Grays Almanac

Home/Episodes/The Godfather Part II

‘The Godfather Part II’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, and Brian Koppelman

January 4, 2022 · The Godfather Part II (1974) · Crime · Drama · 2:33:24

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 47:15Senator Geary negotiating with Michael, specifically the 'My offer is this. Nothing.' scene
Brian Koppelman▶ 53:43The first scene with Hyman Roth (tuna fish sandwich and college football scene) for its layered meaning and rewatchability
Chris Ryan▶ 52:40Supports both the Senator Geary scene and the Hyman Roth/Mo Green speech scene, emphasizing the contrast between Roth's power and his modest lifestyle
Sean Fennessey▶ 51:30Discusses the significance of Lee Strasberg's casting as Hyman Roth and the power dynamics in the Roth scenes

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:15:12Kate Corleone is terrible. Three exclamation points. Sad. Dumb performance. Bad.

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 1:32:26The scene where Senator Gary wakes up with the dead lady and Duval's performance revealing he's a bad guy
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:32:57Agrees it's an amazing scene that's necessary for not realizing Duval's a bad guy
Chris Ryan▶ 1:32:50Agrees with the power of the scene, particularly the shot when Al comes out of the bathroom

What's Aged the Worst

Brian Koppelman▶ 1:33:04That scene's aged the worst - referring to a specific scene/idea but not explicitly naming it in this segment

Hall of Fame Plaque

Bill Simmons▶ 1:39:04It would have been at Hall of Fame. It mattered when it came out.
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:39:56Agrees it should be in the Hall of Fame, emphasizing Serpico's cultural significance as a movie about the clash between old line corruption and hippie culture, calling it 'really crucial'

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:48:01James Cagney — Discussed James Cagney being offered a part (possibly Roth), Richard Castellano declining to return as Clemenza due to demands about writing dialogue and weight issues, and argued the movie would be better with Clemenza instead of Frankie Pentangeli
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:48:06James Cagney — Expressed amazement at James Cagney possibility, discussed Peter Sellers consideration for Roth, argued strongly that Duvall should have been paid $5 million to return as Tom Hagen in Godfather III, and compared Clemenza vs Pentangeli characters
Chris Ryan▶ 1:49:00Provided details about Richard Castellano's disputed version of events regarding his departure from the film, explaining his side of the story about weight loss/gain demands
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:48:13James Cagney — Supported the idea that James Cagney was considered for Roth because 'Roth is Lansky and Cagney is the gangster hero villain of the 30s and 40s', and favored having Clemenza in the film

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:55:43Francis Ford Coppola — Yes for Coppola, Pacino, Cazale; No for Lake Tahoe; Yes for horrific Oscar results
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:56:22Francis Ford Coppola — Yes for Coppola and Gordon Willis, Spradlin, Lake Erie, Paramount
Chris Ryan▶ 1:57:04Troy Donahue — Yes for Troy Donahue/Merle, Apex Mountain for movies in general
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:58:00Agrees with movies as Apex Mountain, specifically mob/Mafia movies

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:58:20Troy Donahue — Merle - because if he saw him in anything else, he'd be like 'Merle!'
Brian Koppelman▶ 1:58:33Troy Donahue — Mentions Troy Donahue getting a name check in Grease and that his mom claims he was a heartthrob
Chris Ryan▶ 1:58:28Harry Dean Stanton — Harry Dean Stanton - likes when he says 'Frankie, let's play hearts'

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 2:01:32In early script version, Tom Hagen had affair with Sonny's widow; G.D. Spradlin wrote many of his own lines including anti-Italian speech; the Moshulu ship visible in Rocky and Blowout is now a floating restaurant in Philadelphia
Chris Ryan▶ 2:01:47Confirmed Sonny's widow appears in Godfather III as Vincent's mother, engaged with the trivia discussion

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 2:16:44Multiple quotes including 'Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer', 'This is the business we've chosen', 'I don't feel like I have to wipe everybody out, Tom. Just my enemies', and 'He's been dying from the same heart attack for the last 20 years'
Brian Koppelman▶ 2:17:03This is the business we have chosen
Chris Ryan▶ 2:18:09'Let Me Wet My Beak' and 'I don't want anything to happen to him while my mother's alive'
Sean Fennessey▶ 2:18:44I despise your master of it. The dishonest way you pose yourself, you and your whole fucking family

