Film Review: The Freshman (1990)

(source: tmdb.org)

Only few months before Francis Ford Coppola did much to endanger his legacy with the third part of The Godfather saga, another person had found a better way to build on Coppola’s 1972 masterpiece. That person was Andrew Bergman, writer and director of 1990 comedy The Freshman.

The protagonist, played by Matthew Broderick, is Clark Kellog, young aspiring film maker who leaves parents’ home in Vermont in order to start first years of studies at New York University Film School. Being naive, almost immediately after arrival in big city, he gets conned out of his money and possession by smooth-talking street hustler Victor Ray (played by Bruno Kirby). Some time afterwards he catches the man who promises to make up to him by offering him well-paying job at his uncle Carmine Sabatini (played by Marlon Brando). When Clark arrives as Sabatini’s place he notices that the man’s looks, speech and mannerisms leave striking resemblance to character of Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather. His employer, who describes himself as “importer” and whose beautiful daughter Tina (played by Penelope Ann Miller) enthusiastically courts him, wants to deliver Komodo dragon from JFK airport to an address in New Jersey. Clark does so, but he is soon approached by Greenwald (played by Jon Polito) and Simpson (played by Richard Gant), two Justice Department officials who explain that Sabatini is under federal investigation over illegally imports of animals, who are later served as food to wealthy degenerate gourmets willing to pay exorbitant sums of money for privilege of eating meat from endangered species.

The Freshman is almost entirely built on a single joke – the greatest actor that ever lived spoofing the most iconic role of his career. That would suggest another inspired “high concept” Hollywood comedy, but Bergman pads its feather-light plot with just enough pieces inspired by his own biography. It is easy to imagine Clark’s picaresque adventures in the world of organised crime, exotic schemes and beautiful women as fulfilment of his own youthful fantasies; on the other hand, Bergman, whose career had hits and misses, shows a little bit of self-deprecation with character of Clark’s pompous university professor (played by Paul Benedict) built on himself and writing the books on the same subjects Bergman published in his real life. The film benefits most thanks to Marlon Brando, whose regal presence is accompanied by willingness to play with his screen legacy in funny ways. Matthew Broderick is clearly overshadowed by that presence, but he does good job, just like the rest of the cast, that includes charming Penelope Ann Miller (with whom he had good chemistry in Biloxi Blues few year earlier, as well as dependable character actors like Bruno Kirby or international stars like Maximillian Schell in role of Sabatini’s eccentric chef. Quality of humour varies, especially in the middle part when, after apparent loss of inspiration, Bergman goes for cheap slapstick and has Komodo dragon (played by by specimen of Asian water monitor lizard) escaping and creating mayhem at New Jersey shopping mall. Some of the plot twists near the end are quite predictable, but Bergman directs them well and The Freshman, which received good reviews by critics, should also receive passing grade from today’s viewers as solid piece of entertainment that pays homage to important piece of film history.

RATING: 6/10 (++)