More American Graffiti (1991)

Made six years after George Lucas' original, this B.W.L. Norton-directed sequel to American Graffiti is only now being released on video; after seeing it, you'll understand why there was no rush. A coming-of-age picture that never arrives, the film follows the old Mel's Drive-in gang (including Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, and a briefly glimpsed Harrison Ford but not Richard Dreyfuss) into the turbulent '60s, checking in on them each New Year's Eve from 1964 to 1967. The light tone carried over from the original seems misplaced here, especially in the Vietnam segments, and the split-screen imagery that created a pseudo-psychedelic feeling in theaters overflows the edges of the TV screen. While some '60s-rock buffs will enjoy the soundtrack, which includes Percy Sledge's ''When a Man Loves a Woman'' and the Doors' ''Light My Fire,'' most renters will find More American Graffiti less than satisfying. C-