The Godfather: 10 Unpopular Opinions, According To Reddit

As The Godfather is largely considered the greatest film ever made in the history of cinema and the sequel is arguably even better, it is one of the most talked-about movie series there is. However, nothing is criticism-proof, and The Godfather is no exception.

And given that the third movie in the trilogy is so polarizing, it has led to some unpopular opinions that swing the other way too. Between criticising the pacing, complaining about it being too confusing, and singing the third movie’s praises, there’s an ocean of hot takes on Reddit about the most iconic movie ever made.

10 It Feels Like A Flat Rundown Of A Play

In trying and failing to figure out what makes The Godfather so special, one Redditor calls the characters one-dimensional, and that the movie feels like a rundown of a play. As the user had read the original novel before watching the movie, it isn’t too much of a surprise as to why they were let down. A lot of parts of the novel were drastically changed, with the biggest change of all of them being Luca Bazi.

In the novel, Brazi was one of the most menacing hitmen on the Corleone payroll, but the movie turned him into a buffoon. But regardless of how different the characterizations are between the novel and the book, the movie is full of iconic lines and incredible cinematography that make it so much more than a rundown of a play.

9 The Pacing Is Terrible

Straight after lambasting Marlon Brando’s acting, this user believes the pacing of the first part of the series is atrocious. They argue that the movie’s story doesn’t warrant its three-hour runtime and that it could have been told in a much shorter movie.

But most feel that the tone and atmosphere are what make the movie so terrific. It wouldn’t have the same tone if there were rapid shots and quick cuts, though the second film could have ended up like that, as Martin Scorsese almost ended up directing it.

8 It Doesn’t Do A Good Enough Job Of Explaining Who The Characters Are

A select few complain that, along with the fact that it’s hard to understand anything that Marlon Brando says in the movie, it’s hard to understand who any of the other characters are. They explain that the movie does a terrible job of relaying to the audience what relationship each character has with one another, specifically using the scene where Michael and Sollozo speak to each other in Italian in the restaurant, as it isn’t translated.

It is said that the reason why it isn’t translated with subtitles is because they are speaking Sicilian, which is apparently too fast to translate. But to the user’s credit, audiences actually have no way of knowing what Michael and Sollozo are saying unless they look it up or read the book.

7 It Isn’t Even A Top 5 Gangster Movie

Another cinephile who believes the classic movie is boring, one Redditor expressed that The Godfather just didn’t click with them. They also go on to list several other gangster movies that they adamantly believe are better, including Donnie Bracco, Casino, The Departed, and A Bronx Tale.

While they are all great, they wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for The Godfather. But in the case of those films, none of them remotely romanticize the mafia, which is what the user fairly criticizes about The Godfather.

6 The Godfather Part III Isn’t Just A Cash Grab

Clearly very passionate about the movie, as the whole post is in all caps, this Redditor thinks that The Godfather Part III isn’t just a cash grab.

It’s well documented that everybody involved in the third movie was in it for the money, and the movie was criticized mostly because, after all of the terrible things Michael did, he was undeservedly redeemed at the end of Part III. But the user believes it’s a perfect conclusion to the trilogy, and that Vincent taking over the family wealth was compelling.

5 It’s Boring

After being so excited and eager to watch the movie after hearing so many great things, one user claimed that the movie was simply too boring. They expanded on the claim by saying that they tried to focus, but if the movie wasn’t boring, they wouldn’t have had to try.

However, though the movie is slow-paced, which a few have also argued, the movie is still full of huge events that could win over the attention of anybody. Whether it’s Jack Woltz’s morning present or Paulie getting whacked in the car, there are so many inventive murders, not just in the first movie, but in the whole series.

4 Goodfellas Is Better

Along with The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Goodfellas is another classic gangster movie, and though it follows the same subject matter, they are actually completely different. But one Redditor believes that Goodfellas is so much better.

To back up their argument, they mention that the cinematography and the acting are far superior in Goodfellas, but most would say that this couldn’t be further from the truth. While the camera barely moves in The Godfather, there are countless tracking shots and whip pans in Goodfellas. The flashiness of The Godfather is in the shot, and there’s so much production value and scope in the film.

3 Al Pacino’s Performance Is Better Than Marlon Brando’s

Al Pacino did an incredible job playing Michael Corleone throughout all three movies, but this user thinks the actor even outshined his costar, mostly because Michael was a much more complex character.

However, being one of his most intimidating characters, Vito Corleone is a masterclass in acting, and nobody could have done it better than Marlon Brando. And though some fans believe that industry awards are mostly arbitrary, Marlon Brando did win the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role, and though Pacino was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, he left the award show empty-handed.

2 Part III Is Better Than Part II

Though there are many that feel Part III was more than just a cash grab, some go even further by saying that it’s better than Part II. Given that Part III doesn’t include the fan-favorite character Tom Hagen and it introduces Mary, the most hated character in the series, and the whole movie completely undermines what the first two are about, it isn’t exactly the best film in the world.

But to the Redditor’s credit, the third movie has been drastically changed with a newly released edit, and it does improve on the theatrical cut.

1 It Insists Upon Itself

In what could be a joke, this Redditor hilariously recites back dialogue from one of the funniest scenes in Family Guy. In the scene, when Peter and the family think they’re all going to die, he wants to get something off his chest, and that’s that he didn’t like The Godfather because it “insists upon itself.”

Though they put forward some fair points, which refer to the movies’ lengths and how it’s expected that everyone just loves it, what it means to “insist upon itself” remains a mystery.