The Graduate's legacy

"If Michael Cera has a predecessor, it's Dustin Hoffman.Mr. Hoffman burst onto the scene out of nowhere 40 years ago with a striking performance in "The Graduate." Opposite Anne Bancroft, Mr. Hoffman took a role written for a waspy overachiever and imbued it with a mumbling nebbishness; his body language and verbal insecurity were in striking contrast to the typical leading man of the day.
Mr. Cera is a similarly unlikely leading man. Although he has an undeniable boyish charm, one would never confuse him for Paul Newman or Tom Cruise.
But like Dustin Hoffman before him, Michael Cera has tapped into a very real current within the American consciousness.
By choosing his projects wisely, Mr. Cera has developed broad appeal with both hipster tastemakers and the general public alike. His star turns could signal the beginning of a new era of comedy, one in which irony is out and sincerity is in. Perhaps Mr. Cera (and the sincerity he represents) is a sign of the times. Just as "The Graduate" struck a chord with baby boomers because of their shared rejection of the Greatest Generation's values, snark-laden irony might be a mind-set few can afford to indulge in a time of collapsing prosperity. Maybe we all feel a little more comfortable cheering for someone who means what he says". Source: www.washingtontimes.com