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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Godfather, The
Universal acclaim
Based on 14 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 392 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by:
Mario Puzo (also novel)
Francis Ford Coppola
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Release Date:
Theatrical: March 11, 1972
DVD: October 9, 2001
Running Time: 175 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R
Starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, John Cazale, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, and Abe Vigoda
Francis Ford Coppola's epic features Marlon Brando in his Oscar-winning role as the patriarch of the Corleone family. Director Coppola paints a chilling portrait of the Sicilian clan's rise and near fall from power in America, masterfully balancing the story between the Corleone's family life and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged. Based on Mario Puzo's best-selling novel and featuring career-making performances by Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall, this searing and brilliant film garnered ten Academy Award nominations, and won three including Best Picture of 1972. (Paramount Pictures)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Apocalypse Now Redux Dracula Jack One from the Heart Rumble Fish Tetro The Conversation The Godfather: Part II The Godfather: Part III The Outsiders The Rainmaker Tucker: The Man and His Dreams Youth Without Youth
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The New York Times Vincent Canby
One of the most brutal and moving chronicles of American life ever designed within the limits of popular entertainment. [16 Mar 1972]
Washington Post Desson Thomson
A great American picture, full of incredible images and lasting moments.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly F. X. Feeney
The Godfather traces the arc of this doomed idealism with a beauty that is still fresh.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Dave Kehr
Sharp, entertaining, and convincing--discursive, but with a sense of structure and control that Coppola hasn't achieved since.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
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]
Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
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]
San Francisco Examiner Barbara Shulgasser
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.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Staff (Non Credited)
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.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Ron Wells
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).
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
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.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
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.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
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.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann
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]
Read Full Review >Variety Staff (Not Credited)
Overlong at about 175 minutes (played without intermission), and occasionally confusing. While never so placid as to be boring, it is never so gripping as be superior screen drama.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 392 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Joe F gave it a4:
Hay Carl C, the movie sucks and prowess is a word used to describe abilities akin to bravery not something trivial as grammar or spelling. You can't just group 3 words together that aren't used common place and expect people to think your smart. BTW Should be acuity.
Joe F gave it a3:
Masterpiece of $&!%. The ratio of 10 ratings is a excellent example of how dependent peoples minds are on the status quo. If you were to watch this movie without ever hearing about it you would most likely find it to be a well scripted dull movie and nothing more.
William D. gave it a1:
Godfather isn't a terrible movie. On the contrary, its a movie with a ton of unrealized potential that executes with the grain.
Zack M. gave it a9:
While it is long i would consider it a classic. while it is brutal and violent and almost sadistic it has a well written story and amazing acting amplify a timeless crime drama
Pat R gave it a5:
It's funny. I just read Zach B's comment. And guess what buddy? I was born in 1994. So take that. Anyway, I thought this movie was okay. I'm sure it was good at the time, but should it really be considered the greatest film of all time? Films like Die Hard were good at the time, and are STILL good today, and yet no one considers THAT the greatest movie of all time. Godfather, in general, seems very tame compared to many modern films such as Changeling. I can understand why adults think it's the greatest film of all time, but it just isn't my cup of tea. I never did like classic films unless they have something good in them other then the fact that they're classic.
Eve Ill gave it a10:
Wow. The best movie I have ever seen. Period. If you have seen this movie you shouldn't be allowed to rate others, because it will influence your rating so much. Watch it.
C. G. gave it a10:
First time I have seen it, I wasn't impressed at all, not paying much attention. Years later, although I have just learned english in highschol, I have watched the trilogy online, also looking at the script, then I have read it (every fan should, a lot more in depth) and also all the other novels by Mario Puzo I could find online. It changed my life and I have to continue watching them once in a while to bring the feelings back.
