Movie Advice Monday: You've Got Mail


"The Godfather is the I-ching. The Godfather is the sum of all wisdom. The Godfather is the answer to any question. What should I pack for my summer vacation? 'Leave the gun, take the cannoli.' What day of the week is it? 'Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday.'"

Joe Fox, You've Got Mail (1998)

When presented with the challenge to help a friend in need, Joe provides strategic advice taken directly from The Godfather. His friend, Kathleen, balks at the advice given with her response, "What is it with men and The Godfather?"

Last week I quoted The Godfather directly. I personally think it offers all sorts of great advice, and if you want me to, I could give you 9 off the top of my head right now. (Well, maybe not 9, but you get the idea.) Of course, some of them may not be valid for all walks of life, but many of them could be.

And men seem to love and appreciate this Godfather wisdom more than women. I’m not really sure why, but I've experienced it first-hand. But I propose to you that the advice must be valid if another movie uses Godfather wisdom to prove its own point. And doubly so if it's a movie that was written by two women – not one, two! The late Nora Ephron and her sister, Delia, understood the abundant wisdom that sprang forth from the masculine overtones of The Godfather.

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