LogFAQs > #971958000

27. The Freshman (1990)
Directed by Andrew Bergman
Score: 228

Mythiot: 16
GavsEvans: 19
Plasma: 20
Karo: 21
Suprak: 21
Forty: 22
Johnbobb: 25
Pokewars: 26
Inviso: 29
Tangy: 29

19. GavsEvans
Everyone knows Don Vito Corleone. You may not know his name, you may not have seen The Godfather, but you absolutely know who he is. He is one of the most iconic characters in all of cinema. He is not in this movie, but Marlon Brando does get to have fun playing a character similar to his legendary role, involved in organized crime thats a bit less grandiose than The Godfather portrayed, and making semi-intelligible Marlon Brando noises.

The Godfather parallels dont end there. Matthew Broderick plays a similar role to Michael, being dragged into the family business against his will. Unlike Michael, Matthew never really adapts to it, but on the plus side, he is eventually able to get out more easily. This film does feel like The Godfather, if it was played for laughs instead of being an epic family saga. As such, the stakes dont carry as much weight as in that film, but theyre not really supposed to.

There were a couple neat twists here that I didnt see coming, like what the animals were being smuggled for, for instance, but my favourite part was probably the most straight forward scene, the scene where the Komodo dragon gets loose and wanders off on an adventure! Yes, Im easily amused.

20. Plasma
I was surprised how much I enjoyed the first half of this one. The initial setup had me worried that this would be a snoozer, but I ended up loving the whole college kid falls in with Don Corleone concept. What disappointed me, however, was the Komodo Dragon storyline. Dont get me wrong, I love that lizard, but I expected it would be a one-and-done gag rather than a critical piece of the main storyline. And that twist at the end Im honestly not sure whether it was executed properly. It surprised me, sure, but it also seems kind of clumsy in retrospect. I mean, whats the point in faking Don Corleones death? Maybe I missed something, but it seemed convoluted to me. C-

21. Karo
A young man needing to make a quick buck gets an offer he can't refuse from Marlon Brando, and many lizard hijinks ensue.
Basically he keeps unintentionally ending up in the good graces of the mafia boss and rising within the family while basically doing nothing and this is like the movie's one joke that that they have to milk for over an hour and a half.
It is very unremarkable and unmemorable and even getting the real Godfather to play their Godfather parody does little to alleviate this.

22. Forty
Theres a kind of freedom in being completely screwed, because you know things cant get any worse. This one was enjoyable to watch because who doesnt like Matthew Broderick? And Marlon Brando needs no explanation. The fact that he agreed to do a self-parody of his iconic Godfather character is amazing and low key hilarious. The best part is that he doesnt force anything, playing the character straight and allowing the humor to unfold naturally. I really enjoyed all the references, from the obvious Godfather 2 viewing to some of the actors from that movie showing up in other roles here. B and B have some great chemistry, with some equally funny (the kiss on the mouth and cheek slap) and touching (the dorm room visit) moments. The plot is clever, and all of the supporting characters are really solid. At times it cant help but slide into some 1980s cheesiness, e.g., chasing a lizard through a shopping mall, but overall, it was charming and a fun watch.

25. John
I've got to appreciate Tangy for including a Vito Corleone parody by the don himself immediately after doing the Godfather-dominated crime list. Can you believe Marlon Brando is 18 years older here than he was in the Godfather? It's stunning how similar he looks, and I love how it throws actual scenes from The Godfather (Part II, funnily enough, as that was the one Brando wasn't in) interspersed in Broderick's film classes. Anyway, as far as the movie itself goes, it was just alright? I loved seeing Brando parody himself and I loved Bruno Kirby (who was ALSO in Godfather Part II) playing the skeevy NYC conman, but the plot itself just didn't grab me as much beyond that.

29. Vis
I just dont know what this movie was really going for. Its a such a bizarre concept that I feel COULD have been interesting on its own, but I feel like the film was trying too hard to lean on the Godfather gag to really work as intended. On paper, the story of a hapless idiot going to New York and getting roped into some mafia scheme involving an endangered species restaurantthat could be interesting. But then you have this whole plot point of Carmine being played by Marlon Brando, looking like Vito Corleone, and just generally acting like the Godfather whenever possible. It was really distracting, and it made the otherwise interesting plot feel like the writers werent confident in their ability to deliver on the premise. As a result, I spent most of the film kinda bored, because it just never hooked me like I think it was supposed to. And then the ending is all wrapped up so quickly and so perfectly that it made the plot feel pointless.

29. Tangy
It wouldnt be a parody themed topic without mocking the previous winner. That said I was disappointed there wasnt more to this one. Sure the occasional Godfather references are fun to catch and of course its great to see Brando again, but there was just no substance here. The komodo dragons also cute too I guess.

Biggest Laugh: None, although I did admittedly chuckle at the Godfather 2 scenes