Who ruined Godfather III???

Godfather III is not as decent a watch as its predecessors. It is agreed upon in critical circles, but more importantly in cultural circles. Asians and South Americans who clamor for I & II on DVD have never heard of III. Plus me and everyone I know will only watch it in collusion with the first two. It is strictly marathon format watchable.
There is a popular belief, founded in repetition, that Sofia Coppola ruined III. This is a horrible, horrible lie. There is a corollary to this lie that Winonona Rider was supposed to play the role S. Coppola played, and the movie would have been better with Rider in the role. I have always dreamed of a day where this ridiculous theory would be purged from the public consciousness. Now that I have a 'blog I can begin to rebuild what the Philistines have rent asunder.

Lest we forget...
Lest we forget, Winonona Rider, though cute as a bug's ear, is a shrill and uneven actress. I must credit her with awakening my sexual identity as a teen, but that can be credited to dozens of actresses and several cartoon characters as well. (Baroness!) There are legitimate arguments among God-fearing men of all stripes as to her abilities as an actress. It is not my main point and I will will give the item up to those of strong opinion on the subject.

Sofia
The Coppolla fille portrayal of Corleone fille was perfect. I know she mumbled. I know she seemed awkward. So awkward that it made everyone uncomfortable. This is not bad acting, it is amazing acting. Have you ever met a 15-17 year old girl? All-the-sudden-tall? All-the-sudden-wearin'-a-big-bra? That is when they go from girls to women and they are weird at that time. Mumbleypegs. Goofs. Sofia Coppola nailed that goofy side. And stuck between young daddy and old daddy? She was so good! Did you see III?

So if SC was so good, why did III suck?
It's not that the central plot centered around business and banking transactions. To the average viewer, that is basically like a chase scene involving only numbers. The average viewer loves that banking.

Michael Corleone where are you?
Here is the scene in III: Michael Corleone is with the ex-wife who betrayed him by aborting his son and he is cooking and singing and dancing. And Michael Corleone is wearing a satin scarf. Just like, or at least very similar to the kind of scarf Al Pacino wears all the time. He has moussed hair and he wears scarves and he is very emotive. The character has gone through a lot of things during the time between then and when he killed his brother. Like becoming EXACTLY like Al Pacino.

Al Pacino sucked in Godfather III. Al Pacino ruined that film.

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