In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:30Read transcript
- Steve Buscemi is proposed for Fredo.
Categories & segments
The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award
Talia Shire’s confrontations lead a disputed field with Carlo, McCluskey, Jack Woltz, Pacino, and Caan.
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:44Read transcript
- Talia Shire confronting Michael is nominated.
- Talia Shire confronting Carlo and smashing plates is nominated.
- Carlo’s crying during Michael’s interrogation is nominated.
- McCluskey’s restaurant behavior is nominated and defended.
- Jack Woltz is also mentioned.
- Pacino’s reconciliation scene with Kay is nominated and disputed as bad acting rather than overacting.
- James Caan’s knuckle bite is debated as either overacting or authentic behavior.
Picking Nits
Michael’s movements, Vito’s security, Kay, McCluskey, the restaurant gun, Sicily, Carlo, and informants generate separate nitpicks.
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:45Read transcript
- Michael’s job and day-to-day movements after returning from the war are questioned.
- Vito’s security when he is shot is questioned.
- Kay’s quick return to Michael is questioned again.
- McCluskey eating during the tense dinner is questioned.
- The car frisk and bathroom-gun plan are questioned.
- Michael hiding in Sicily while holding a public wedding is questioned.
- The delay before Carlo is killed is questioned.
- The family’s informant coverage is questioned.
Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake
No remake; Tom Hagen in Los Angeles or Fredo in Las Vegas spinoffs
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:43:41Read transcript
- A Netflix-scale remake is rejected as unnecessary.
- A Tom Hagen Los Angeles spinoff is proposed.
- A Fredo Las Vegas spinoff is proposed.
The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie
“Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli” (personal favorite; no consensus)
In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 01:45:57Read transcript
- “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse” is nominated and called the most famous line.
- “Leave the gun, take the cannoli” is nominated and named a personal favorite.
- “I don’t like violence, Tom; I’m a businessman” is nominated.
- The line about blood being a big expense is nominated.
- “Tattaglia’s a pimp” is nominated.
- Woltz’s ethnic insult is nominated.
- “In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns” is nominated.
- Moe Greene’s cheerleaders line is nominated.
- Sonny’s Bada Bing speech is nominated.
- The masculine-child line is nominated.
- Vito’s line about spoiling his children is nominated.
- The undertaker’s “I believe in America” opening is nominated.
- The bathroom joke is nominated.
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Locations, tollbooth logistics, Carlo, Tessio, and the ranking of the Godfather films
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:48:28Read transcript
- Where exactly are the Corleone compound, Kay’s home, and the travel routes?
- How was Sonny’s tollbooth assassination planned and controlled?
- What did Carlo expect to gain by betraying the family?
- Why did Tessio rather than Clemenza arrange the betrayal?
- Which of the first two Godfather films is greater?
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:58:10Read transcript
- Coppola is selected for turning a trashy novel into landmark American cinema and setting a new course for filmmakers.
- Al Pacino is the strongest acting alternative.
- Gordon Willis is briefly considered before the speaker settles on Coppola rather than get “too cute”.
- Robert Evans is nominated for enabling the production.
- Marlon Brando is considered and rejected as the winner.
- Robert Duvall is nominated during the extended closing discussion.
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bradlee’s closing scenes and Woodward’s six-minute phone call
In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:59Read transcript
- Bernstein trying to take over Woodward’s story is nominated for establishing their complementary talents and rivalry
- Woodward’s six-minute, single-take calls to Dahlberg and McGregor are nominated; a mistaken name at the end was retained
- The gentle post-interview exchange about Sloan’s new baby is appreciated because it shows the reporters returning to ordinary human conversation
- The Library of Congress research montage is nominated for depicting labor now replaced by digital search
- Bradlee first buying into the story is nominated
- Bernstein’s coffee interview with the bookkeeper is nominated
- The final Deep Throat garage meeting and visit to Bradlee’s home are nominated
- The first Bradlee red-pen edit is nominated for showing the newsroom hierarchy through costume and body language
- Bradlee’s final speech is selected as the favorite Robards scene — Chris Ryan
- The visit to Bradlee’s house and speech are separately selected for their tension and management style
- The six-minute Redford phone call is selected as best for difficulty, while the Robards scene remains a favorite
What’s Aged the Best?
Newspaper craft, accountability reporting, political paranoia, Washington, and Gordon Willis
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:41:27Read transcript
- The fully reconstructed Washington Post newsroom, period desks, ambient typewriters, phones, and chatter are praised
- Political suspicion and the role of journalists in challenging power are praised as enduring
- The story’s patient, stepwise reporting and high cost of error are praised
- Washington is praised as a character created through locations and Gordon Willis’s shadowed cinematography
- Gordon Willis’s 1970s work is credited with shaping collective visual memory of the decade
What’s Aged the Worst?
Newsroom homogeneity and pervasive smoking
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:27Read transcript
- The newsroom leadership is criticized as entirely white and male through a contemporary lens
- Smoking in elevators, cars, and throughout the newsroom is placed in both Aged Worst and Aged Best
Casting What-Ifs
Katharine Graham, Deep Throat, and Al Pacino alternatives
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:59Read transcript
- A Katharine Graham role was considered and removed before filming; the transcript is uncertain which actress was attached
- Richard Widmark, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quinn, Gene Hackman, Burt Lancaster, Robert Stack, Robert Mitchum, and Telly Savalas are reported as possible Deep Throat choices with explicit source uncertainty
- Robert Redford reportedly first considered Al Pacino before choosing Dustin Hoffman
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:54:14Read transcript
- Jason Robards is ruled ineligible because his roughly eleven minutes and eight scenes are too substantial
- Hal Holbrook, Penny Fuller, Jane Alexander, Robert Walden, Ned Beatty, Stephen Collins, Meredith Baxter, and Dominic Chianese are nominated
- Hal Holbrook is selected for Deep Throat
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