The Offer

I got sucked in with The Offer. Incredible sets and definitely period correct. Yes there's some exaggerated performances, and it's bloated as Hell with subplots, and I don't know why, but that's what makes The Offer fun. I'm hooked, flaws and all. I love period pieces, I'm a movie and a Godfather lover from way back.

I know there's some whining, rich painfully out-of-touch with reality Hollywood folks (I've heard it all a million times), name-dropping, and talking about they knew the real people portrayed in this series, saying this not how it happened, blah, blah, blah, and who think they know it all...they're annoying. No one ever said this series was a Ken Burns documentary. Get over yourselves. But for the rest of us who love period pieces, sometimes you just want to time travel for some escapist fun. So take the bad reviews with a grain of salt, because some of these professional movie critics, know the rich people complaining and want to stay in their good graces.

Miles Teller is superb as Al Ruddy and Juno Temple nails per part as his trusted sidekick/secretary/friend/shrink. And though. Giovanni Ribisi is getting dragged for his portrayal of an Italian crime boss, I think he's perfect in that role. And Matthew Goode as Robert Evans is hilarious, and from what I've heard, he's also spot-on. There is no bad casting in The Offer and it harkens back to an era of pure hedonistic pleasure, early 70s fashion and a studio system that had no real vision and The Godfather scared them because it stepped outside of the norm.

I like movies in general but somehow "The Godfather" has eluded me. Maybe it's the lengthy running time, dark lighting, or gangster shenanigans, but it is just something I haven't sought out to sit and watch. Now I hear about a TV series called "The Offer," its critical acclaim and high ratings, so I get intrigued, especially when I learn that the subject matter is about the making of "The Godfather." Is it a documentary? Why is the rating so high? I give the first episode a whirl and quickly realize it's a dramatization of events in the making of this classic movie, of course. As the series progresses, because it is so exquisitely made, I become more and more interested in the actual movie and so I finally give it a watch. All this time, I have been missing out on the burgeoning talents of Al Pacino in the early days, the artistic storytelling, and all the drama from everyone involved. "The Offer" does great service to viewers like me, and without it, I would have been deprived of this classic cinematic experience.

This series is done with so much love and reverence for the film that it's impossible not to like if you loved The Godfather, and who doesn't like that movie?

After a single episode, I was all in. It's the perfect mix of great acting, good story, and a fun script. I was dubious about this when I saw the trailer, but my doubts were gone almost from the beginning of episode one. The movie was larger than life, so a series about how the film came to be was definitely worth a shot.

I may come back and change this initial euphoria, but for now, this is one of the best things I've seen in a long while. I mean, come on! It's a series about the making of the most epic gangster movie and one of the best films ever made, and it has gangsters in it. What more could anyone want?

The scenes with Coppola and Mario Puzo are genius. They both make the process of writing look exciting, positively thrilling like I've never seen before.

One complaint, and it's major. There are WAY too many scenes shot in almost complete darkness. I am so fed up with this technique and for the life of me, I don't understand why directors think shooting in the dark is so cool. Just about every scene is shot in candlelight, an unlit room with light shining through a curtained window, a club or office as dark as a cave with visibility at about ten feet. If there is daylight, it's only to show characters walking into ill-lit rooms, or shadows playing a prominent role. Puzo and his wife sit in a dark kitchen. Couldn't he pay the electric bill? Turn on a light!

When Puzo sees the line at the bookstore the lighting was so bad that I could barely see anyone. Wasn't the whole point of the scene to show a mob? It was like people hiding in the dark. Why was this scene at night? It was a book signing. You can sign a book during the daylight hours and viewers might be able to see something instead of squinting at the screen.

If it were available, I would have watched the entire series in one night. This could be the best thing ever on TV. I almost want to tell viewers to wait until it's all available before beginning the series so as not to have the anguish of waiting for the next installment in what could be the best TV series ever-no kidding

If you would have told me beforehand that Giovani Ribisi plays Joe Colombo, I would have laughed, or at least been a bit skeptical. He's a stroke of pure brilliance in a series that is loaded with talent and great performances. I had a difficult time recognizing many of the actors because they were so far from anything they'd done before.

Another complaint I have is that we have to wait around until the end of June to see this through to the conclusion. I want it now! This reminds me of a true story. Back in about 1989, a group of friends were sitting in my living room ready to go out for the night when The Godfather came on the TV on some network station. We all promised that we'd go out after watching a few scenes. I mean, we'd all seen it a million times already. Well over an hour later, when Michael goes into the bathroom and comes out with the pistol, there was a message on the screen: To Be Continued Tomorrow.

