Graduation is an intense and clever thriller that surprised the hell out of me. It only got 3 1/2 stars, because the beginning drags on forever, but by the end of this film, you will be very satisfied. This young cast led by TV veteran, Chris Marquette, follows four best friends approaching their high school graduation. Unfortunate circumstances lead them to need a large sum of money and they come up with the only option available to them, rob a bank. This is a tough film to review without spoilers, so I can't say more than that, but this is a very clever film, with some great young actors. Although it was slow at first, the ending makes it all worthwhile, and you'll be very surprised at where the groups choices lead them. This may be a b-movie with a no-name cast, but it's one that will change the way you think about certain things and I highly recommend it!

I was in Guatemala for a missions trip this summer, and while I was there we went shopping there. Now, they don't have regular DVD's like the US has, everything is bootleg. Well, l bought a few of them, one of them being Grace is Gone. Anyways, I get home, pop it int, and to my (though I really shouldn't be) surprise, it was Graduation. I was sort of disappointed because I wanted Grace is Gone, but I decided to give this a try anyways. It is not a bad movie by any means. Its actually pretty good. The story line is average, but some of the characters make it worth your while. Its got some good humor and drama, as well as being a crime film. Its not great, but not bad either. Worth a look if you like anyone in the cast. I rate this 6/10. (my rating) PG-13 for some sexual content, language and brief violence

Four friends on the verge of graduation face a tough decision. One of their friends, Carl (Chris Marquette) has a mother who's battling cancer, and things look grim for her unless she gets a bone marrow transplant. They don't have insurance, and need $100,000 to perform the operation.Harvard bound student Polly (Shannon Lucio) plans an almost impossible scenario. She suggests the four of them rob her father's bank. Her jock boyfriend (Riley Smith) is against the idea - mostly because he doesn't want to screw up his chances in life. Rebellious Jackson (Chris Lowell), who has a secret crush on Polly, is all for the idea. So the four friends devise a masterful plan to rob the bank vault on their graduation day.There's been several bank heist movies lately, but what I liked the most about "Graduation" is that the characters are going through the typical teenage angst. Polly is dealing with her father's infidelity, Chauncey is dealing with the fact that Jackson likes Polly, Jackson is dealing with the fact that he likes Polly, and Carl is dealing with his ailing mother. They rob the bank not for their own personal gain, but to help an ailing woman. I couldn't help but to think if I was in Carl's situation, what would I do? I would do the same thing, anything to protect the one I love.Sure, it's not THE best heist movie ever made, but it was an enjoyable film, and it made you get involved in the characters' lives, and you root for them to complete this seemingly impossible task.

You turn your back on the girl of your dreams....just when she finally wants you. You ignore your awesome IQ. You become 'violent' for the first time in your life .. and decide that is your best career choice. You wily nilly stick your unmasked face inches away from the person who's testimony will put you away for 20 years when she ID's you. So much for the gibberish, nonsensical and absurd final scene. Obviously the last scene represents writing gone 'amok.' Given all the planning and joint efforts of an entire group, a group that had 'special' help in making the robbery workable, it is ludicrous to tell us that any one person can go it alone as a career choice and hope to succeed. Might as well end the film with him putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger. Make the hospital scene 'your' final scene for a way better film.