The Freshman had Marlon Brando not consented to appear as a parody of his acclaimed Vito Corleone from The Godfather could not possibly have been made. It's the one joke that holds up an interesting, but hardly ground breaking comedy.
I find it fascinating that Brando who would not consent to recreate Vito Corleone for Francis Ford Coppola in a flashback for The Godfather: Part II, was willing to appear in The Freshman. In 1990 he was starting to need money though and after that would need a lot more to pay for son Christian's defense lawyers. Marlon's last 14 year on earth were not happy ones.
Fresh from Vermont Matthew Broderick is a would be film student with a supercilious faculty adviser in Paul Benedict who through a sequence of bizarre circumstances gets involved with mobster Carmine Sabatani who saw The Godfather like everyone else and acts accordingly. Of course when Carmine is played by the guy who created Vito Corleone it certainly helps.
If money and implied threats don't keep Broderick around, the interest of Brando's daughter, Penelope Anne Miller certainly might do the trick. She's a young lady by dint of her father's position, used to getting what she wants.
Maxmilian Schell plays a gourmet chef who apparently specializes in pork dishes like ham. He overacts who tongue firmly in cheek and this is a reunion film of sorts with his co-star from The Young Lions. And to keep the reunion going, Bruno Kirby who played young Clemenza in The Godfather: Part II is now together with old Vito Corleone playing the nephew of Brando here.
The Freshman is a decent enough comedy for one that is completely reliant on one actor and our memory of him in one of his greatest roles.
I find it fascinating that Brando who would not consent to recreate Vito Corleone for Francis Ford Coppola in a flashback for The Godfather: Part II, was willing to appear in The Freshman. In 1990 he was starting to need money though and after that would need a lot more to pay for son Christian's defense lawyers. Marlon's last 14 year on earth were not happy ones.
Fresh from Vermont Matthew Broderick is a would be film student with a supercilious faculty adviser in Paul Benedict who through a sequence of bizarre circumstances gets involved with mobster Carmine Sabatani who saw The Godfather like everyone else and acts accordingly. Of course when Carmine is played by the guy who created Vito Corleone it certainly helps.
If money and implied threats don't keep Broderick around, the interest of Brando's daughter, Penelope Anne Miller certainly might do the trick. She's a young lady by dint of her father's position, used to getting what she wants.
Maxmilian Schell plays a gourmet chef who apparently specializes in pork dishes like ham. He overacts who tongue firmly in cheek and this is a reunion film of sorts with his co-star from The Young Lions. And to keep the reunion going, Bruno Kirby who played young Clemenza in The Godfather: Part II is now together with old Vito Corleone playing the nephew of Brando here.
The Freshman is a decent enough comedy for one that is completely reliant on one actor and our memory of him in one of his greatest roles.