The Freshman

I struggled at first to think of what to say and how to review The Freshman. I wanted to look at how it straddles the line between satire and parody, without being slapsticky or schlocky. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized The Freshman doesn't need that kind of analysis. The premise of The Freshman sells itself: what if a total outsider not only got swept up in organized crime, but the mafiosos treated the kid like the second coming, all while he desperately fought against it ... but make it funny? That's the beauty of The Freshman. In a way, it's sort of like The Godfather; Matthew Broderick's Clark and Al Pacino's Michael are both outsiders to the mob and get sucked in against their will. The only difference is one is part of the family before becoming part of The Family, and the other is just some dewy-eyed naive college freshman. The humor comes from the contrasting reactions: Clark's initial hesitation growing to concern, then panic, and then horror as the family pulls him in hard and fast, and Marlon Brando's Carmine being all at once this intimidating figure while also coming off like a teddy bear, having this disproportionately intense affection for Clark. Broderick gets to play the polar opposite of Ferris Bueller -- a clueless, backwater college kid with all the cool and sophistication of a tax accountant -- and it's a blast seeing him react with ever-increasing terror as he gets sucked in deeper the more he fights to get away. Brando, meanwhile, is having the time of his life, playing a version of Vito Corleone with all the cliches turned up to 11 in the most absurd ways. The direction here should also be commended for one reason: Andrew Bergman understood the assignment. To make the absurdity of the situation land humorously, this couldn't be a Naked Gun-style joke-a-minute spoof. This had to be played subtle, embracing the tropes and maximizing them, but still treating the formula of a mafia movie with reverence, and he does that to great effect. What's best about The Freshman is it sells itself. I'm not big on mafia movies, but I enjoyed, and so did my wife, who is equally lukewarm on the genre. If the description sounds at all amusing, it'll make for a fun night. It won't go down in history as one of the all time greats, but it isn't trying to be. It's just a fun movie, made with some real smarts and a good heart.