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 2:19:04Did Pacino actually hit Diane Keaton in the abortion scene? (concludes no, but notes it's the most realistic punch of the 70s)
Bill Simmons▶ 2:22:18Was Michael justified in murdering Fredo? (states 'We'll never know')
Brian Koppelman▶ 2:22:26If Michael lets Fredo live, would Fredo have betrayed the family again?
Chris Ryan▶ 2:22:59Discusses the Fredo situation, noting Puzo was resistant to Michael killing Fredo and added the 'wait till the mother dies' element
Sean Fennessey▶ 2:23:21Believes Fredo wouldn't have betrayed the family again because he seemed relieved to be back fishing

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 2:31:02Al Pacino — Pacino (greatest performance I've ever seen, first thing I think of when I think of this movie)
Brian Koppelman▶ 2:30:06Robert De Niro — De Niro (announced himself as the next major movie star, did it all in Italian) and Lee Strasberg (proved a teacher can really perform at the highest level)
Chris Ryan▶ 2:32:25Elia Kazan — Kazan and Duval (the soul of the movie)
Sean Fennessey▶ 2:29:55Francis Ford Coppola — Coppola (confirmation of one of the ten most important filmmakers in the history of the medium)

Movies Referenced (42)

The Godfather (1972)

34 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 1:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Prince of the City (1981)

11 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons▶ 1:39:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Irishman (2019)

11 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 15:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Apocalypse Now (1979)

9 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 41:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Scarface (1983)

6 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:30:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rocky (1976)

5 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 35:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Crazy Heart (2009)

4 mentions · Brian Koppelman▶ 1:33:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rocky III (1982)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman, Chris Ryan▶ 1:13:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chinatown (1974)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 32:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Goodfellas (1990)

3 mentions · Brian Koppelman▶ 20:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Uncut Gems (2019)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:25:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Happy Gilmore (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 18:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (12)

Francis Ford Coppola

5 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Apocalypse Now, The Godfather Part II▶ 3:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kevin Garnett

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Uncut Gems▶ 1:25:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Barry Levinson

2 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Rain Man, Wag the Dog▶ 2:32:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sidney Lumet

2 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey · Known for 12 Angry Men▶ 34:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stormy Daniels

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for The 40-Year-Old Virgin▶ 1:56:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Abel Ferrara

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Bad Lieutenant, King of New York▶ 8:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Anson Jew

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Wonder Woman▶ 2:14:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

François Truffaut

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The 400 Blows▶ 35:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ridley Scott

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Martian, Blade Runner▶ 43:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Corman

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Silence of the Lambs, Apollo 13, Little Shop of Horrors▶ 52:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sofia Coppola

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation▶ 45:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Woody Allen

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Annie Hall, Deconstructing Harry▶ 1:56:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (51)

Al Pacino

46 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather▶ 9:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert De Niro

29 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey · Known for Cape Fear, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver▶ 14:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Cazale

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey · Known for Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather▶ 26:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Frank Sinatra

11 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for From Here to Eternity▶ 29:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Art Carney

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Brian Koppelman▶ 32:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Diane Keaton

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Annie Hall, Something's Gotta Give▶ 1:13:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Marlon Brando

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, On the Waterfront▶ 22:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael V. Gazzo

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Brian Koppelman · Known for The Godfather Part II▶ 32:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bruno Kirby

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally...▶ 1:23:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Danny Aiello

6 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Do the Right Thing, Moonstruck▶ 13:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lee Strasberg

5 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Godfather Part II, And Justice for All▶ 51:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Talia Shire

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Rocky, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II▶ 40:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (7)

Mario Puzo

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Brian Koppelman · Known for The Godfather, The Godfather Part II▶ 7:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 18:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Milch

3 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Cameron

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Avatar, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day▶ 43:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Nancy Meyers

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for It's Complicated, Something's Gotta Give, Private Benjamin▶ 1:14:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Towne

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for Chinatown, Mission: Impossible, The Last Detail▶ 1:16:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Valerie Curtin

1 mentions · Brian Koppelman · Known for And Justice for All, All the President's Men, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore▶ 2:32:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (2)

Gordon Willis

10 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Chris Ryan · Known for The Godfather Part II▶ 39:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ivan Strasburg

6 mentions · Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons▶ 32:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