The Offer

:

Season 1
Metascore
48

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 28
  3. Negative: 9 out of 28
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Critic Reviews

  1. Collider
    Reviewed by: Maggie Lovitt
    Apr 21, 2022
    100
    The Offer is a nail-biting and exhilarating exploration into the making of one of the most iconic and influential films of the 20th century. While it leans heavily into the more fantastical accounts about the mafia and its influence on the film, it is still grounded in its approach and gives credit where credit is due.
  2. Consequence
    Reviewed by: Liz Shannon Miller
    Apr 22, 2022
    83
    If the show were just a little tighter in pace, a little more grounded in fact, it’d be an easy recommend to any cinephiles interested in this particular period of film history. Even as is, there are so many strong elements to recommend it. Just don’t trust too much in its version of events.
  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    Apr 22, 2022
    75
    “The Offer” is so entertaining — and for 10 whole episodes! — that you might not care if it’s true or not.
  5. CNET
    Reviewed by: Richard Trenholm
    Apr 21, 2022
    72
    While it obviously won't measure up to the majesty of its famous subject, this highly watchable glimpse into the magic of movies makes an offer that's hard to refuse.
  6. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    Oct 3, 2023
    70
    One wonders whether the real-life Coppola will approve of "The Offer," because tonally it's all over the place. Mr. Goode is perhaps the most entertaining element in the series, his Evans impersonation perfect, from the nasal singsong to the glad-handing Hollywood smarm. But between that portrayal and Mr. Ribisi's—whose Colombo is a dull-witted thug, though a ruthless one—the mood is often one of farce.
  7. The Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Kristi Turnquist
    Apr 25, 2022
    70
    While nobody will mistake “The Offer” for a timeless classic, the series has enough campy energy and gossipy showbiz verve that it keeps you watching, even when it borders on the ridiculous.
  8. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    Apr 21, 2022
    70
    As a Hollywood history lesson, The Offer makes a lot of shortcuts. But as an ensemble buddy story, it's consistently charming.
  9. Paste Magazine
    Reviewed by: Kevin Fox, Jr.
    Apr 21, 2022
    65
    While the style of the opening credits signals “prestige TV,” The Offer feels too fun and melodramatic to be put into that category, yet it’s not self-consciously garish enough to be camp. For a show about a mob movie that features actual murders, it’s also surprisingly lacking in grit.
  10. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Richard Roeper
    Apr 27, 2022
    63
    While “The Offer” is an intermittently entertaining fictionalization about the making of the greatest movie of all time, your time would be far better spent re-watching the greatest movie of all time and the greatest sequel ever.
  11. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: John Townsend
    Apr 21, 2022
    63
    What begins to detract somewhat from this entertaining pulp is the focus on the real-life mafia itself.
  12. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Apr 28, 2022
    62
    Unfortunately, the resulting product is frequently too on-the-nose. If there’s any reason to watch, it’s for the performance of actor Matthew Goode as legendary Paramount executive Robert Evans.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. shorewalker
    May 7, 2022
    9
    Four episodes in, I'm not surprised that many critics have missed or underplayed the strengths of The Offer. Its first theme, creating andFour episodes in, I'm not surprised that many critics have missed or underplayed the strengths of The Offer. Its first theme, creating and maintaining a great team, is something that movie critics don't tend to relate to. Its second theme, deciding who to support and when, is also unusual. Its third, the trials of project management in art and business, is completely alien to movie criticism.

    Yet by saying intelligent things about all these topics, The Offer stands out – and, as a side benefit, is great entertainment for anyone interested in a rip-roaring tale about these things.

    The Offer is committed to the idea that project management and team-building are skills that great filmmaking needs. Very few good films or TV series have been made about business; this is one. ("All the President's Men" and "Other People's Money", for instance, both have business themes, but neither is quite focused on business as its subject.)

    The Offer shows a super-talented team doggedly pursuing an artistic objective. Paramount initially considered The Godfather a quickie project. But the team's members wanted to turn the slightly lurid bestselling book into a film masterpiece. They internalise each other's best obsessions – such as the desperate desire to cast a relatively unknown stage actor as Michael Corleone after studio boss Bob Evans repeatedly and emphatically rules him out. If you’ve been involved with high-performance teams, this dynamic rings true in a way that’s rarely depicted well on the screen.

    As that studio boss, Matthew Goode oozes believable charisma. But the rest of the cast is never less than strong either. Newcomer Anthony Ippolito is playing Pacino - a horrendous challenge - and doing a quietly great job of it. Dan Fogler also does great work as director Francis Ford Coppola in a bromance with Mario Buzo, a lovely dynamic you don’t see enough on film. (And it's true!. Said the real-life Coppola of Puzo: "I just loved to be around him ... I loved him like a favourite uncle.")

    There's shouting and violence, but the writers do a lot of their best work in quiet character moments. And they frequently reject the standard Hollywood solutions for their characters. Dull female tropes go out the window; the three key female roles are all just smart, interesting and effective people behaving in believable ways. (It's sad how notable this still is.)

    Perhaps most unusually of all, the script genuinely seems to like most of the people it’s portraying, even the mobsters. Yes, there are obvious reasons – the story of Paramount heroes is being presented on Paramount+ –, but the end result is still great to watch. In marked contrast to most of this year’s TV, The Offer has not yet dragged for a moment. 10 episodes feels like it will be just right.

    The Offer is not self-consciously artistic. But it is telling a great story about art and business, and telling it with both understanding and affection.    … Full Review »
  2. MDXV
    Mar 7, 2023
    10
    LikeLike
    LikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLikeLike    … Full Review »
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