The Godfather: Part III

  • Review Date: October 31, 2005
  • PG-13
  • Genre: Drama
  • 1990
 Review

Common Sense Media says

The third and final Godfather saga; not for kids.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that, like the previous Godfather movies, The Godfather: Part III has isolated, yet intensely violent scenes spread throughout the movie. The majority of the film is discussion of strategy involving illegal activity and family drama. There is also a sexual relationship between cousins.

  • The film is about mobsters, but does not exactly glorify them. The main character tries to go clean and can't. This film shows the consequences of the mob life he is forced to live.
  • Man bites guy's ear, machine gun attack on a room full of people, numerous murders and assassinations, shootings, stabbings.
  • Implied sex, brief female nudity

What's the story?

Indisputably, the weakest of the Godfather trilogy, The Godfather: Part IIIpresents Michael Corleone's (Al Pacino) desperate struggle to escape a life of organized crime. His motivations for wanting to are not entirely clear, except for our understanding from the first film that Michael never wanted to get involved in the first place. Getting out is not as easy as he hoped, addressing this issue by uttering his famous line, "Just when I thought I was out they pull me back in."


Is it any good?

 

The Godfather: Part III has the potential to be a rather interesting. Following in the tradition of the previous Godfather films, the movie provides a detailed account of the Corleone family's posturing and maneuvering in the organized crime world. Unfortunately, the story rings hollow when compared to the masterful scripts, direction and performances of the previous two Godfather films.

Typically top-notch performers such as Al Pacino (again as Michael Corleone) and Andy Garcia (as Michael's nephew Vinnie) produce somewhat unsympathetic characters. Clocking in at almost three hours, The Godfather: III is a disappointing conclusion to a brillian trilogy and probably should be seen only for closure for The Godfather trilogy. Given its presence in hip-hop and general pop culture, kids will want to see this film. Yet, due to violent content featured in this film, parents might want to think twice before allowing them to do so.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about Michael Corleone's decision to leave his life of organized crime that resultantly held many negative consequences for himself and his family. This plot point can be used to discuss real life criminals, not only gangsters, who try to go clean. Questions families can ask include: What are some of the problems people face who are trying to quit criminal behavior? What kinds of support do people need in order to resist committing crimes?


This review was written by Afsheen Nomai
Teen, 15 years old
April 29, 2010
 
Mature children and adults alike
A fantastic movie to end a great trilogy. No big concerns except themes for kids, maybe to hard to follow for little kids, perfect for MATURE children over 11/12

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 

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Kid, 9 years old
August 7, 2011
 
9 & up
Good movie? Not as violent as 1 & 2

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Adult
July 17, 2009
 

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Parent of 2 year old
January 18, 2009
 

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Parent of 7, 11, 14, and 17 year old
January 4, 2009
 

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Yes, this is the weakest of the Godfather films, but it still has some truly great moments - the opera scene, the last shot, the passing on of the title of the Don, Michael's confession. It has its problems (including Sofia Coppola) but it's worth watching to complete the trilogy. As for appropriateness, if you can handle the first two Godfather films, you can handle this one. The violence level is about the same, though the f-word is used more frequently in this one.

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Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
not too good
considering 1 and 2 are two of the best movies of all time, this one disapoints greatly, but should be ok for 13 year olds to watch

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Teen, 16 years old
March 26, 2009
 
Good, not amazing
While this movie definitely didn't compare to the first two, it was, from an objective standpoint, a very good movie. Some of the scenes were amazing. more violence and language than the others. (i.e. the ear biting)

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This review was written by Afsheen Nomai
Studio:Paramount Pictures
Director:Francis Ford Coppola
Cast:Al Pacino, Andy Garcia, Joe Mantegna
Genre:Drama
Run time:170 minutes
Theatrical release date:December 25, 1990
DVD release date:October 5, 2004
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:Language, Violence

This review was written by Afsheen Nomai
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
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