The Offer (2022) Episode 10 – Review, Recap & Ending Explained: Most movies and shows about the world of entertainment do have the scope of talking about some of the most basic problems that plague the industry. But they usually choose to focus on the topics that have been tackled from a hundred different angles and then come to the same conclusion as their predecessors; thereby saying nothing new about entertainment or the industry. Not The Offer (2022) though. With Episode 9, it delved into the question of why producers and distributors prefer smaller cuts of movies. The answer is simple: maximum plays per screen. The repercussions of this decision is complex though as it harms everything that is actually good about the movie. However, Al Ruddy (Miles Teller) didn’t let that happen to The Godfather (1972) and even got a resounding round of applause from gangsters in New York after showing them the final cut.
The Offer Episode 10 Review:
As the opening credits state, The Offer is based on Albert S. Ruddy’s experience of making The Godfather. Yes, the showrunners of this miniseries props him up as the Godfather of The Godfather, often showing how prophetic he is by swapping the timeline of some events. But the finale really feels like an ode to Robert Evans. He is credited for the movie’s marketing strategy (which, for better or for worse, is the same marketing model that is used by the biggest production houses in the USA to tip the scales towards their movie). He shows the maximum amount of growth over the course of these ten episodes. He gets the most heartfelt note of thanks from the characters, especially Ruddy. And, it all feels earned. So, credit where credit is due, good on the showrunners (Albert S. Ruddy is an executive producer on this miniseries, FYI), for doing that for Evans.
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What can be said about every other aspect of The Offer that’s not been said yet? It’s one of the best miniseries of the year. It’s not all perfect. There’s a significant lack of flair and pulp, primarily in its visuals. But that’s more than made up for by the uber-talented cast and the focus on drilling the idea into the viewers’ head that filmmaking is a collaborative process. The whole cast undoubtedly deserves a lot of applause for the work they’ve done here. Since awards have lost their sheen and they rely on a bunch of idiotic factors, if there’s one person who should be hoisted on shoulders and celebrated, it’s Matthew Goode. At the cost of sounding repetitive, everyone is excellent. However, Goode simply outshines them all. He functions on a different plane altogether. The range that he displays. The voice. The physicality. It’s too good and I think everyone who made and is watching the show will agree.
Major spoilers ahead for The Offer Episode 10.
The Offer Episode 10 Recap:
The final episode of the miniseries opens with Francis Ford Coppola (Dan Fogler) pacing back and forth in the bathroom. Ruddy enters and asks why he’s doing that. And he says that Coppola says that he’s too nervous to watch the people watch his movie. Ruddy assures him that everyone is going to like the movie. That’s when Bob Evans (Matthew Goode) comes in too. They joke around and when Francis asks Evans how he is that calm at this hour, he says that he’s always calm. The narrative hard cuts to a month ago where Evans is absolutely losing his shit about Cabaret (1972). Ruddy says he likes the movie. Then we get to why Evans is so upset: he thinks Cabaret is going to eat into The Godfather’s box-office run.
Ruddy re-assures Evans that Cabaret is opening way ahead of The Godfather, so everything is going to be fine. Evans is unconvinced and says that, by chance, if The Godfather doesn’t do well, Charlie Bluhdorn (Burn Gorman) is going to eat them up. Ruddy says that it’s a good thing that Bluhdorn loves the movie. Evans says that the only thing that Bluhdorn cares about is money. So, if the movie works, Bluhdorn is going to take all the credit. If it tanks, he is going to put the blame on Evans and Ruddy. Hence, they have to do something different to make sure The Godfather works. Evans goes to Barry Lapidus (Colin Hanks) to ask for advice. He initially taunts Evans for going for the longer cut and missing the Christmas release. Then he hints that he has a crazy idea for which Evans has to go to New York.
Meanwhile, Ruddy is getting anxious that everyone from Francis to Mario Puzo (Patrick Gallo) have moved on to their next big project. But he is still tinkering around. Ruddy comes to the conclusion that since he has no offers coming his way, he has to make one of his own. He produces a treatment (which is a document that presents the idea of a film before writing a script because no one wants to write a full, uncommissioned script) for a movie. Bettye (Juno Temple) reads and says that she loves it. When asked about getting the idea for it, Ruddy says that he had it on the backburner for a long time. Bettye observes that the story seems to be a metaphor for the making of The Godfather. Ruddy requests Bettye to use her talent to get people to star in it.
