The Offer

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Season 1
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
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User Reviews

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  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 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 movieFour 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.    … Expand
  2. MDXV
    Mar 7, 2023
    10
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Nick Allen
    Oct 3, 2023
    10
    “The Offer” would probably have been brilliant if it had a sense of humor. Alas, it is not self-aware or savvy enough for that. Instead, its goofy failures create a veritable list of guidelines of how not to tell a story when otherwise trying to get across how hard it is to make a movie in Hollywood.
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  2. 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.
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  3. Empire
    Reviewed by: Ian Freer
    Jun 22, 2022
    40
    Played with gusto by an engaging cast, The Offer falls down on its tin ears and broad strokes. You can’t help but feel The Godfather deserves so much better.
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