The Freshman (1990)

Director:

Andrew Bergman

Writer (WGA):

Andrew Bergman (written by)

Release Date:

20 July 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

An innocent kid. An experienced mobster. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Plot:

Clark Kellogg is a young man starting his first year at film school in New York City. After a small time crook steals all his belongings...

Plot Keywords:

Endangered Species | Godfather | New York City | Importer | Film School

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Carmine Sabatini
Matthew Broderick	...	Clark Kellogg
Bruno Kirby	...	Victor Ray
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Tina Sabatini
Frank Whaley	...	Steve Bushak
Jon Polito	...	Chuck Greenwald
Paul Benedict	...	Arthur Fleeber
Richard Gant	...	Lloyd Simpson
Kenneth Welsh	...	Dwight Armstrong
Pamela Payton-Wright	...	Liz Armstrong
B.D. Wong	...	Edward
Maximilian Schell	...	Larry London
Bert Parks	...	Bert Parks
Tex Konig	...	Leo
Leonardo Cimino	...	Lorenzo

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Spain:T | Iceland:L | Germany:12 (f) | Finland:S | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Grand Central Station, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

In addition to the numerous "Godfather" jokes, the film also makes a reference to another Marlon Brando film: at one point, Sabatini mistakenly refers to Clark as "Kent." In the movie Superman (1978), Brando played Clark Kent's father Jor-El. The Gourmet Club Maitre D' is played by Gianni Russo. Russo portrayed Michael Corleone's treacherous brother-in-law Carlo Rizzi in Godfather I and II.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Komodo Dragon is an endangered species, however not nearly as endangered as presented in The Freshman. Its population is stable, and it is in no danger from man as it lives on an uninhabited island. About 3000 are estimated to live in the wild.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dwight Armstrong, Clark's Step-father: Over there! Look!
Clark Kellogg: Dwight?
Dwight Armstrong, Clark's Step-father: Shh!
Clark Kellogg: Dwight, don't. Don't, really.
[Dwight fires his rifle]
Hunter: Hey, asshole! What are ya, nuts? You can't see the cap, it's not orange enough for ya?
[Dwight fires again]
Dwight Armstrong, Clark's Step-father: Get out of these woods!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Critic: A Pig Boy and His Dog (#1.13)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

PARLAMI D'AMORE MARIU

Gosh, this is one of the very best comedies ever made, folks.

How anyone can say this is not a great film except for Marlon Brando's performance is beyond me. His performance is great, of course. But the whole movie is phenomenal, not just Brando. It is perfect -- a 10-plus -- from start to finish. The entire cast stands out -- not just Brando. How a reviewer can focus on Brando's piece of business with walnuts is beyond me -- his business with the espresso is even more effective. But why zoom in on one relatively insignificant piece of Brando schtick when you have his whole performance to salivate over, and the equally outstanding performances of the entire cast. There is not one false note or faltering moment in this fabulously clever and eminently watchable film. Yes, Bert Parks does stand out in his cameo performance, as does B.D. Wong, as does Bruno Kirby, and on and on and on. This underrated comedy made the American Film Institute's list of 100 funniest comedies -- I could hardly believe it. Despite that, it is one of the best American movies, certainly best American comedies, ever made.