Evans and Lapidus meet with Bluhdorn to pitch the idea of block booking. So, instead of sending select movies to select theaters, Lapidus wants them to spend an unprecedented amount of money to block book 300 of them, at least, and send The Godfather to all of them. Traditionally, studios would do that to peddle second-rate products along with A-list IPs, thereby making the distribution economical. But what Lapidus is proposing is doing the same but with just one movie. Evans backs Lapidus, for once, and says that this way they’ll truly be capitalizing on the buzz around the movie and be in all the headlines of all the entertainment magazines. Bluhdorn takes a pause and then tells them to go ahead with it. Also, Bluhdorn reminds Evans that he has to bring Henry Kissinger (Dave Shalansky) to the premiere.
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In Lapidus’s office, he and Evans share a quiet moment (after Evans glances at a news clipping of Ali MacGraw and Steve McQueen’s relationship) about marriage. The following day, back at his Paramount office, Evans finds out that Ali (Meredith Garretson) is calling him. Ruddy arrives with his film’s treatment and Sheila (Annie Funke) tells him to give Evans a minute. When Ruddy asks about Evans’s mood, Sheila says that they’re going to know about it in a minute because the news report of Ali and McQueen’s relationship has broken and he’s on a call with Ali. Ali apologizes to Evans about the article and asks if they can meet. Sheila says that Evans’s mood is good and Ruddy appreciates it.
Ruddy starts pitching his football movie with great enthusiasm. But it’s interrupted by a call from Bluhdorn for an update on Kissinger. So, Evans postpones the listening session and Ruddy leaves on a disappointing note. Later that night, he talks to Bettye about locking in an actor for the protagonist’s role in his new movie so that Evans gets on board right away. Bettye says that they need to get Burt Reynolds (Brandon Sklenar). Ruddy agrees and tells Bettye to call his agent first thing the next day and secure him. Evans prepares for date night and, well, Ali shows up with divorce papers. Evans is crestfallen and he admits that the biggest mistake of his life has been to let her slip away. He even tries to fix the relationship. However, when he realizes that there’s no turning back, he says that this means she isn’t coming to The Godfather premiere then. Ali doesn’t give a straight answer and they bid goodbye to each other.
Ruddy and Evans leave for The Godfather premiere in New York. Evans gets a call from Kissinger and Evans invites him to the premiere. Kissinger says he will try but no promises. Evans and Ruddy talk about the premiere and the future. Ruddy pitches the movie, drops Burt’s name, and says that Francis should write and direct it. Evans tells him the hard truth that Ruddy’s movie has to wait because they’ll be making the sequel next. Ruddy says that they don’t know how the first movie is going to do. So, he’s skeptical about a sequel. Evans refutes that by saying that The Godfather is their biggest property right now because they’ve invested so much in it and they’ve to capitalize on it as much as they can. That’s why Evans why Ruddy’s full attention on this IP instead of his movie. Ruddy doesn’t respond. Seeing him like that, Evans gives him a note of appreciation for doing a great job with The Godfather.
Ali shows up in front of Evans’s hotel room, surprising him. Then we cut to the premiere which is packed with people from the press and the cast and crew of the film. They soak in the moment. Ruddy and Puzo joke around about the latter’s Superman pitch to Warner Brothers. Evans shows up with Ali. Kissinger shows up too. Bluhdorn seems ecstatic about it, while Lapidus is his usual self. Francis appears and when Ruddy asks how he’s feeling, he says that he’s proud of his work. Ruddy says that so is he. Ali notices Evans looking at Ruddy and Coppola and nudges him to go to them. Puzo joins in and the press asks them to pose for a picture. They take some questions and give the sequel tease.