We all said to heck with that, and someone went out to the video store to rent a copy so we could finish watching it for the 1,000,001 time. I don't remember what happened after that, but we probably went out to a bar and talked about the movie for the millionth time. The moral to this story is don't jerk people around by making them wait. Just hand over the product like they do at Netflix.

This is a show about the making of a movie, but it's so very much more. It's about the people who birthed "The Godfather", and the extreme adversity which hindered the creation of this immortal film. I watched the first 5 episodes in a day.

We follow an amateur producer, Albert Ruddy (Miles Teller), with minimal experience on the Hollywood scene, but he is a force, a powerhouse with a vision. His primary role with Paramount is to make this "mafia" movie that it seems nobody (who was anybody) wants on the screen. There is a lot of pressure from Frank Sinatra, the government, the Italians, and others to halt the making of this film in its tracks. At any given time any or all of these powerful entities are fighting for any hint of this movie to be eradicated from existence - never to be conceived, and promptly to be forgotten. But Mr. Ruddy's persistence and sheer will are what eventually lead to the realization of the greatest, or at least one of the top five greatest films of all time. Miles Teller as an actor proves in this that he is literally capable of anything, and his inexhaustible skills are apparent. Bravo. 10/10. Award-worthy.

The over-indulgent and bloated executives at an ailing Paramount allow Ruddy to assemble what appears to be a bunch of aspiring indigents...novices so to speak; to piece together a fragmented but potentially splendorous film. This is their story.

Ruddy's persistence and focus alone is what brought this dream to fruition, but he needed direction, vision, and inspiration as well. A woman named Bettye McCart (Juno Temple), bulldozes her way into his good graces, and basically takes the assistant position. She senses his brilliance and unequaled drive immediately, and with her own seemingly limitless knowledge of "the biz", she is able to enhance his effectiveness. Ms. Temple gives a stellar performance. 9.0/10

Ruddy meets an alluring woman named Francoise Glazer (Nora Arnezeder), who wishes to share his aspirations, and they quickly fall in love. Kudos to Arnezeder's portrayal of this character, as I found her to be startlingly irresistible. Although her screen time was fairly minimal, her character was quite refined - yet another brilliant performance. 8.7/10

The executives at Paramount, Matthew Goode as Robert Evans, and Burn Gorman as Charles Bluhdorn are the most profound embodiment of uptight intensity that I've witnessed in a number of years. I'm reminded of some of the great Jack Nicholson roles. Gorman has a very bizarre tone unrivaled by most, and I found myself strangely drawn to his antics. 9.7/10. And Evans, the way he shows anger, disgust, and approval all in the same expression - is quite convincing, and fascinating. 9.3/10.

The writer of the novel "The Godfather", Mario Puzo, was also invited to write the screenplay for the movie, because Paramount had a limited budget. Oh how fate smiled upon these circumstances, because Puzo (Patrick Gallo) went on to write one of the greatest screenplays of all time. And Patrick Gallo engineered nothing short of a brilliance. I am amazed at all the great performances in this series, it's totally mind-boggling. 9.2/10

Guess what? There's still more...

Probably my favorite actor in this series is Dan Fogler who portrays Francis Ford Coppola. If Coppola's true nature is similar to what Fogler has illustrated - then I am in love with this man!! What a fascinating and thoroughly compelling director and person Fogler renders for us. The provocative style and essence of Coppola - sheer BRILLIANCE. I feel like I keep repeating that word. The way he fashions The Godfather, primarily sharing a co-vision with Puzo, it's so tangible and full of emotional depth. 10/10. Award-worthy.

Giovanni Ribisi as Joe Colombo (real mafia mob boss), is a very chummy sort of scary guy. You really want to like him, but we are reminded from time to time that he is indeed a real gangster, a true thug. Ribisi captures the essence of being a lovable bad guy. I have the faint impression that he wanted to be Marlon Brando (many similarities to Don Corleone), but was probably informed that it was too small a part. All said - 8.8/10

Colin Hanks as Barry Lapidus (another angry and impatient man) 8.5/10. I am surprised he had one of the very lesser roles in this, being such an accomplished actor himself.

Do you have to love The Godfather to love this show? I don't know, I love the Godfather, so I might be biased. However, my love for The Godfather notwithstanding, this is (and likely will remain) the #1 show of 2022 (for me). I find it difficult to imagine anything will surpass it. Everything is 10/10: writing, directing, pacing, cinematography, acting, dialogue.

Thats all...There is a helleva lot of mediocre shows out there...This ones a gem, even if you aren't a Godfather aficionado this is just one great, incredible and best of all TRUE story. Its very well acted (especially the guy who plays Al Pacino) and I cant stand waiting for a week to catch the next episode (5 so far, 6 tomorrow). A total treat. A great show about making a classic movie, the kind that were made when Hollywood actually cared about its audience.