The garden conversation and christening lead a field including the Sollozzo meeting, Louis restaurant, tollbooth, Five Families, wedding, and Hollywood scenes.
In the discussion (13)
- Sollozzo’s pitch to the family is nominated.
- Clemenza’s meatball lesson is nominated.
- Michael deciding to kill Sollozzo and McCluskey is nominated.
- The Louis restaurant assassination is nominated.
- Sonny’s tollbooth murder is nominated and debated.
- The Five Families meeting is nominated.
- Michael and Vito in the garden receives two votes.
- The christening murders receive Chris’s vote.
- The Las Vegas confrontation with Moe Greene is nominated.
- The opening undertaker audience is nominated.
- Sonny beating Carlo is nominated.
- Tom Hagen visiting Jack Woltz is nominated.
- The wedding is praised as an extended sequence.
The wedding, family politics, food, moral complexity, performances, and precise lines dominate aged-best.
In the discussion (21)
- The wedding world-building is praised.
- The Woltz-house sequence and its later appearance in Fletch are praised.
- The family structure remains legible and rich.
- The use of the word consigliere is praised.
- “Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes” and the newspaper-wrapped fish are called a great one that went into the lexicon; a participant only now noticed it was rolled in the bulletproof vest.
- Mama Corleone warning Sonny not to interfere in Connie and Carlo’s argument is praised.
- The movie’s eating and food-preparation scenes are praised.
- Michael’s face before the restaurant shooting is praised.
- Tom delivering news of Sonny’s death is praised.
- Vito’s prediction about narcotics reshaping organized crime is praised.
- The story’s shades of moral compromise are praised.
- The Mafia’s role beside failures of formal government is discussed.
- Clemenza’s Hitler-at-Munich line is praised.
- Jack Woltz’s ethnic insults remain memorably performed.
- Pacino’s controlled performance grows in stature when viewed with Part II.
- Michael’s presidents-and-senators line remains resonant.
- Every Fredo scene is praised, including his Vegas outfit.
- Clemenza’s sauce recipe remains memorable.
- The “Tattaglia’s a pimp” line is praised.
- Tessio asking to be spared for old times’ sake is praised.
- Vito’s garden death is praised.
Kay, the Sicily section, racist dialogue, a missed punch, and Johnny Fontane divide the panel.
In the discussion (7)
- Kay Adams’s characterization is criticized and defended.
- The Sicily section is debated as beautiful but momentum-slowing.
- Apollonia’s performer was reportedly sixteen during production.
- Racist remarks in the Five Families scene are flagged.
- A visibly missed punch in Sonny’s attack on Carlo is flagged.
- Johnny Fontane is criticized as a character and performance.
- Al Martino’s acting is treated as the most conspicuous weakness.
The hosts enumerate ten lessons drawn directly from the movie’s dialogue and customs.
In the discussion (10)
- Remember that it is business rather than personal.
- Never let anyone outside the family know what you are thinking.
- In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns.
- Never take sides against your family in public.
- Treat a trusted intermediary sent by your biggest rival as a possible assassination setup.
- No Sicilian can refuse a request on his daughter’s wedding day.
- After a public shooting, drop the gun and walk away without running or making eye contact.
- Vito’s claim that women and children may be careless but men may not is identified as a lesson that has aged badly.
- Cook meatballs and sausages first, then add them and wine to the tomato sauce.
- A man who does not spend time with his family can never be a real man.
Jack Woltz wins the majority choice over Moe Greene, Clemenza, Sollozzo, and Luca Brasi.
In the discussion (6)
- Clemenza is nominated.
- Sollozzo is nominated.
- Moe Greene is nominated and receives Chris’s vote.
- Jack Woltz is nominated and receives the other two votes.
- Luca Brasi is nominated but not considered a heat check.
- Richard Castellano’s unusually brief film career and impact are discussed.
Alex Rocco wins over Abe Vigoda.
In the discussion (2)
- Alex Rocco is selected for Moe Greene.
- Abe Vigoda is nominated but judged too recognizable.
Robert Evans is the strongest apex answer; Gordon Willis and several performers are separately assessed.
In the discussion (5)
- James Caan is judged below his apex.
- Coppola, Pacino, and Brando are judged below their apexes.
- Gordon Willis’s apex is assigned to Part II.
- Al Martino receives a joking apex assessment.
- Robert Evans is judged at his apex.
Steve Buscemi is proposed for Fredo in a brief Better With discussion.
In the discussion (1)
- Steve Buscemi is proposed for Fredo.
Talia Shire’s confrontations lead a disputed field with Carlo, McCluskey, Jack Woltz, Pacino, and Caan.
In the discussion (7)
- 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.
The film is too sacred to remake, though Tom Hagen in Los Angeles and Fredo in Las Vegas are proposed as spinoffs.
In the discussion (3)
- A Netflix-scale remake is rejected as unnecessary.
- A Tom Hagen Los Angeles spinoff is proposed.
- A Fredo Las Vegas spinoff is proposed.
Francis Ford Coppola wins by consensus over Pacino, Gordon Willis, Duvall, Evans, and Brando.
In the discussion (6)
- 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
