This 1990 Marlon Brando Crime Comedy Got A Near-Perfect Score From Roger Ebert

Most moviegoers were completely unaware of the existence of Andrew Bergman's "The Freshman" when, in the summer of 1989, its star, Marlon Brando, decided to put the project on their radar via a series of disparaging comments in the Toronto Globe and Mail. "It's horrible," said the legendary actor. "It's going to be a flop, but after this, I'm retiring. I'm so fed up. This picture, except for the Canadian crew, was an extremely unpleasant experience. I wish I hadn't finished with a stinker." At least he had nice things to say about the Canadian crew!

It was then that we learned that "The Freshman" was a comedy wherein Brando would do a parody of his Don Vito Corleone character from Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather." Though Bergman was a widely respected comedy writer on the strength of classics like "Blazing Saddles," "The In-Laws," and "Fletch," his first directorial effort, the deeply underrated "So Fine," had performed poorly at the box office. Perhaps his instincts were off here. After all, casting Brando to spoof his most famous performance sounded like the kind of stunt that would wear out its welcome in a jiffy.

Brando later apologized for his remarks, but the damage was done. "The Freshman," due to be released on July 20, 1990, had the stink on it. Its fortunes rested in the hands of film critics, who couldn't help but head into screenings with Brando's complaints ringing in their heads. So it was a surprise for moviegoers when the reviews were quite positive across the board. And no one was a bigger fan of Bergman's offbeat concoction than the late Roger Ebert.

Throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, the two most important critical voices nationwide belonged to Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. Actually, it wasn't their voices that mattered as much as their thumbs, which, when pointed upward (on their syndicated television show), could bolster a film's box office prospects. "The Freshman" received an enthusiastic two thumbs up, but if you wanted to get a full sense of how Ebert truly felt about a movie, you had to read his review in the Chicago Sun-Times.

In his three-and-a-half-star write-up, Ebert praised Brando's Don Corleone reprise, marveling that "he does it with such wit, discipline and seriousness that it's not a ripoff and it's not a cheap shot, it's a brilliant comic masterstroke." He goes on to laud Bergman's "unconventional" storytelling, which throws protagonist Matthew Broderick, playing a first-year NYU film school student, into a side gig wrangling a special package for Brando. When that package is revealed to be a Komodo dragon, we know we're in for some inspired silliness.

Ebert notes that the other actors (including Penelope Ann Miller and the dearly missed Bruno Kirby) seem to be in awe of Brando, but also observes that this is why Bergman had to cast him. He also compliments the oddball flourishes Brando has strewn throughout the film, like old-school television personality Bert Parks regaling a roomful of diners with a rendition of Bob Dylan's "Maggie's Farm." He wisely leaves out Parks' other big number, as that would spoil the importance of the Komodo dragon to the plot.

"The Freshman" is an absolute gem of a comedy, one that you can currently watch for free on Tubi. I couldn't agree more with Ebert on this one.