The Offer

Miles Teller, Juno Temple and Dan Fogler in 'The Offer.' Nicole Wilder/Paramount+. “There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, ...

There is such a rich story to be mined from the creation of a classic tale of family, crime, country, history, and the movies, and such a massive lost opportunity in what the folks behind this series have come up with. No, that maxim about storytelling, memory, and the truth is particularly pertinent in regard to The Offer, because what sounds like an ensemble piece on paper is dominated by the “my side” perspective of one person, and one person only. It is, frankly, impossible to know whether we’re supposed to take those string of words in that order seriously, any more than we are The Offer mocking Paramount lackeys by declaring that a V-shaped composition of Corleones on a poster is a marketing “kiss of death”… and then proceeding to use the exact same formation on their own poster. The only way it genuinely works, however, is as a parody of prestige TV. If the story of The Godfather‘s tumultuous birth and subsequent blockbuster success teaches us anything, it’s that victory can somehow defy the odds and be snatched from the jaws of defeat. A 10-episode megillah that charts the wild, crazy, stranger-than-fiction origin story of one of the greatest (if not the greatest) movies ever made, this Seventies flashback tries to hit a lot of marks at once: a biopic, a no-biz-like-showbiz tell-all, a backstage drama, a workplace farce, a meta-Mob epic, a “difficult men” antihero saga, a female empowerment parable, and a scrappy triumph-of-the-underdog tale slathered in flop sweat and canned spaghetti sauce. This, unfortunately, is not the theme to The Offer. The creators behind the Paramount+ limited series about the making of The Godfather have opted for a bargain-basement redo of the Mad Men opening score, which aims for a ring-a-ding sense of guys behaving badly tinged with vintage glamour.

The Paramount+ miniseries about the making of "The Godfather" stars Miles Teller, Juno Temple, Matthew Goode, and more.

If you're looking for a compilation of The Godfather's greatest hits, you've come to the right place. But it goes further, moving from referencing The Godfather to referencing the creation of other films like Chinatown and Love Story. These moments are treated like big Easter eggs for movie enthusiasts, with eye-rolling results. To appease them, Al insists that The Godfather is a story about family, not about Mafia stereotypes. In fact, there's a constant sense that The Offer would rather be a movie than a TV show, especially given its episodes' occasional lack of cohesion or contained arcs. Ironically, the show's gangsters end up being the kind of stereotypes Joe and his cronies are so upset about. This involves recruiting director Francis Ford Coppola (Dan Fogler) and stars Al Pacino (Anthony Ippolito) and Marlon Brando (Justin Chambers). The rest is history, but there are still many, many bumps along the road.

Frank Sinatra really did let Mario Puzo have it for his perceived likeness in The Godfather, as featured in the first episode of The Offer.

The Offer scene is fairly accurate, but Puzo specifically noted in his New York magazine feature that Sinatra, shockingly, did not use foul language, and the confrontation was only verbal. The late Al Martino played Fontane in the first and third Godfather films. Gallo’s Puzo sees Sinatra (Frank John Hughes) in Chasen’s and tries to meet him.

From Paramount CEO Robert Evans to mafia boss Joe Colombo, here's how the cast of The Offer compares to their real-life counterparts involved in the making ...

Mario Puzo was the son of Italian immigrants, and published The Godfather—his best-known novel, by far—in 1969. He died of a heart attack at age 56 in 1983. “For every character in the film, getting it made or stopping it from being made was at the core of their actions, and it was a matter of life and death to them. Paramount Studios chief Robert Evans, who passed away in 2019, is known for Rosemary's Baby, Love Story, Chinatown, and, of course, The Godfather. As Evans said in 2002, "We didn't strive for commercial. The first three episodes of The Offer premiere Thursday, April 28, and the following seven will drop once a week after that. The Offer centers on Paramount Studios producer Al Ruddy, who was only given the film because he was known for working on a tight budget.

Al meets a TV writer friend for a drink at L.A.'s Chateau Marmont, and when he sees Evans holding court (and a girl eagerly sits in his own lap), he decides: “I ...

But Joe Colombo and his fellow mobsters are still fuming about the book, and when news of the movie comes out, Sinatra sends them a funeral wreath of flowers with a message: “Hopefully, we can make this thing go away.” Sure enough, after a dinner with Mario and Coppola, Al and Bettye get into their car to drive home… Evans entertains a pair of executives from Paramount’s parent company Gulf + Western, and though Warner Bros. is offering them a million dollars for the rights to The Godfather, he convinces them to say no, pitching the movie as a potential gold mine. Mario says he’s the only one who can write this movie — and even promises to finish the script in three days. When his agent suggests he write a book about the Mafia, he scoffs: “So they can put a bullet in my head?” But he’s racked up serious debts all over town, and his wife encourages him: “F–k art, Mario. Start typing.” He comes up with an idea about a powerful mob family where the youngest son wants nothing to do with the family business but gets pulled in anyway. Al’s movie with Robert Redford flops hard, but Evans puts him on a plane to New York to sell his vision of The Godfather to the Gulf + Western brass. Mario’s book The Godfather becomes a smash hit, with fans lining up down the block to buy it and an option to make a movie.

