You’d think the difficult part of making The Godfather would be finding somebody who could convincingly play a mob boss. Turns out, dealing with the actual mob bosses—shockingly—isn’t a walk in the park.
And when people like that object to your movie, you probably shouldn’t assume they’re going to leave a bad review and move on.
If only it were that easy.
That’s the part of The Offer that makes it such an interesting series. Making a major Hollywood movie already involves money, egos, arguments and people threatening to pull the plug. Add organized crime to the discussion, and suddenly a disagreement about casting seems like a relatively pleasant afternoon.
The 2022 limited series follows producer Albert S. Ruddy (Miles Teller) through the struggle to get The Godfathermade. It’s based on Ruddy’s experiences, with the battles inside Hollywood running alongside the trouble coming from outside it.
The Mob Would Like to Discuss Its Public Image
One of the central figures is Joe Colombo, played by Giovanni Ribisi. Colombo was a real New York crime boss whose Italian-American Civil Rights League opposed The Godfather over its portrayal of Italian Americans. The production faced threats, and Ruddy eventually negotiated with Colombo, agreeing to remove the word “Mafia” from the script.
Think about that for a minute. You’re trying to make a movie about organized crime, and organized crime has concerns about how you’re presenting organized crime.
There’s something almost funny about it. Until you remember who’s raising the concerns.
The series gets considerable mileage out of that uncomfortable combination. Colombo cares about respect, appearances and how his community is represented. He also brings a kind of power to the conversation that a producer can’t answer by pointing to his contract.
Ribisi makes that contradiction interesting to watch. His Colombo can be personable, even likable, without making you forget why Ruddy needs to choose his words carefully. Getting along with him offers possibilities. Getting on the wrong side of him offers possibilities, too (considerably less appealing ones).
Getting Him on Your Side Creates Another Problem
What makes the relationship work as a story is that Ruddy can’t simply win an argument and get back to making his movie. He has to find a way forward with somebody who has the ability to make his working life extremely difficult.
And securing Colombo’s support doesn’t neatly end the trouble. In the series, their developing relationship draws the mob further into the production, while a disastrous press conference creates another crisis for Ruddy. Getting past one obstacle leaves him standing in front of the next one.
Meanwhile, the Hollywood people still need managing. Francis Ford Coppola has a movie he wants to make. Paramount has opinions about the people he wants in it. Ruddy is caught between competing demands while trying to keep the whole thing moving.
We already know The Godfather gets made. The interest is in watching Ruddy try to reach that outcome while keeping the studio, the filmmakers and the men outside the studio sufficiently satisfied.
Most producers have to worry about whether people will show up to see their movie.
Ruddy also had to worry about who might show up if they do.
Note: You can watch The Offer on Paramount+, available directly through its own app and website or as a separate paid subscription within major platforms such as Prime Video and the Apple TV app.
