Fredo gotta be the saddest character in movie history

[Reece]

If this was 1,000 or 2,000 years ago or a plot on GOT/Spartacus/300/Alexander, Fredo would have gotten killed and nobody would’ve cared (just got finished watching Marco Polo were Kublai had to kill his own brother so the scenarios are similar ). You try to kill your brother and harm his family, you a traitor. End of story. It’s just sad because Fredo is such a pitiful person so it’s like harming a defenseless idiot. He put Mike in a no win situation because Fredo would have kept trying to kill him and everytime he failed, he’d try to hide his hands and pretend like he didn’t really mean it.

 

[Tryna Makit]

Sonny would have killed Fredo in a fit of rage....then regretted it his entire life afterward...just like Mike did...same result, just different methods....Fredo had to go

 

[WhoShotCha]

Thinking about how John Cazale was only in 5 films an all 5 are masterpieces, Best Picture nominees.

Plus he was crushing prime Meryl Streep


RIP Cazale

 

[Dave24]

Fredo was weak and not built for that life

 

[Piff Perkins]

In reality...it just doesn't make any sense for him to be so gullible.

Why not? His entire life, he was passed over. Why wouldn't he bite at the first opportunity in his life that was meant for him, one that he could say "they came to me and asked what I thought about it." He didn't know they were going to try to kill Michael, but he didn't need to know - all he needed to know was that they thought he was worthy of respect, and that alone clouded him on everything else.

 

[MostHatedBox]

Fredo was doomed from the start. The scene where Vito gets caught slippin and Fredo fumbled the heater makes me every time.

 

[Piff Perkins]

Thinking about how John Cazale was only in 5 films an all 5 are masterpieces, Best Picture nominees.

Plus he was crushing prime Meryl Streep


RIP Cazale

Godfather
Godfather II
The Conversation
Dog Day Afternoon
The Deer Hunter

Every one of those movies is flawless or damn near flawless and he's great in each one.

 

[Dave24]

Fredo was too stupid to do most tasks and too weak to be muscle or command respect from the other guys. So it's hard to see a role for him. Now....what he could have done....was maybe manage the family's LEGIT businesses. He was a straight laced person anyway so that would've fit him. He couldn't survive around the Moe Greens, the Hyman Roths and the other killers. But, he could've funneled the dirty cash into clean businesses (construction, truck driving, gas stations, real estate, restaurants, whatever etc.) and stayed out of the violent side. Problem was I don't know if he would've somehow fukked that up too

Either way he should've played his role and accepted things. Al Capone was the youngest of all his brothers. The older brothers worked for him. They were 4-5 years older than Al but, fell in line while he bossed up. There was nothing embarrassing about it as Al Capone had the leadership qualities to run the operation, the same way Mikey had what it took to be Don. Fredo probably felt jealous and embarrassed that his younger brother became the heir so to speak but, all he had to do was devote himself to his brother the same way Tom Hagen did, admit that Mike was better to run the business and maybe catch a couple bodies and he would've found the respect he was looking for. But nah........the jealously/envy was too much i guess. Breh could've also just left New York, moved elsewhere and never returned, changed his name and never conspired against his brother and he could've found his own lane but, he did conspire against his own blood and he got killed for it.

Good breakdown! What book would you reccomend on al capone?

 

[Erratic415]

I think in the book, Fredo was molested by a priest.

 

[Dave24]

Did vito fail fredo as a father?

 

[jackswstd]

I recall some casting agent saying he tested out actors by asking them who they would want to play between Michael, Fredo and Sonny. Most chose either Sonny or Micheal. Cazale did a masterful job, the casting director thought it spoke to how difficult it is for some actors to attempt to challenge themselves.

Vito seeing that Fredo wasn’t built for that life should’ve discouraged him like he did Michael in the beginning. He could’ve pulled strings for him to do anything else.

 

[Dave24]

I recall some casting agent saying he tested out actors by asking them who they would want to play between Michael, Fredo and Sonny. Most chose either Sonny or Micheal. Cazale did a masterful job, the casting director thought it spoke to how difficult it is for some actors to attempt to challenge themselves.

Vito seeing that Fredo wasn’t built for that life should’ve discouraged him like he did Michael in the beginning. He could’ve pulled strings for him to do anything else.

What if you are weak/soft like fredo in real life? That is how i am. How can i change?