Meg's Godfather Week 1: Snippets

Why are we so attracted to the Mafia?
With the media such as "The Godfather", "Goodfellas" and "The Sopranos" being favourites among many people, young to old: why do we want to run into the open arms of the welcoming family?

1. The Look. Average men do not walk around in sharp suits, with guns at their side and beautiful women adorning to their every will. This "man's man" character is what both males and females are attracted to in action movies. For example: James Bond or Mission Impossible show powerful, heroic men that we all look up to.

2. The Belonging. Mafia or gangster movies often portray men and women united as one team, or family if you will. In my opinion, this is why we have cliques and gangs in the world. This sense of belonging, and all fighting for one thing makes people feel wanted and special. For example, in "The Godfather", when Michael first voices up about his want to kill McClusky and Sollozzo, all his brothers turn their atttention to him. Since Michael is the protagonist, we as the audience feel wanted and special as well.

3. The Personalities. Flamboyant, comical characters are common in gangster/mafia movies, and the audience loves to see a bad guy with a charming attitude. We love to laugh and feel connected with these "bad boys" as they crack and joke with their friends. We love how successful, daring and fun they are as well, perhaps because we wish to see these attributes in ourselves. In "Goodfellas", the scene where the group is eating dinner at a restaurant, Tommy plays with Henry in pretending he is offended by a joke. This is a hilarious part, because oddly Tommy, a very likeable (though has a large temper and is agressive) character is witty. Even though we see Tommy brutally kill Billy Batts, we can't help but still be attracted to his personality.


Mafia and Gang movies show our dangerous sides, and give the audience a chance to live the lives of people we wish we could be.