The Godfather, Part III (1990)

Sixteen years after Francis Ford Coppola won his second Oscar for The Godfather II (his first was for the 1972 Godfather), the director and star Al Pacino attempted to revive the concept one more time. Despite an elaborate plot that involves Michael Corleone seeking redemption through the Vatican while simultaneously preparing his nephew (Andy Garcia) to take over the Corleone family, the film fails to take shape as a truly meaningful experience in the way the preceding movies do. Still, Pacino is very moving as an elder Michael, filled with regret and trying hard to make amends with his wife (Diane Keaton) and grown children (one of whom is played, and not all that well, by the director's daughter, Sofia Coppola). --Tom Keogh Amazon.com essential video

Third time around, and hopefully the last

The third time was not the charm for the Corleone family in this tedious and - dare I say it? - poorly acted sequel based on the characters from Mario Puzo's best-seller.

Francis Coppola raised eyebrows when he cast his daughter, Sofia, as a replacement for an ailing Winona Ryder, and the critics were quick to dismiss her as an amateur and the weak link in the production. I find her cute and charmingly fresh, though, and her presence kept my eye from wandering off screen. Her acting is certainly no worse than that of bland Bridget Fonda and dull Andy Garcia.

The worst offender in the cast, however, is Al Pacino. Looking and sounding nothing like he did in "Part II" sixteen years earlier, he's short-tempered and even blustery in ways that one does not associate with cold, calculating Michael Corleone. The man who cruelly ordered the execution of his brother, Fredo, and withdrew to the point that he was a zombie, is suddenly impassioned without reason. It simply fails to be credible. Pacino might as well be playing a completely different character because this is not the Michael Corleone of the earlier films.

Stylistically, "Part III" is rather plain, even drab, lacking the artistry that made "Part II" a masterpiece and the best in the series. This is the worst kind of sequel, made, it seems, for monetary reasons alone.

Brian W. Fairbanks
June 23, 2008

Sofia Coppolla and Andy Garcia...

makes this an amazingly painful movie to watch.

It might not be nepotism but it does help when you're father is the producer, screenwriter and director.

Did she actually audition for the part?

Because she certainly can't act.

Garcia is almost as bad in his performance.

He isn't playing a character he's playing a caricature.

But then again what role hasn't he been just a caricature.

June 17, 2008

The Pentangeli solution...

If Francis Coppola had had any guts, he would have behaved as gracefully as Frankie Pentangeli. When this thing was in the can, he would have had a quiet party with family and friends, then gotten into a warm bath and opened his veins. June 8, 2008

SO BAD !!!!

I can't believe such talented actor's could act so very bad in this movie.Don't waste your time. February 21, 2008

the Don gets nostalgiac

The screenplay is not good throughout, but what I found most silly about it was the Michael and Kaye sequences strolling around Sicily. After the unflinching rejection of Kaye by Michael in GF_II, it seemed ridiculous to say the least. Even worse, it's not particularly compelling or interesting. I could only watch this in 30 min increments on AMC and never found a new way to view it other than a puzzling disappointment. February 2, 2008

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