Review of The Godfather Part III (1990) by Spangle — 27 Jun 2014

This one is not as good as the first two for sure, but it has many positives. For starters, Al Pacino is great once again in his role as Michael Corleone. The changing landscape of the families is also well presented as we see many youngsters trying to come into the business, while many of the key players from before are now on their way out. In addition, the homages to the first two films and footage from the first two were brilliantly used and really added a nice touch here. For the most part, it was nice to see some things brought to a closure from the first two and how the family has progressed and regressed over all of these years. However, the negatives here really are what hold the film back. Firstly, the plot can be overly complicated at times, likely due to poor storytelling. At times, things would happen and you are trying to figure out what just happened and why. However, the major issue is the acting. Andy Garcia is fine for the most part, but at times, he fails to step up to the plate. I still feel like he had the charisma and energy for the role, I just wish his performance did not slump at times. Sofia Coppola was horrendous. I always thought people were overstating how bad she is, but you simply cannot overstate it. I think my dog could have been a better Mary than her.

Overall, this final entry into the Godfather trilogy is much like the raisin cookie to the first two's chocolate chip. No matter what, you are disappointed that it is not chocolate chip, but if you like raisins and can overcome that disappointment, you somewhat enjoy the cookie anyways. But, not everyone likes raisins and can overcome that disappointment.