10-part series airing on Paramount Plus

I love good stories, on film, TV and of course books and comics.  My parents wouldn’t let me go see The Godfather when it came out. I guess in hindsight it was a good decision, I was 9 years old. But a couple years later Mom let me read the book. And what a book. I’ve read it at least 5 times now, I also read Puzo’s other work which I’ve have greatly enjoyed.

Great stories.

I finally saw the movie when it aired on tv on NBC in 1977, I was 14. It blew my mind. And of course a few years later seeing the full version thanks to VHS at home I loved it even more. It is safe to say that it is one of my all time favorites and the sequel as well. I’ve seen them at least 40 times, often watching at least twice a year.

I’ve read about the making of the movie, interviews and even books. When I first saw ads for THE OFFER I was pretty excited. The trailers looked great. Typically I like to binge watch television shows, but for this we have been watching one a week as they drop. Then we will watch again, binging.

Now I’ve heard from various places that the story told in THE OFFER is not completely accurate. I’m ok with that. It’s told from the perspective of Al Ruddy, producer of The Godfather (played by Miles Teller). Is his memory of events different than those of others on set. Sure. And remember, these are Hollywood people, and the fact that The Godfather was a huge success means everyone wants some credit. To my way of thinking most credit should go to Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. These gentlemen wrote the script and directed.  There were a lot of moving parts and many many people contributed to the final masterpiece, but Puzo and Coppola for my money were the main chefs in that kitchen.

But I’m getting off track.

THE OFFER is a story, told in ten episodes. Based on a real story, as seen through the memory of Al Ruddy. And it’s a great story. Ruddy tired of his job tries his hand at television and has a hit with Hogan’s Heros. He talks himself into a job under Bob Evans of Paramount as a producer.  This leads him to getting The Godfather, which in the beginning seemed to be under the radar. The book became a smash hit and the studio wanted to capitalize on the success. Once Ruddy has the film we follow his adventures getting the movie made. Parent company Gulf and Western didn’t want to spend much money, the studio had been in a downward spiral.  There were challenges to casting, locations, length of the movie, and on and on.

But what makes the story fun is watching Ruddy and Coppola and Puzo persevere and get the movie they wanted to make made. Whether it’s all true, partly true or some mix of the two doesn’t matter. It’s a great story.

The casting was terrific. Matthew Goode as Bob Evans was such a great choice. I’ve seen Bob Evans interviews and Goode nailed it.  Miles Teller is a great leading man as Al Ruddy.  Juno Temple plays Ruddy’s assistant Bettye and she is my favorite character. Justin Chambers as Brando is so good, he channels the essence of Brando perfectly with out it feeling like he’s doing an impersonation.

Giovanni Ribisi, Colin Hanks, Dan Folger, Anthony Ippolito, Burn Gorman…. Everyone in this was so good and while they looked similar enough to the people they played no one seemed to be doing impressions, they became those people.

The show also feels like its actually in the early 70s, a period I love, the music, the movies, the cars. THE OFFER put me there.

If you enjoy The Godfather I would say this is a must watch. If you like behind the scenes stories, this is for you.