, and he thought they deserved some tribute. American Graffiti shows Lucas's singular ability to strike the cords deep within an audience member's soul. It was a shock to see the 1950s played so honestly, and caused the audience to wonder "Where was I in '52?"
Lucas, along with the rest of his generation, dearly missed the simplicity of their youth. The disenchantment of their generation began with the assassination of JFK, and continued on with the Civil Rights Movement, economic/geopolitical uncertainty, and, finally, Vietnam. By the 1970's they had all but forgotten the nightly drives they had taken around their small home towns, with the windows down on their '54 Fords and Buddy Holly blasting.
This was a time everyone wished to be reminded of, and so Lucas made it possible.
Nostalgia can be good sometimes.