The Offer review: The Godfather fans might enjoy the ride, but can’t forgive the writers for turning it all into a joke

2.5/5

Story: The mini-series captures the behind-the-scenes of making The Godfather, but from the eyes of the film’s producer Al Ruddy. From disagreements with the studio to threats from the mafia, the series captures how the makers of the film had to ride the wave, before they delivered Paramount’s crown jewel. 

Review: My first thoughts as I got deep into the first three episodes of Paramount’s The Offer, a retelling about the creation of the greatest American film was, “Look how they massacred my boy”, and “This is clearly an offer I can refuse”. With all the power of being able to tell a story that could have been true to the last detail, the studio decided to make a mini-series that is fun and intriguing, but at the same time highly questionable when it comes to its finer details and about its authenticity.

The series details the making of The Godfather through the eyes of producer Al Ruddy (Miles Teller), who in all honesty, ends up being that star of the show who can do it all. From dealing with Francis Ford Coppola to Italian-American mob bosses to even finding great ideas on how one of the most iconic Hollywood films should be filmed, the only positive about it all, is how Teller pulls off the role. 

It is all well-documented about how Paramount was on a slope before The Godfather released and how the film gave the studio a new lease on life. Furthermore, all the troubles behind making the film are also well documented like Coppola’s and legendary head of the studio, Robert Evans’ bitter rivalry, or how the studio by no means wanted to sign Marlon Brando to play the don, or the issues made by the actual mafia and more. But for the mini-series, all of these are simple issues that can be solved by our smooth talking, extremely smart Al Ruddy. 

The first episode sees Al Ruddy turn himself from a regular desk job man to a producer with Paramount and decide to do The Godfather. He meets up with author Mario Puzo and inspires him to write the screenplay. He then gets Coppola on board and even has Paramount leads agree to sign on Coppola.

The second episode has him going through the process of getting the film going, starting with the pre-production stages of casting and even dealing with the mafia, who clearly did not want the movie to be made. Ruddy has an answer for this as well, smooth talking his way into the good books of the Italian American organisation.

The third episode just follows Ruddy around as he has to come with solutions to deal with more trouble that comes their way, like getting approval from the mafia bosses themselves, and with Robert Evans, who is now clearly starting to lose faith. 

If you notice a pattern, everything here ends up being about the producer, who to be fair, has not gotten the appreciation he clearly deserves. Especially considering how his contributions into making this masterpiece come to life when considering how Coppola and Puzo and others are celebrated. But, it all comes at a cost. Al Ruddy serves as an executive producer on the show and has collaborated with Michael Tolkin on the script. While this gives the show a whiff of authenticity, this could also be the reason for the series’ narrative. 

The series decides to give Ruddy a pass at being the “Godfather” of the show. To make things worse, the series makes the decision to turn Francis Ford Coppola into a goofball, a Hollywood newbie who just stumbles around and eats cannolis. To sum it up, the show turns Coppola into something that he is not. Here is an expert craftsman who was under extreme pressure while filming the movie in real life, and had constant issues with the studio and staff. The Offer turns him more or less into just a comic relief, and this just does not sit well with me. 

It is known that Coppola and Evans had spats and disagreements throughout the course of the movie’s making, but all this is omitted. The studio was close to firing Coppola multiple times and even wanted directors like Sergio Leone to film The Godfather, which the show clearly fails to show. Evans and Coppola are seen having a spat once in the show, in a scene that had shallow writing and failure to sketch out the truth. While one could still argue it's a show about details of making The Godfather as detailed by Al Ruddy, it fails in description and getting the details right. 

Having said all this, did I hate the three hours I spend watching the first three episodes of the show available on Voot Select? Not really. It was still intriguing and interesting to see how the movie would save a dying studio, the bickering and the rivalries, how the mob influenced the film’s making and more. But at the end of day, being intruding does not make a show great, and The Offer is not a show of any greatness. 

The Godfather fans will also be able to point out certain lines in the show that are more or less meant to be easter eggs., Like when Dan Fogler’s Coppola comes back to get the Cannoli, you can’t help but smile. The show makes sure it does not overdo it, but this is just a positive that gets washed away by everything else that is wrong with the show.

One of the few glowing positives of the series though, is its casting and their performances. Matthew Goode as Robert Evans catches the attitude of the Paramount lead, Juno Temple as Bettye McCartt; the assistant is almost like her, reprising her role from Ted Lasso. Giovanni Ribisi as Joe Colombo is one of the best attractions of the series, with the actor pulling off a role and a half. Dan Fogler as Coppola and Patrick Gallo as Puzo, however, try to deliver their best, but their characters feel poorly written and hard to swallow as the truth. 

Verdict: Remember how difficult it was for everyone behind The Godfather to actually make the movie? If you don’t, read about it. Because The Offer makes it seem like it was not all that difficult and producer Al Ruddy had the answer to every hurdle, big or small. While the series could still capture the attention of a The Godfather fan, it lets the audience down by choosing to not say certain things or by showing certain things in a false light.