The Freshman (1990)

Best movie ever!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

"The Freshman" (1990) stars Matthew Broderick as a freshman film school student in New York City. Desperate for money, he's hired by the local Godfather-type who just so happens to look and act exactly like Vito Corleone from the famous '72 Coppola film, probably because the character is played by the inimitable Marlon Brando. Penelope Ann Miller plays the daughter of the Mafia don, Bruno Kirby a fast-talking con and Maximilian Schell a curious chef of exotic foods. This is a unique crime dramedy, which I found okay on my initial viewing, but liked better on my second, probably because I utilized the subtitles and could make out Brando's mumbling dialogue. Broderick was still in his 20s and shines as the wide-eyed protagonist, but Brando naturally steals the show. It's not great, but it's amusing enough and wins points for its peculiarities, like the komodo dragon. The film runs 102 minutes and was shot in New York City and Ontario. GRADE: B

Modest, warm, tone-perfect, good-hearted...this film SHOULD be enjoyed by the all of humanity, in the same vein as The Princess Bride, Saving Grace, King of Hearts...etc. These are some of my favorite films...and The Freshman stands right alongside...if this doesn't make you smile, you have yet to enjoy subtle joys in life...hopefully this paves the way! Also recommended: Harold and Maude, Mystery Alaska, My First Mister, and Almost Famous...Marlon Brando is a blast, Matthew Broderick is Matthew Broderick and Penelope Ann Miller is sexy sweet...no moment is overwrought or underdone...the deceit is a treat and the punchline makes everyone happy!!!

It's rare that a Hollywood comedy is truly original, but this one manages for the great majority of the time. Terrific supporting performances throughout (especially by Paul Benedict, and the complexly off-the-wall Maximllian Schell), and Brando is brilliant enough that he can somehow pull off a simultaneous outrageous self-parody, while still getting us to take the character seriously enough to follow the story and even like the guy. And Matthew Broderick, always solid, deserves kudos for not getting blown off the screen by Brando's much bigger than life charisma. This is full of odd and inventive moments, and while the ending is a bit pat, for most of it's length it's joyfully completely unpredictable.

I'm not sure if this movie should be called a "masterpiece", but it is highly original, fiendishly clever, and very funny. It is full of great lines and intriguing plot twists. Though obviously a comedy, there is even an element of suspense to it. I have seen so-called thrillers that were less exciting.It would be a crime worthy of Vito Corleone to divulge the plot in its entirety. Let us just say that nothing is quite as it seems. In this regard, two other great movies come to mind. The closest resemblance is to George Roy Hill's enduring classic, "The Sting". "The Freshman" isn't quite as good as that, but it displays much of the ingenuity of its esteemed predecessor. The tone is also very similar. I am reminded, as well, of "The Sixth Sense". Of course, that is not a comedy. But the endings of both movies compel the viewer to see everything that has happened in a different light, and that brings with it a feeling of satisfaction.The actors are all fine, but I have to single out Brando. He is wonderful (even if unintelligible at times), and is clearly enjoying himself a great deal. I never would have thought that "charming" could describe him, but it does in this movie.The scene at the Gourmet Club is sheer genius. All by itself, it is worth the price of admission. So is this quote, from a soliloquy by Clark (Broderick): "There is a kind of freedom in being completely screwed, because you know things can't get any worse."