Schmaltzy family epic

Rating: 3/10 (18 December 2004)

This is a movie for people who want to watch fat guys eat pasta.
"The Godfather" confuses sentiment with emotion and nostalgia with authenticity. Like "Goodfellas", it tries to capture something deep and meaningful about loyalty, family, and honor, but in the end manages only to convey that food plays an important role in Italian culture.
Brando's portrayal of Corleone becomes farcical as his brooding look tips over into a vacant stare.
In all fairness this is not an altogether bad movie, but it pales in comparison to the novel by Mario Puzo and deserves to be taken down a notch.
Watch this for the costumes.