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Is It Just Me, Or Is The Godfather Overrated?

by Joe Rivers
8 July 2014 23 Comments

Overly long, needlessly confusing and all in all, pretty frustrating. Greatest film ever made? Not by a long way...

godfather

Because it’s good to expand your cultural horizons from time to time, and because it seemed inconceivable that I’d never seen it before, I decided to watch The Godfather recently. I was sure I’d be treated to a cinematic tour de force, that I’d never look upon film in the same way again, and that I’d be totally enraptured by the intricacies and relationships of the Corleone family. Instead, I found myself bored, clock-watching, and wishing I was in front of a documentary about holidaying teenagers on BBC Three instead.

First off, it’s very long, isn’t it? I realise it’s a lazy criticism but if you’re going to tell a story over the course of three hours, it needs a few elements to keep your attention from wandering. I’m not talking a Michael Bay explosions-gasm, but some intrigue, tension and character exploration wouldn’t have gone amiss. Instead, what I got was a load of guys muttering intensely at one another and metaphorically waving their dicks around for the duration.

What’s perhaps the most frustrating thing is that the basis for a brilliant film is there. For the uninitiated, the basic premise is that a feared mafia boss, Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), is coming to the end of his reign, a realisation brought upon him when he’s shot by a rival faction. One of his three sons must take over the family business but he has a difficult choice ahead of him. Fredo (John Cazale) is considered too green, Sonny (James Caan) is too hot-headed, and Michael (Al Pacino) has just returned from World War II, and doesn’t seem all that bothered about being a mobster anyway. Initially, Sonny assumes the mantle but then he gets killed in an ambush, so Michael takes on the role and… he’s quite good at it. And that’s about it.

It’s a decent starting premise, but annoyingly, every time an avenue of interest opens up, the film either bypasses it or shuts it down completely. The most obvious one is Michael’s potential turmoil at having to do a job he doesn’t want to do and doesn’t agree with, and his subsequent development into the role. At the start of the film, it’s Michael’s sister’s wedding, and it’s clear he sees himself as the outsider of the family. He sits apart from the rest, more interested in spending time with his girlfriend, Kay (Diane Keaton), than making small talk and ingratiating himself with family friends. For the film’s first act, he always seems uneasy, for reasons that are never hinted at or built upon. Then Vito gets shot.

Michael goes to visit Vito in hospital and circumstances conspire against him so that he has to protect his father from another attempt on his life. Does he quiver in the face of such responsibility? Does he wrestle with inner conflict at this sudden promotion? No, he just gets on with it, and from that moment on, he’s another character entirely. There’s no subtle change in mood or anything like that – one moment he’s one person, and the next he’s someone else altogether. Soon, he’s shot a police officer in cold blood in a restaurant, spent a bit of time in Sardinia, and then comes back to be head of the family as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

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But what of the relationship between Sonny and Michael? They’re diametric opposites, surely there’s potential for disagreements? They might be the mob, but they’re still just a family with the usual idiosyncratic dynamics, right? Well, not really, because there’s no power struggle or even a hint of a quarrel. Sonny does the job he’s been groomed for, gets killed, and then Michael does it. Michael’s girlfriend, who’s such a distraction from the family in the opening scene, becomes a faceless mafia wife who barely protests. Considering Michael goes to great pains at the start to assure her that he’s not like his family, she takes his transformation into alpha-male patriarch without reaction.

Then there are the major events that are simply not dealt with. For example, the Corleone family have an unofficial adopted son, Tom (Robert Duvall). His role in the family is never explained – it seems unlikely that such a violent and insular group would take someone unrelated under their wing in such a way. How someone such as Tom could rise to become so indispensable to the Corleones would make an interesting tale but again, it’s not expanded upon. Likewise, the demise of Michael’s first wife, Apollonia (Simonetta Stefanelli). During Michael’s exile in Sicily, he meets and marries a local girl, who is then killed by an explosion meant for Michael. After that, he just returns to America – no sadness, no soul-searching, he just gets on with it. When he meets Kay again after years without contact, he doesn’t mention he’s now a widower. In fact, no-one ever mentions Apollonia or the attempt upon Michael’s life again, and neither of these things ever come back to haunt him.

Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by the current golden age of television where plots are given space to breathe and slowly reveal themselves over multiple episodes. In something like The Wire, for example, the characters are so rich and detailed, and they have the time to develop, meaning you’re more likely to empathise with them as their stories are told. The Godfather is long as far as films go, but it spends its time examining the banalities of hierarchies and showing how it’s done its homework on the mafia instead.

While it might be well-produced, beautifully shot, and a whole heap of other things that don’t really matter to those of us who aren’t fully-fledged cineastes, it remains disappointing, and it baffles me as to why it’s considered one of the greatest films ever made. I’m fully aware that parts II and III are out there, but you’ll not catch me wasting my Friday night sitting through a Francis Ford Coppola borefest again.

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image descriptionCOMMENTS

Steve Harper 9:35 am, 18-Mar-2014

Perhaps the comment that you would sooner be watching a BBC3 Holidaying Teen doc is the most telling comment! The Godfather is a trilogy. Would you expect Lord of the Rings to be complete after one film? Michael experiences the shock of his father being almost shot dead and wants retribution. He isn't part of the family business because mostly his father has wanted it that way. He explains about Tom being adopted as a child and if you watch the second part is delves into the back story. His time away in Italy isn't a fleeting moment, it is over a period of years. The deadening of his emotions is something that carries through into part 2, until he becomes completely devoid of normal emotion. Perhaps because of the traumatic events he has witnessed or been involved in - the shooting, the murder of his wife, his brothers assassination etc. Watch part 2, it is my favourite of the trilogy anyway.

Joe 9:50 am, 18-Mar-2014

I don't like BBC Three teenage holiday "documentaries" - the point was I found the film dull enough that they seemed a preferable option. It's a fair point about it being a trilogy, but part 1 needs to be entertaining and strong enough in its own right to make you want to watch the other two parts.

Dave Lee 11:09 am, 18-Mar-2014

The thing is, Joe, that the makers of the TV shows you like (such as the Wire) are all, to a man, massively influenced by the Godfather. It was, and remains, an incredible piece of cinema. You seem to have missed several key plot points and you are blaming the film for your own inattentiveness. For instance, Tom's history and role are explained during the opening wedding sequence and Michael was already planning to go back to America when Apollonia was killed, following the death of Sonny. These events are both very clear, yet you seem to have missed them. You have also completely misunderstood Michael's actions at the hospital. This is the point where he realises a) that his family are the most important thing in his life and b) that his lack of nervousness indicates his suitability for mafia life. Just because a film is long and you haven't bothered watching it attentively doesn't make it poor, it just means that you maybe shouldn't seek a career as a film critic.

Craig.campbell 11:32 am, 18-Mar-2014

I agree and to be honest I find Raging Bull boring as well. They might be seen as culturally significant films by critics in black polo necks but they do nothing for me. I just don't enjoy them.

Sam Diss 11:34 am, 18-Mar-2014

YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY (although I completely accept the sentiment that it's impossible for new generations to experience 'classic' movies in the way they were intended)

Joe 11:39 am, 18-Mar-2014

You say that, Sam, but I don't seem to have that problem with records. There are loads of "classic" albums from the 60s and 70s that I couldn't have heard as intended that I think are great.

Richard 12:28 pm, 18-Mar-2014

What Dave Lee said.

Sandy 1:34 pm, 18-Mar-2014

Obviously everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but yeah, as Dave Lee said, you seem to have missed a fair few plot points which seems quite remiss seeing as how you are essentially writing a film review.

