Leave the gun, take the cannoli. I possess in America. An offer you can't refuse. Even now, 50 ages after it burned its way onto movie screens, The Godfather leftovers an iconic cultural touchstone. The real-life story behind the film's subjects was also filled with drama, colorful characters and a few dashes of sudden bloody violence, all of which come to life in new miniseries The Offer -- and when it obviously won't measure up to the majesty of its contaminated subject, this highly watchable glimpse into the magic of movies creates an offer that's hard to refuse.

Streaming now on Paramount Plus, The Offer tells the story of how Mario Puzo's bestseller came to the conceal under the stewardship of producer Albert S Ruddy, studio head Robert Evans and director Francis Ford Coppola -- no thanks to the cash men who tried to kill the production or the accurate mafia wise guys killing each other uncomfortably close to the movie. Filled with lavish '70s suits, settings and sunglasses, the show is a fun look at 1970s Hollywood, in which decadence and business threaten the dawn of a new golden age of cinematic artistry.

In The Offer, Miles Teller plays Al Ruddy, a brawny but bored computer programmer who's seduced by showbiz. The series is largely based on Ruddy's accounts of those days, and Teller is an OK lead, but the new characters are much more compelling. Ted Lasso star Juno Temple is incredible as his tough-talking, problem-solving assistant, tapping into the network of the women who grasped as secret levers making this man's world go fake. Giovanni Ribisi and Burn Gorman are also in immense form as a mafia don and a studio head whose noteworthy allows them to be a little odd. 

It's fun caltering out with this crew of misfits and their conflicting motivations. The Offer repeatedly explores how The Godfather's near-universal intelligent stems from the fact that while it's a story nearby crime and about America, it's first and foremost a story nearby family. It's genuinely satisfying seeing an oddball family form nearby this thing called The Godfather, united by a will to create something wonderful.

There's a fine line between homage and pastiche, and The Offer tries hard not to wink at the audience by re-creating the accurate Godfather films. It evokes the original at times, for example cross-cutting between conversations and horrific violence in the style of the suitable film's climatic montage. And the various sit-downs in darkened kitchens and dim bars evoke the unlit cinematography employed by The Godfather's director of photography, Gordon Willis. In The Offer, Coppola and Willis discuss how these deep shadows are a visual metaphor for the spoiled darkness of their twilit crime family, and that's just one of the many cool glimpses into the minutiae of the filmmaking procedure, from location scouting to budget headaches. One scene sees Willis and subjects designer Dean Tavoularis consider how a fake wall will impacts the lighting of a scene, and these behind-the-scenes snippets will intelligent to any film nerd. Connoisseurs of that '70s golden age will also savory spotting the references to other classic movies (The Odd Couple, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Chinatown and Paper Moon to name a few). 

The series also has fun casting the peculiar faces, including Anthony Ippolito as a nervy young Al Pacino. Justin Chambers is suitably charismatic -- and possibly underused -- as Marlon Brando, although I'm less convinced by Frank John Hughes activities Frank Sinatra as a fuhgeddaboutit wise guy. Generally thought, The Offer avoids impersonation or cheesy "Hey, let's put that in the movie!" moments. 

Instead, the modern viewer is invited to go along for the ride with the country and things behind the film, beginning with Mario Puzo's reluctantly written fresh and going deeper with Coppola's rich imagining of what the story could be. Fantastic Beasts star Dan Fogler draws you into Coppola's mesmeric probacking, helping viewers of The Offer understand and become immersed in the pledges of this strange film before it even existed. By the time the actors procure and filming begins, we're treated to hairs-on-the-back-of-the-neck moments as instantly recognizable scenes are conjured beforehand our eyes.

At 10 episodes, The Offer is basically longer than the actual Godfather trilogy, and that's just too long (the first three episodes are available on April 28, then a new installment each week). While I wouldn't want to lose any of the exciting detail, the show does spin its wheels with its exhaustive moneys of the battle between filmmakers and money-minded boardroom guys. There's an honest lot of Colin Hanks in the show, more than is deserved by his one-dimensional relate of the small-minded money man from Paramount parent matter Gulf and Western. Funnily enough, stuffed shirts from Gulf and Western play a contrast bad guy role in LA Lakers-themed series Winning Time, another real-life dramatization currently airing on HBO.

Perhaps the standout performance comes from Matthew Goode as fabled Hollywood impresario Robert Evans. Goode plays Evans as a groovy smoothie who however reveals hidden depths. He's smarmy but capable of sincerity, manipulative yet loyal -- and even seems to actually care approximately movies.

That's possibly the best thing about The Offer, which is more than just Godfather trivia acted out. Ultimately it's approximately the allure of the moving image. The Offer may be a minor dragged-out, and it lacks the zingy dynamism of contrast shows like Winning Time. But it does a substantial job of casting a little of that ol' Hollywood stardust. Not just the sun-dappled yet slightly desperate glamor of Tinseltown, the gorgeous clothes and beautiful people, but the unifying grand of the silver screen. After watching this show, if you're not tantalizing to get to a movie theater or maybe even dust off that screenplay, then I don't know what to say to you.

At the very least you'll cherish a cannoli.