When Ted Cruz is standing on the debate stage, does he ever reflect on the words of Michael Corleone? “Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment.” After all, the Texas senator and presidential contender did recently admit The Godfather Part III is one of his favorite movies.
Or is he at all bothered by the scene where Vincent teaches his cousin Mary how to make gnocchi, right before the two get all incestual? It was an awkward subplot made all the more awkward by the actress playing Mary, Sofia Coppola. “You know, you haven’t kissed me hello yet,” she tells Vincent (played by Andy Garcia). “Relatives always kiss.” Uh-huh.
And does Senator Cruz ever say to himself, “That George Hamilton is so fantastic when he plays financial consultant B.J Harrison. Seriously, who needs Robert Duvall?”
Maybe I’m being too harsh—both on the film and the actors. After all, as Sonny Bunch notes in the Washington Free Beacon, “The Godfather Part III is good. It’s not great. It’s not as good as either of its predecessors—not even close. The Godfather and The Godfather Part II are two of the ten best films ever made; not being as good as they were was almost to be expected.” And yes, Sofia was merely filling in for Winona Ryder who was suffering exhaustion and quit the film.
Still, how could this be a favorite? The poisoned cannoli that Connie pretends to eat? That ridiculous helicopter scene? My lucky coat! A real-life mobster in the Witness Protection Program was once quoted in a magazine complaining about the absurdity of this hit job, saying, “That would never happen.” Even Bunch concedes the best gangster movie of 1990 was not The Godfather Part III but rather Goodfellas. (And both films would go on to lose the best picture Academy Award to Dances With Wolves.)
And what about Bridget Fonda? She gets billing on the posters but disappears after the first act. I find it also difficult to distinguish between Joe Mantegna’s character, Joey Zasa, and his caricature of a mobster in The Simpsons, Fat Tony.
Sitting through the 162-minute film, I couldn’t help thinking repeatedly how Robert Duvall needed to be there. Supposedly, salary demands were not met, but in retrospect, wouldn’t it have been worth $5 million to have Tom Hagen offering wise counsel to Michael?
Sure, the disappointment surrounding the third installment of the series was about those unmatchable expectations, as noted above. But it also had to do with the way the project evolved.
In The Godfather Companion, Peter Biskind writes,
Do what exactly? Direct Jack starring Robin Williams?
Between 1974 and 1990, there had been numerous stabs at a third installment. According to Biskind, there were 12 different screenplays, including one by Mario Puzo and another by Michael Eisner (yes, as in Disney Michael Eisner). Sylvester Stallone wanted to be involved. When casting finally got underway, Madonna was considered for the role of Mary and Robert De Niro as Vincent. (As Biskind points out, De Niro would have ended up playing both grandfather and grandson.)
I am betting what Cruz liked about Part III was the idea of redemption. The story revolved around Michael’s attempt to go legit (hence the famous line, “Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in”). His confession to Cardinal Lamberto is powerfully rendered (Al Pacino was not even nominated for an Oscar!). And making Lamberto into a sort of Cardinal Albino Luciani is intriguing—Luciani became Pope John Paul I, serving a mere 33 days before dying (some conspiracy theorists even connect his death to the Vatican Bank).
In the end, naming The Godfather Part III as one of your favorite movies is a bold move. Cruz could have said Casablanca or Citizen Kane—something you’re supposed to like. Instead he went for the movie that was a part of Tariq Aziz’s DVD collection. If you recall, when Saddam’s foreign minister was forced to flee, he only took his most valued possessions. The Godfather Part III was not one of them.