Miles Teller, Juno Temple, Matthew Goode is the stellar cast wasted on the new 10-part series "The Offer"

Now, 64 minutes doesn't come close to the two-hour, 42-minute runtime of "The Godfather III." However, I submit your time would be better spent watching "The Godfather III" three times in a row than taking in the whole of "The Offer." I don't love that film either, but I appreciate its place in Coppola's trilogy enough understand exactly what that opinion implies. I suppose we're supposed to appreciate the similarities between Hollywood's corrupt system and that of organized crime. When taking on a story whose outcome is already established and universally known, the script had better be stellar and the performances dead-on. If their role is to be a witness and guide for the audience, they stand aside and let the oversized characters drive the narrative. Given the right presentation, they can augment our consideration of the movies we adore or barring that, appreciate (in a whole new way!). However, it works out precisely and to stereotype in the manner one would expect of any mafia-adjacent venture. They can pay for the education for their kids," to which his impatient wife replies, "F**k art, Mario. Start typin'!" – there's your first example of how cleverly that plays out. There can be value to riding along with the unsung, lesser-known people involved in a renowned true story, of course. But why do that when we can view the film's making-of story from the perspective of producer Albert S. Ruddy ( Miles Teller), a guy who made the jump from unfulfilled Rand Corporation drone to become the brainchild behind "Hogan's Heroes"? That could indeed be true for the hardest-core "Godfather" fans and Hollywood trivia specialists. Feeling something for Michael Corleone, Kay Adams and the rest of the main players in Mario Puzo's story is never a problem. Despite being one of cinema's most influential works, I'm not a fan of " The Godfather" – purely for personal reasons, understand.

"The film is just genius, and it's just a spectacular example of filmmaking and true storytelling," says Patrick Gallo, who plays the legendary author in the ...

And every bit of it was a love letter to the film that inspired us all. In the scene where he is first introduced in Marlon’s home, there is one moment where he turned profile, and it was like the whole room lit up. The book is good, I don’t think the book is great. That was a great scene to shoot! That was so special because we were able to bring that relationship to set. That he wrote The Godfather to take care of his family and pay off debts. But it really happened — such as Puzo and Frank Sinatra getting into it at Chasen’s. What was that production day like for you? I want to get the hell out of here! I think the book was written so the film could be birthed. For actor Patrick Gallo, it was important that his incarnation of Puzo not be an impersonation, but rather capture the wordsmith’s essence through studying interviews and reading his work. And I don’t think Puzo thought the book was great either. The legendary best-selling author who wrote The Godfather was known for being blunt.

Here's all the info on how you can watch The Offer, the miniseries that explores the making of the classic gangster movie The Godfather.

That makes them the perfect companion piece to The Offer for diehard fans of the Godfather films. The Offer is a Paramount+ original and exclusive to subscribers of the service. The Offer is exclusive to Paramount+ and stands to be one of the most attractive original offerings from the streamer ever. Paramount+ is turning out to be the gift that doesn't stop giving, at least, as far as fans of the original Godfather films are concerned. Today it is considered a cultural milestone in American cinema and a classic tale of family and chasing the American dream. The Godfather has developed a massive following since debuting 50 years ago, and The Offer gives longtime fans a chance to go behind the scenes of what went into creating the classic film.

A limited series, The Offer centres on producer Albert S. Ruddy and details his experiences of working on the highly influential film. From placating the big ...

The Offer is definitely something The Godfather fans can't refuse to watch. The limited series is a celebration of The Godfather, so there's no wonder it's coming out in 2022 – 50 years after the movie hit the big screen. In other words, you can watch The Offer for free. A limited series, The Offer centres on producer Albert S. Ruddy and details his experiences of working on the highly influential film. Behind the scenes, production was plagued with problems, which The Offer details. One of the greatest movies of all time almost didn't get made.

At the center of The Offer is Miles Teller, who takes on the role of Academy Award-winning producer Albert S. Ruddy, the man who spearheaded Paramount Pictures' ...

Over the years, Fogler has shown up in movies like Balls of Fury, Fanboys, Don Peyote, Europa Report, and others. Throughout his career, which goes back to starring his father’s 1996 comedy-drama That Thing You Do!, Hanks has appeared in movies like Orange County, King Kong, W., Vacation, Elvis & Nixon, and the two most recent additions to the Jumanji franchise. Throughout her career, Temple has made appearances on shows like Drunk History, Dirty John, and Vinyl, as well as a list of movies that includes Black Mass, The Dark Knight Rises, Killer Joe, Wonder Wheel, and a couple dozen others. His film work includes Saving Private Ryan, Boiler Room, Lost in Translation, and Selma. Ribisi also portrayed Parker Selfridge in Avatar, and will reprise the role in the upcoming sequels to James Cameron’s box office smash, per Deadline. Below is a breakdown of those actors, who they’re playing, and everything else you need to know… But, Francis Ford Coppola’s masterful adaptation of Mario Puzo’s classic novel almost never was, if it were not for the handful of powerful players behind the scenes, who we see in The Offer.