Thursday Movie Picks-Mrs. Robinsons

This is an interesting suggestion over at Wandering Through The Shelves since there are many women out there who have a good time with a youngin" . I was thinking up movies and chose a very obvious one (Coo..Cooka Choo or however one spells that) and 2 others that seem to fit the bill. It will be interesting to see what everyone else chooses. Here are my 3...

1.THE GRADUATE-1967

This is the obvious choice since Mrs. Robinson is a real character in this film and even brings a familiar quote ("Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson") along with a famous image of Dustin Hoffman framed by her leg. Simon and Garfunkel  music  really makes a great mark in this film and sets the tone. Confused graduate, Hoffman has no idea what to do with his life ending up in an affair with his dad's business partner's wife, played by the wonderful Anne Bancroft. It gets even more complicated when he falls for Mrs. Robinson's daughter. This film is, in some ways, of its time when young people did not know what to do with their life, wanting to make love, not war and  placing daisies in the guns pointed at them by the armed guards. The trapped feelings are expressed by the imagery in this film. It has humorous moments filled with angst and the sense of loss.

2. WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE-1993

This is a hidden gem that more people should see especially since Leonardo Di Caprio gave an Oscar nominated performance and, I feel, should have won, playing the mentally challenged young brother to Johnny Depp, the star of the film. The family just lost their dad to suicide  and must look after their morbidly obese mother who never leaves the couch. Depp works for a small grocery store in this small town where he delivers groceries, one being the horny Mary Steenburgen. She initiates an affair with the young Depp who is happy to oblige. He feels frustrated with his life and embarrassed by the size of his mom plus having to care for the family. In enters a young gal, Juliette Lewis and her mom, who are travelling in some RV and are stuck in town for a week. She awakens the free spirit in Depp and helps him and his autistic brother find meaning. See it if you can.

3. THE READER-2008

This is a heavy film but a good one even though it could have been great. It stars Kate Winslet, David Kross and Ralph Fiennes who exceed in this film set before, during and after World war 2. A young Michael meets up with an older woman who helps him when he becomes ill. After he is better, he finds her to thank her and they have an affair where she asks him to read to her. He loves to read to her as they share a romantic summer together only for her to disappear and he does not see or hear from her again. Now grown, the older Michael, in law school, is a spectator to a trial of women prison guards accused of atrocities and see Hanna is among them. He soon finds out Hanna's secret which she would rather hide and be found guilty than have it become public knowledge. We see how his bond to her never leaves even though he never is with her in the biblical sense again. This is well acted and promotes  discussions about the topic at hand plus you see Kate Winslet naked...again.

Which 3 would you choose?