"I'm getting too old for this nonsense."
— Carmine Sabatini
The Freshman is a 1990 comedy crime film written and directed by Andrew Bergman.
Matthew Broderick stars as Clark Kellogg, a freshman student with NYU’s film program who somehow finds himself getting involved in a scheme led by Carmine Sabatini aka “Jimmy the Toucan”, a mafia figure who was the supposed inspiration for Vito Corleone of The Godfather (and is also played by Marlon Brando).
After chance encounter with Carmine's nephew, Clark is offered a lot of money to run small errands for the mobster, including transporting a live Komodo Dragon from JFK Airport to a particular location. However, Clark soon discovers Carmine’s criminal connections and the fact that the Komodo dragon is intended to be slaughtered and consumed by high-paying guests. Meanwhile, his unsympathetic film teacher is showing his students The Godfather Part II.
The film — which perhaps not so coincidentally came out the same year as The Godfather Part III — also features performances from Penelope Ann Miller, Bruno Kirby, Frank Whaley, Jon Polito, B.D. Wong, and Maximilian Schell.
Not to be confused with the 1925 silent comedy starring Harold Lloyd.
The Freshman contains examples of:
- Animal Wrongs Group: Clark’s stepfather, head of the “Friends of Fish and Wildlife”. He’s the one who calls the Department of Justice after Clark calls his mom about the Komodo Dragon.
- As Himself: Bert Parks as the host of the Gourmet Club.
- Asian Speekee Engrish: Edward when first meeting Clark. When he appears again at the end of the film, however, he is heard speaking perfect English with an American accent, implying his earlier behavior was an act.
- Asshole Victim: Every customer of The Gourmet Club getting scammed out of their money.
- Batman Gambit: Carmine had Clark in mind for the scheme all along and was working with the FBI. Clark was chosen because his extremist father would call the DOJ agents that leads to them scaring Clark.
- "Blackmail" Is Such an Ugly Word: Discussed Trope in terms of the word scam.Clark: So this whole thing as been a scam?
Carmine: This is an ugly word, 'scam.' This is business. If you want to be in business, this is what you do. - Celebrity Paradox: Averted, in that all the characters notice that Carmine, who's played by Marlon Brando, resembles Brando in the first Godfather. (He isn't supposed to be Brando, just a lookalike capitalizing on the resemblance. Tina tells Clark the movie's character was based on Carmine, though we don't know if she's telling the truth.)
- Corrupt Cop: The DOJ agents raid the Gourmet Club and take the money for themselves before being stopped by the FBI.
- The Dreaded: Carmine aka "Jimmy the Toucan". When Tina interrupts Clark's film studies class to look for him, the teacher is less than impressed. When she announces herself as the daughter of Carmine Sabatini, the teacher just about shits a brick.
- Establishing Character Moment: Clark’s stepfather firing upon a hunter that shows his mentality as the head of an Animal Wrongs Group.
- Evil Chef: Played with Larry London. While he claims to serve the meat of endangered animals to wealthy guests for ridiculous prices, he actually never slaughters the animals he displays and runs a scam by serving the patrons chicken, pork, and other standard meats. Of course, the fact that he's a scam artist makes him evil in a completely different way.
- Exotic Entree: The Gourmet Club specializes in serving up endangered animals for high paying guests. Subverted as it’s all a scam. The Komodo Dragon will be taken to a zoo and the guests eat Hawaiian tiger fish mixed smoked turkey.
- Failed a Spot Check: At a gas station, Steve (Clark's roommate) doesn't see the Komodo Dragon leaving the car because he's too busy smoking a cigarette. It isn't until a mechanic sees the Dragon and screams that Steve notices.
- Faking the Dead: Carmine has his death faked in a scuffle between him and Clark.
- False Reassurance: When Clark tells Carmine about the DOJ agents.Clark Kellogg: [The DOJ agents] told me that they would put me in jail for two years, unless I led them to the Gourmet Club.
Carmine Sabatini: No, they're not gonna, they're not gonna send you to jail.
Clark Kellogg: Oh, they're not?
Carmine Sabatini: No, they're gonna blow your brains out. - Femme Fatale: Tina Sabatini is able to be as threatening and manipulative as her father.
- Gray-and-Grey Morality: The Gourmet Club is absolutely a scam operation. However, they're only scamming rich assholes who want to flaunt their wealth and status by eating endangered species. Which is the bigger sin, really?
- In Love with the Gangster's Girl: Clark stumbles into a relationship with Tina Sabatini. Exploited Trope as it was all part of Carmine's plan but the two start to hit it off after the ruse is over.
- Inspiration for the Work: In-Universe. Carmine is said to be the inspiration for Vito Corleone by numerous characters.
- Jerkass: Arthur Fleeber, Clark’s film teacher. He offers No Sympathy for Clark’s bags being stolen and forces his students to buy his own literature as textbooks.
- An Offer You Can't Refuse:
- Sabatini pulls this on Clark.
Carmine Sabatini: I want you to take this opportunity. Totally legitimate work for $1,000 dollars a week. And I know that you're not gonna disappoint me.
Clark Kellogg: Well, I don't see how I could say no.
Carmine Sabatini: This is not a yes. [Cracks a walnut in his hand] I want to hear yes.- After the ruse is over, Carmine offers some genuine help to get Clark into the movies but Clark gently declines.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: The Komodo Dragon causes chaos when it ends up loose in a mall.
- Rock Bottom: How Clark feels right before the climax.Clark Kellogg: There's a kind of freedom in being completely screwed... because you know things can't get any worse.
- Run for the Border: Sabatini gives Clark a fake passport just in case they need to flee America. They never need to.
- Running Gag: Everyone thinks that Clark is from a state other than Vermont.
- Shout-Out: The aforementioned fake passport has Rodolfo Lassparri as Clark's fake name.
- Suspiciously Idle Officers: The two DOJ agents of the "Fish and Wildlife Division." It is eventually revealed that these agents are actually in the pay of a rival Mob family, and plan on killing both the student and the gangster and stealing the proceeds of their crimes. In reality, they're Only in It for the Money and take the cash from the scam before being busted by the FBI.
