The Godfather
Metascore
100 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    100
    Just about as great as a movie's ever gonna be... As for the storytellng, The Godfather is an intricately constructed gem that simultaneously kicks ass.
  2. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Dave Kehr
    100
    Sharp, entertaining, and convincing--discursive, but with a sense of structure and control that Coppola hasn't achieved since.
  3. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    The wedding sequence... is a virtuoso stretch of filmmaking: Coppola brings his large cast onstage so artfully that we are drawn at once into the Godfather's world.
  4. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    100
    Brando made Don Vito something we rarely see in movies: a tragicomic villain-hero, a vulnerable hood. The don is so close to a comic character -- the movie itself is so close to comedy -- that Brando's capacity to move us in the role is doubly impressive. At the end, it is the older Godfather's tenderness and sagacity we recall. [21 Mar 1997, Friday, p.A]
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  5. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Ron Wells
    100
    One warning however: James Caan's shoulder hair, when seen on this size screen, may frighten children considerably (you'll at least want to discuss it openly after the show, answering any questions your kids may have in an honest and direct manner).
  6. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: F. X. Feeney
    100
    The Godfather traces the arc of this doomed idealism with a beauty that is still fresh.
  7. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    100
    Overflowing with life, rich with all the grand emotions and vital juices of existence, up to and including blood. And its deaths, like that of Hotspur in "Henry IV, Part I," continue to shock no matter how often we've watched them coming. [16 Mar 1997, Calendar, p.7]
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  8. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    100
    The picture is a series of mini-climaxes, all building to the devastating, definitive conclusion... It was carefully and painstakingly crafted. Every major character - and more than a few minor ones - is molded into a distinct, complex individual.
  9. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Edward Guthmann
    100
    In scene after scene -- the long wedding sequence, John Marley's bloody discovery in his bed, Pacino nervously smoothing down his hair before a restaurant massacre, the godfather's collapse in a garden -- Coppola crafted an enduring, undisputed masterpiece. [21 Mar 1997, Daily Datebook, p.C3]
  10. San Francisco Examiner
    Reviewed by: Barbara Shulgasser
    100
    A handbook on cinematic lucidity. All events are described clearly. Motives of all the characters are set right there on the table next to the pasta for our consideration.
  11. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Vincent Canby
    100
    One of the most brutal and moving chronicles of American life ever designed within the limits of popular entertainment. [16 Mar 1972]
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  12. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Staff (Non Credited)
    100
    The Godfather is a generational saga; it's also an action film; but above all, it catches the imagination of audiences because it suggests that the career of a gangster is not so very different from the career of a businessman or a politician.
  13. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    100
    A great American picture, full of incredible images and lasting moments.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.8 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 1005 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 271 out of 309
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 309
  3. Negative: 22 out of 309
  1. ReviewCritic
    10
    Like Babe Ruth is to baseball, like John Steinbeck is to writing, their is no doubt about it, The Godfather is the greatest film of all time. Never before have we seen performances so stellar, by Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and everyone else! The Godfather has little life lessons everywhere. Along with an engaging plot, that just completes the most critically acclaimed film of all time. The Godfather is Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece.… Full Review »
  2. MikeC.
    10
    The movie is perfect. Everyone who gave it a 0 are probably the same people that watch Fox News and think global warming is fake so there is no point in arguing. Either you know movies or you don't.… Full Review »
  3. JamesK
    0
    Did not care for it. It insists upon itself.
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