Original artwork, not a still
I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.
— The Godfather · 1972
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the Godfather's politeness as menace: a business proposal with a threat under every word. The phrase did not start with Mario Puzo, since Balzac and an early Western used almost the same wording, but this film made it everyone's. It is now the joke about any deal you can't turn down, from job offers to a relative's request.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The GodfatherShow the scene
On the wedding day of his daughter Connie in The Godfather (1972), Vito Corleone follows Sicilian tradition and grants favours to visitors. One is his godson Johnny Fontane, a singer and actor who cannot get a film role because studio owner Jack Woltz has a grudge against him. Vito promises to settle it with this line, and sends his consigliere Tom Hagen to Los Angeles. Woltz will not budge, and the next morning he wakes to find the severed head of his prized racehorse Khartoum in his bed. The American Film Institute ranked the line second on its list of movie quotes.
Sources (1)
- Wikipedia: The GodfatherPlot; LegacyReference checked
Context reviewed
