The Godson Blu Ray Review (Shoreline Entertainment)

The Godson is a 1998 crime spoof film written and directed by Bob Hoge (Marry Me or Die). It was produced by Jeff Ritchie (Bombshell, Cookers, Say It in Russian, Mr. Fix It, American Crime, Soulkeeper, and Ivory Tower). It was shot in 21 days. After the death of the family’s mob boss Sunny Calzone (played by: Bob Hoge from Huff and General Hospital), a grieving The Oddfather (played by: Dom DeLuise from Fatso, The Cannonball Run, Blazing Saddles, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Spaceballs, and Smokey and the Bandit II) sends his inexperienced son Guppy Calzone (played by: Kevin McDonald from The Kids in the Hall, Galaxy Quest, National Lampoon’s Senior Trip, and Boy Meets Girl) to Mafia University. He’s hoping to prepare him for the criminal world and secure the family’s legacy!!!! The Godson is a parody and satire on the Mafia. It mainly pokes fun at stuff like The Godfather and Goodfellas. It’s directed by Bob Hoge, it’s loaded with familiar faces. The script is beyond over the top and it doesn’t take itself seriously at all. It’s just silly as hell with these gangsters and other misfits. Lead actor Kevin McDonald looks ridiculous at first as the nerdy Guppy Calzone. He’s the last person in this crime family that they expect to do anything. Unfortunately, they are struck with a sudden tragedy so they are desperate to keep their organization going. He changes his appearance and he learns the way of the underworld. Honestly, I think they could have done better when it came to the main character but Kevin was in a few popular things at the time. Veteran Dom DeLuise is the experienced member of the Calzones. He sets his underachieving son up to do something after losing his powerful brother. He’s one of the best things about The Godson. The main attraction for this mob spoof is the talented cast that’s involved. Comedian Rodney Dangerfield (Back to School, Caddyshack, Easy Money, Natural Born Killers, Ladybugs, and Little Nicky) has a smaller role as rival mob boss The Rodfather. He joined the production the last minute so they created a quick character for the legend. Fabiana Udenio (Bride of Re-Animator), Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator), Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk), Irwin Keyes (House of 1000 Corpses), and Carol Arthur (Blazing Saddles) all make impactful appearances in this gangster comedy. The rest of the supporting cast includes Joey Buttafuoco (Howard Stern), Paul Greenberg (The Jenny McCarthy Show), Eileen Kenney (Millennium), Bobbie Jean Brown (Last Action Hero), Carlos Alazraqui (Justice League: Doom), Perry Stephens (The Bold and the Beautiful), Jerry Lambert (American Housewife), Jerry Douglas (Good Guys Wear Black), Don Pardo (Stay Tuned), Dom Irrera (The Big Lebowski), Jay Lacopo (Speed 2: Cruise Control), Lisa London (Xtro 3: Watch the Skies), Keith Coogan (Adventures in Babysitting), and Greg Bronson (Fight Club). The cameos and known performers are the main reason to give this a shot. The Godson does have violence but it’s done in the most live action cartoon type of way. It’s very slapstick and it’s proud of all of it’s dumb moments. It has potential to do something but most of the humor falls flat. Mafia! was done the same exact year and it’s very similar to this but it’s honestly much better. The Godson is really bad in every possible way but that seems to be the goal here so it’s done on purpose. Regardless, it’s actually really entertaining and ridiculous. I am not surprised that it’s been forgotten at this point but I think it’s awesome that it’s getting resurrected on Blu Ray. The transfer is better than expected for being a no budget project that’s been buried on the shelves forever. This is probably the best it’s ever going to get when it comes to home video. There’s no bonus material on this disc. It’s a professionally made on demand BD-R. It’s available everywhere right now including Moviezyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!!