The Freshman

The Freshman (1990) is an American crime comedy you can watch online on iFILM. Director Andrew Bergman built it around one inspired casting choice: Marlon Brando playing an enigmatic mob patriarch who looks and sounds unmistakably like Vito Corleone, with full awareness of the joke.

Clark (Matthew Broderick) is a film student who lands in New York City and loses his belongings on day one. A charming stranger named Carmine Sabatini — that same Brando — offers him a job. The gig involves rare animals, lavish dinners, and a clientele that does not ask questions. Bruno Kirby and Penelope Ann Miller round out a cast that keeps the absurdity grounded enough to feel like a real story rather than a sketch.

Brando famously trashed the film in an interview during production, then walked the comments back. The finished picture is warmer and sharper than the troubled shoot suggested. Stream The Freshman (1990) online on iFILM.