The biographical drama The Offer begins as an unashamed love letter to old Hollywood, with establishing scenes of historic studio backlots, the Chateau Marmont, and Robert Redford on the set of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Upon first impression, the limited series is pulpy and chaotic in its treatment of time and place, with compelling but at times confusing timelines. Yet while the pace never lets up, the second episode starts in earnest to tell a story you probably, perhaps wrongly, think you already know.
Told from the perspective of producer Albert S. Ruddy, The Offer provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 film The Godfather. Played by Miles Teller, Ruddy comes across as driven, consumed by ambition—a man who knew little about the business of making movies, only that he wanted to make them. He’s a picture of relatively focused calm amid the energetic and unpredictable proceedings that swirl around him.
Each episode of The Offer follows a similar theme: A problem arises, there’s some emotional consternation and panic, then Ruddy fixes it, one way or another. It’s all unquestionably entertaining, ignoring the fact that we know exactly how things turn out (spoiler: The Godfather was a success) to concentrate on how it all went down. It’s hard not to be bewitched by the fact that any phone call could spell disaster for Coppola’s film, that any trip-up could cause a cease in production. And what if they can’t get Al Pacino?
The Offer bombards the viewer with stylish characters with puffed-up egos who battle for control of The Godfather’s production, resulting in a three-way tug of war between the money men, infamous Paramount boss Robert Evans (Matthew Goode), and the film’s producers. At times the story feels overdramatized for effect, with every problem’s resolution requiring more shouting and posturing than was likely necessary in real life.
Works inspired by reality often tread the line between parody and homage, and the line here can be a fine one. On one hand, Anthony Ippolito is impressive as Pacino, ably capturing the doubt and uncertainty of a young actor thrust into the limelight, supported by a director and producer going against the studio’s wishes. On the other, Dan Fogler exudes maniacal obsession as Coppola, who’s often in a state of controlled excitement before plunging into defeated pessimism as the latest seemingly unscalable challenge arises. That’s true to the record—at least true to what was famously documented in Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse—but Fogler’s performance occasionally tends toward caricature.
What begins to detract somewhat from this entertaining pulp is the focus on the real-life mafia itself. The families that inspired The Godfather played a key role in ensuring that production went forward—issues over permits and unions were made to go away—and The Offer places mob boss Joe Colombo (an unrecognizable Giovanni Ribisi) front and center. But homing in on the organized crime element, rather than the particulars of making a classic Hollywood film, feels like an attempt to crank up the drama and fill out the runtime. The irony is clear, but it’s often wielded with a clumsy bluntness, which permeates an otherwise exuberant romp filled with cliffhangers, sharp suits, and retro cool.
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