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!

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.

I just wanted to give an advise to those who are wondering if the movie is good enough.Yes, it is. Its actually the perfect combination of action and drama. On the one hand you have good looking young actors, who gives a brilliant performance, and on the other you are truly involved in the plot. You are touched by the songs, played in the background, with one of the best alternative sounds like Iggy Pop, Bloc Party. The most considerable part of the movie are the characters. They are all different from each other, but are still together to fight for a good cause.(bank robbery is no more something bad D). Anyway I'm not sure that everyone will like the movie, but you can give it a try, but if you're a teenager I strongly recommend it to you ;)

This was a great heist movie. They found a way to keep it original and throw in some drama and romance.Shannon Lucio was great, everyone else was great as well. Love Chris Marquette! All in all, great movie.What a cool, fun story: A friend's family member is sick, you're mad at your dad for having and affair, so let's rob his bank! But, let's do it during the ceremony for graduation! Loved it, I'll watch it again when I get a copy.