One to Watch: ‘The Offer’ Entertaining Look at the Making of ‘The Godfather’

In our new feature series, ‘One to Watch,’ we’ll be recommending a variety of movies and TV series, both old and new, that we’ve recently enjoyed. The latest addition to that list is the fantastic drama The Offer.

Upon its release in 2022, The Offer faced harsh criticism from reviewers. It received widespread condemnation from the press, numerous one- and two-star reviews, and currently holds a 57% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Given this reception, I anticipated it being difficult viewing, however, I found it to be an excellent, entertaining retelling of the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic film. I urge you to ignore the reviews and give this show a chance if you haven’t already.

The Offer is based on producer Albert S. Ruddy’s (Miles Teller) experiences while working on Francis Ford Coppola’s (Dan Fogler) 1972 adaptation of Mario Puzo’s (Patrick Gallo) novel about an Italian American mob family and their internal and external conflicts. The film faced numerous challenges from the start, particularly because Puzo’s novel angered Italian Americans and, more notably, the Mafia.

Ruddy sets out to create the best movie possible while ensuring the real-life Mafia, which has targeted the production due to interference from rising gangster Joe Colombo (Giovanni Ribisi) and an insecure Frank Sinatra (Frank John Hughes), doesn’t harm anyone. To preempt complaints from the Colombo crime family, the word “mafia” was intentionally omitted from Puzo’s script. According to Ruddy, the Mob threatened the production, sabotaged deals with actors, and generally tried to prevent the movie from being made.

With the support of his dedicated assistant, Bettye McCartt (Juno Temple), Ruddy hires Coppola to collaborate with Puzo on the script. The series depicts iconic Godfather stories, including executives hating Al Pacino (Anthony Ippolito), Coppola’s pursuit of Marlon Brando (Justin Chambers), and studio executive Robert Evans (Matthew Goode) going off the rails.

I’m sure there’s plenty of artistic license but with real-life mobsters including Colombo getting involved in the production, Ruddy constantly battling studio heads, and Coppola pulling his hair out at every turn as he desperately tries to realize his vision for the film—what’s not to like? It’s an enjoyable watch!

You can watch all episodes of The Offer on Paramount+.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook Instagram Twitter(X) YouTube TikTok