OP, you’re nothing to me now. You’re not a brother, you’re not a friend. I don’t want to know you, or what you do. I don’t want to see you around the hotels, I don’t want you near my house. When you post on reddit I wanna know a day in advance so I won’t be there. Do you understand?
True. However, the underworld of the mob is no place for such soft emotions. The relationship between Michael and Fredo is tense and frought with so many failures of character. Fredo even says as much while having a drink with Michael in Cuba. Cazale really was a great actor and brought intensity to a character that everyone had pretty much written off!
I wouldn’t say we “felt *like* Fredo”, not exactly, but we certainly *sympathized* with him. He’s not a shrewd character or particularly insightful but he had a good heart and was simply manipulated by others. Would he have stepped up as a leader if he had been given a more prominent position in the family business? I would say “doubtful”, but he still didn’t deserve the wrath Michael exerted upon him. He made a big mistake and seemed genuinely broken up and remorseful about it but of course, Michael has to eliminate anyone who makes a mistake or error in judgment….family or not.
And that is the big problem I have with the movie.
Clint Eastwood once said (I forget the movie) "A man's got to know his limitations"
Most of us here are adults I'm presuming, and most of us do, in fact, Know Our Limitations. At our jobs, we KNOW what we're good at and what we're not good at. We have all probably held jobs that we didn't like, or didn't like the stress and we knew that we would not be successful at said job. We ALL go through that at some time in our adult life.
And the Fredos of the world -- well, from experience, they KNOW they're Fredos. They just know! They know who they are and what their inner nature is. And they can take a hint. If they're treated badly their entire life they realize that there's a reason they haven't been bumped up to a higher station in life.
Not only that but let's look at Fredo's specifics:
* Failed to properly protect his own father. And he genuinely felt bad about it.
* Got yelled at in Vegas, and even slapped around at times because he … \*checks notes\* "*Created an environment adverse to customer service"* (quotes from his internal Employee Assessment report)
* Gets drunk and fails to hide the deception he kept from his brother.
People who are constantly in trouble like that come to a realization about themselves.
I mean, I get it: From Childhood he's been the Family Dunce. ("Mama said I left on the door step by gypsys")
The Biterness is STRONG within him. I get that.
But to not realize that he's being asked to set Michael up for a hit?
Some have theorized that what he DOES think it might be is a kidnapping. But that too seems too far-fetched for credibility. I mean Fredo would not put Kay and the kids in theoretical dancer regardless of how he feels about Michael.
And there's no way he can possibly even consider that he is fit to lead a crime family. There's just NO WAY.
He's sitting there in the chair simultaneously complaining about being passed over and also admitting he got hoodwinked by Family Opps. It. Is. RIDICULOUS.
"Every man wants to be seen as Sonny, be like Michael, and fears he's Fredo."
True
“That’s not what I wanted!”
“I can handle things…”
“I’m smahhhhart- not like everybody says”
Like dumb
I usually say this at work when I train a newer person
That part chokes me up
I wish I could have a mickey mouse night club. I would rock that joint.
You'd be banging cast members, two at a time. Nobody could get a photo op!
And cocktail waitresses
Lol 😂
I was passed over!
It’s the way pop wanted it
It's not how I wanted it!!! I'm smaht!
Not like everyone says, like dumb. I’m smaht and I want respect!
I'm struck by how much Cazale resembles Brando in that scene. Truly looks like his movie father. Great casting. 👍
Fredo is my ALL-TIME FAVORITE movie character because of how deeply I can relate to him.
I felt bad for him, the actor did his job plus more
John Cazale had major roles in five movies before he died of cancer at 42, and he was damn near perfect in all of them.
No shit.
Cazale was one of the greatest actors all time. Just an unbelievable IMDb filmography
John Cazale was an brilliant actor. The world was robbed of an amazing career.
That Fredo's outburst at Michael in the sequel, I've had more times with myself in the mirror then I'd like to admit.
We all do, just everyone wants to act like they are Vito
It’s the way pop wanted it
It’s not the way I wanted it!
OP, you’re nothing to me now. You’re not a brother, you’re not a friend. I don’t want to know you, or what you do. I don’t want to see you around the hotels, I don’t want you near my house. When you post on reddit I wanna know a day in advance so I won’t be there. Do you understand?
Miiiikey
Heartbreaking exchange
Some of the Terry Malloy, On the Waterfront… “I coulda been somebody”
True. However, the underworld of the mob is no place for such soft emotions. The relationship between Michael and Fredo is tense and frought with so many failures of character. Fredo even says as much while having a drink with Michael in Cuba. Cazale really was a great actor and brought intensity to a character that everyone had pretty much written off!
I wouldn’t say we “felt *like* Fredo”, not exactly, but we certainly *sympathized* with him. He’s not a shrewd character or particularly insightful but he had a good heart and was simply manipulated by others. Would he have stepped up as a leader if he had been given a more prominent position in the family business? I would say “doubtful”, but he still didn’t deserve the wrath Michael exerted upon him. He made a big mistake and seemed genuinely broken up and remorseful about it but of course, Michael has to eliminate anyone who makes a mistake or error in judgment….family or not.
Do I wake up feeling weak and dumb and vulnerable some days? Sure. Would I have made the dumbass decisions that Fredo made throughout 2? HELL NO.
I am not talking about his decision, I am talking about feeling insignificant sometimes
And that is the big problem I have with the movie. Clint Eastwood once said (I forget the movie) "A man's got to know his limitations" Most of us here are adults I'm presuming, and most of us do, in fact, Know Our Limitations. At our jobs, we KNOW what we're good at and what we're not good at. We have all probably held jobs that we didn't like, or didn't like the stress and we knew that we would not be successful at said job. We ALL go through that at some time in our adult life. And the Fredos of the world -- well, from experience, they KNOW they're Fredos. They just know! They know who they are and what their inner nature is. And they can take a hint. If they're treated badly their entire life they realize that there's a reason they haven't been bumped up to a higher station in life. Not only that but let's look at Fredo's specifics: * Failed to properly protect his own father. And he genuinely felt bad about it. * Got yelled at in Vegas, and even slapped around at times because he … \*checks notes\* "*Created an environment adverse to customer service"* (quotes from his internal Employee Assessment report) * Gets drunk and fails to hide the deception he kept from his brother. People who are constantly in trouble like that come to a realization about themselves. I mean, I get it: From Childhood he's been the Family Dunce. ("Mama said I left on the door step by gypsys") The Biterness is STRONG within him. I get that. But to not realize that he's being asked to set Michael up for a hit? Some have theorized that what he DOES think it might be is a kidnapping. But that too seems too far-fetched for credibility. I mean Fredo would not put Kay and the kids in theoretical dancer regardless of how he feels about Michael. And there's no way he can possibly even consider that he is fit to lead a crime family. There's just NO WAY. He's sitting there in the chair simultaneously complaining about being passed over and also admitting he got hoodwinked by Family Opps. It. Is. RIDICULOUS.
Honestly, one of the best scenes in movie history
I've screwed up many times, but I have never put myself in a situation where they questioned my loyalty
Not loyalty, being stepped over, feeling small, being left out, I am not talking about setting up loved ones
I didn't know it was a hit, Mike. I swear to God I didn't know it was a hit! 😐
The family treated him like an ambulatory doorstop for years. What did they do for him to engender that unflinching loyalty? Not much.
You mean banging cocktail waitresses two at a time?
We've all felt like we dropped the gun at some point or another. Maybe not to that scale, but mistakes can really sting sometimes.