Carl 2:10 pm, 18-Mar-2014

Joe -One of the joys of The Godfather is how much of it is unsaid; I learn something new everytime I view it. Character motives and plot points are often revealed by them NOT talking. Tom is explained as a stray during the wedding, his place in the family is brought up when Michael replaces him as Consigliere and when Sonny calls him cold for not wanting to go to war when Vito is shot. Apollonia was a "Thunderbolt" marriage of lust and so you can imagine Michael's feelings can dissipate once she dies. I could go one but I'd end up bringing up subplots from the book. I recommend watching it again. I always recommend viewing on a lazy Sunday when you've got a big meal on the go.

Niall 4:20 pm, 18-Mar-2014

Maybe the author watched it expecting too much? Much the same way when I first saw Shawshank Redemption, I expected too much and had to watch it again at a later date to truly appreciate it. The Godfather, in its own right, is a great film, but as said the trilogy and continuation of the story across the three films gives it the depth. Much like the TV shows you mention, only after watching the final film did it all really really click for me.

adam 4:59 pm, 18-Mar-2014

i recently watched The Godfather Trilogy again. I concluded that it remains one of the greatest films of all time. The point being, its a TRILOGY. Part 2 is probably the greatest film ever made, part 3 is weaker, but concludes many of the issues your reviewer raises.

anon 8:16 pm, 18-Mar-2014

It's just you. Although Godfather 2>1. Still one of the greatest films of all time, no question. Maybe you just don't like cinema?

anon 8:19 pm, 18-Mar-2014

This article also reminds me of Tarkovsky's 'Solaris' (1972), he very deliberately included a drawn out driving scene to make people like you stop watching early.

hazeddazed 9:22 pm, 18-Mar-2014

It's just you.

clownshoes 10:02 pm, 18-Mar-2014

Jesus Christ, are you 12? Watch it again when you've grown up. And also, just because they ended up making 3 films doesn't mean it's 'part of a trilogy', stupid money making modern bullshit.

Cool Jerk 10:25 am, 19-Mar-2014

Complains that the film was too long, then basically asks why it wasn't longer...

mike 9:08 am, 28-Mar-2014

this is a film for the generations, I saw this when it first came out, and thought it was the best film I had ever seen ,and yes the second film is the greatest movie ever , that's just my opinion, but you have to watch the first one, to get our great the second one is. years went by and my kids have all watched and loved it, and now my grand children have watched it with the same opinion, my friend you really are one of the few , this weekend im going to sit down, with loads of Italian food, dim the lights and watch all three, BLISS.

mike 9:12 am, 28-Mar-2014

and after this im going to watch , once upon a time in America, a Bronx tale, carlito's way, and then put on the black suit white shirt, quick espresso, then off to work , god help them.

Taxi_and_Brass 7:04 pm, 20-Apr-2014

Peter Griffin does not care for The Godfather. "It insists upon itself." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRsemHatx-o

Keane 5:11 am, 15-Jun-2014

I agree, it fails to hold my attention. Its the responsibility of the filmmaker to keep me interested.the final scene is well done but the rest of the movie is unnecessarily drawn out and overlong. the whole thing could be half an hour long. The characters are too boring to be sympathetic, and because of this the whole film goes down the toilet.

Joe Z 5:41 am, 8-Jul-2014

I couldn't agree more with this article. In college I took a film class and I loved every movie we saw. I loved Jaws, Citizen Kane, Psycho, Shawshank, and many other, but the only one I felt indifferent to was Godfather. It felt incomplete. Which I understand if it is part of a trilogy, but I don't think the movie on it's own stands as one of the greatest ever.

bryan 1:38 pm, 10-Jul-2014

The fact that we are all talking about it, proves it is a amazing film.

Hans-Christian 11:25 pm, 12-Jul-2014

This article is brilliant and right on with a great deal of problems that really ridicules any claims that this film would have been anything like "the greatest movie ever made". This film is simply extremely overrated and has definetely no place at all in my collection. There are considerably greater films out there that deserves the title of "the greatest film ever" better than The Godfather. A few of these greater ones are most definetely Disney's Frozen, Alien, Aliens, Star Wars, Psycho, Scream, The Thing, Jurassic Park, Jaws, Schindler's List, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Tarzan, Up, Titanic, Avatar etc. etc. Shall I continue?

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