The Godfather (1972)
An offer you can't refuse.
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 14 March 1972 |
| Genre | Drama, Crime |
| Director | Francis Ford Coppola |
| Starring | Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and James Caan |
| Runtime | 175 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 9.4/10 · Metacritic 100/100 · Rotten Tomatoes 97% · IMDb 9.2/10 · Letterboxd 4.5/5 · TMDB users 8.7/10 |
| Budget | $7 million |
Where to watch The Godfather
The Godfather is streaming on Fubo in the US. It is also on Paramount+ ($13.99 a month). If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Paramount+ is $13.99 at list price.
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What kind of watch this is
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 crime drama runs 175 minutes. It is a portrait of a family business where the ledger balances in blood. Michael Corleone enters the story to protect his father and leaves having run the entire operation. The tone is heavy, deliberate, and quiet, even when it is loud. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino anchor a cast that treats violence as administrative work. You do not need to know anything about organized crime to follow the family dynamics. You just need to understand that an offer is not a request.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes reports a 97% approval rating as of January 2026. Metacritic gives it a 100/100 Metascore, which it labels universal acclaim. Pauline Kael of The New Yorker called it "popular melodrama, but it expresses a new tragic realism." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times named it the best film of 1972. The dissent is quiet. Andrew Sarris of The Village Voice liked Brando but found the focus on Michael’s revenge too narrow.
How it did with audiences
The film cost $7 million to make and grossed $136 million in the United States, with worldwide totals reported at $268 million or $270 million. It was the highest-grossing film of 1972. Audiences give it a 9.2/10 on IMDb as of February 2026, while TMDB users rate it 8.7 out of 10. The numbers are hard to argue with.
Awards
The Godfather collected 7 wins from 11 nominations. It claimed the Academy Award for Best Picture, with Albert S. Ruddy accepting, and Marlon Brando took Best Actor. Mario Puzo won for Adapted Screenplay. The film also secured the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay, with Brando winning Best Actor. The Academy initially nominated Nino Rota’s score but pulled it after finding a similar tune in a 1958 comedy, letting John Addison’s work for Sleuth take the spot instead.
What came next for the cast
Before 1972, Al Pacino was known for The Panic in Needle Park. Afterwards came Scarface and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. The timeline implies momentum, but it does not prove causation. Marlon Brando moved from A Streetcar Named Desire to Superman, a leap that defies logic. Robert Duvall shifted from Bullitt to Apocalypse Now. These paths did not move in lockstep. One actor chased the spotlight, another chased the absurd, and a third chased the war. The credits merely record where they went.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Godfather.
Sources
- The Godfather on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q47703 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Godfather” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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