Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The word is the film's joke about the career advice older men give a young man who feels lost. Benjamin wants to be different, and the adult world offers him a material. It has been shorthand ever since for safe, can't-fail advice from the generation above, and each class of graduates has its own version of plastics.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The GraduateShow the scene
At the graduation party in The Graduate (1967), Benjamin Braddock is cornered by his parents' friends, who want to know about his plans. Mr. McGuire, a family friend, pulls him aside to say that he wants to give him just one word. Benjamin listens politely, McGuire says "Plastics", and adds that there is a great future in it. Benjamin can only reply by asking what he means. The film, directed by Mike Nichols and adapted by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham from Charles Webb's 1963 novella, ranks the line 42nd on AFI's list of movie quotes.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: The GraduateOpening party dialogueReference checked
- Wikipedia: The GraduateLead; Plot; ReceptionReference checked
Context reviewed