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Ruddy and Coppola stand outside the screening room, dreading that it hasn’t been received well. Eventually, they start cheering and they heave a sigh of relief. Next, they rush to the newspaper stands near the theater to read the reviews. And, of course, they are all good. People cheer for Evans. Lapidus gets a gift from Evans. Ruddy gets a bunch of flowers and a script from Waldo Salt. Evans gets a photo of Coppola from Coppola to show that, as promised, he has spent his salary on a brand new car. Reynolds reads Ruddy’s The Longest Yard (1974) treatment. When Ruddy hears the word “prison”, he says no. Ruddy says that it’s not about prison but about second chances. That it’s essentially an underdog story. Ruddy even says that he thinks that Reynolds is the only actor alive who can pull it off. Ruddy promises him that if he says “yes”, he’ll see to it that the end product is something that they can both be proud of. And Reynolds does say yes to The Longest Yard.
Evans, Coppola, Puzo and Ruddy meet to talk about The Godfather Part 2 (1974). Coppola and Puzo pitch the movie. Although Evans shows a lot of interest, Ruddy seems out of it. Later that night, Evans and Ruddy tune into that year’s Oscar nominations. They celebrate the news of The Godfather getting eleven nominations and talk about how this is going to change everything for them. The following day, Bettye starts planning out how they are going to tackle The Godfather 2. Ruddy admits that he is afraid that diving into the sequel is going to kill the movie he wants to make with Burt Reynolds. Bettye says that Ruddy can do both at the same time because that is what producers usually do. Ruddy says that he isn’t like everyone else. If he commits, he commits and he can’t give an equal amount of attention to two projects running simultaneously. Bettye understands. Ruddy gives her an address to rendezvous that afternoon.
On his way out, Eddie Kurland (Nicholas Petroccione) meets Ruddy the same way he met Evans. Ruddy realizes that his story has turned into a myth and is inspiring new talent to chase their dream. Lapidus, Bluhdorn and Evans meet to talk about Evans’s plan to stay on as a producer at Paramount with a five-picture deal. For a change, Bluhdorn is rendered speechless. He says that it’s impossible. Evans cites Darryl F. Zanuck’s work at 20th Century Pictures and Bluhdorn taunts him for comparing himself to Zanuck. Lapidus backs Evans by saying that the only difference between Zanuck and Evans is that Evans has produced one of the highest-grossing movies of that time. Bluhdorn asks why he wants to do this. Evans says it’s because he wants his name on the poster instead of just being the head of production. Ruddy gifts Bettye a new office space for his agency. They hug. Ruddy assures Bettye is going to do great as a talent agent.
The Offer Episode 10 Ending Explained:
On the evening of the Academy Awards, Ruddy and Bettye drive out in a limo. They enter the awards with their spirits high, but it’s deflated by Cabaret’s wins. Those moments of sadness are subverted by the Best Adapted Screenplay award and the Best Actor in a Leading Role award. Just like it happened in real life, Sacheen Littlefeather goes to take it and reject it on Brando’s (Justin Chambers) behalf. The backstory is that Brando boycotted the ceremony to protest Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans and draw some attention to the standoff at Wounded Knee. Littlefeather’s speech was booed. Roger Moore escorted her off-stage so that the press and those critical of her didn’t hound her. And, as per Oscars producer Koch and director Marty Pasetta, John Wayne had to be restrained by six security guards from forcing Littlefeather off stage. Raquel Welch, Clint Eastwood and Michael Caine made several awful remarks about Littlefeather and that’s Hollywood for you, folks.
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Ruddy contemplates leaving early because he’s sure they aren’t going to win anything else. That’s when the announcement is made that The Godfather is the Best Picture of the year. Ruddy goes to the stage to take the award and the episode cuts to the afterparty where Evans is congratulating the cast and crew. Everyone revels in the moment and Ruddy drops the bomb on Evans. He says that he’s bowing out of The Godfather 2. Evans is flabbergasted and he tries to pursue him out of this idea. Ruddy is adamant though and he gives a passionate speech about his relationship with Evans. Evans warns him that if he walks away from the opportunity of a lifetime and his movie with Reynolds fails, it’s all on Ruddy (fact check: The Longest Yard made $43 million on a $2.9 million budget and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy). Evans sends him on his way and Ruddy thanks him for it. The episode ends with Reynolds walking onto the set of The Longest Yard while Ruddy looks on.
