Sterritt, David. "An Offer Hollywood Can't Refuse." Christian Science Monitor 04 Mar. 2005. 08 Apr. 2008.

The Godfather’s impact on Hollywood has been far more ideological than technical. It has provided inspiration and set an example for multiple works. At times, due to its popularity and the tremendous respect it has garnered, The Godfather has been parodied and spoofed. In Woody Allen’s comedy Annie Hall, Allen tells Diane Keaton that he no longer wants to wait in a movie line because he is tired and, “I’m standing with the cast of The Godfather.” The joke was based on Keaton, who played Kay Adams, the wife of Michael Corleone in The Godfather. More recently in the 1998 romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan discuss The Godfather as Ryan asks, “What is it with men and The Godfather.” Hanks replies, “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' ...” However, the HBO television show, The Sopranos, pays the most homage to The Godfather. Both The Godfather and The Sopranos show the popular appeal of organized crime rooted in the banality of everyday life. The film agent, Eric Meyers says, "Stories like these give us the frisson of knowing how close our lives could come to intersecting with those of organized crime figures, even if it rarely happens in reality." Often The Sopranos make direct references to The Godfather, such as when a mobster is killed by a shot in the eye, which is called the “Moe Green Special”. Even The Sopranos casting methods echo those of The Godfather; Coppola casted an actual former mob member Lenny Montana as Luca Brasi, while Tony Siricio who plays Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos was once jailed for 5 years.

The Godfather established a legacy for which other works such as The Sopranos would learn from and imitate. The Sopranos has often been referred to as modern Godfather, and perhaps it is because of its eerily similar nature that the show has been so successful. In Tony Soprano, viewers can see glimpses of the classic Marlon Brando playing the Don himself. Although there appears to be more of a woman’s influence in The Sopranos, ultimately all mafia families are patriarchal. Other films have spun off of the actual Godfather material, yet in all situations the allusions are out of the utmost admiration for The Godfather. The movie has had by far the most influential effect on Hollywood of any gangster movie and continues to serve as an example for future filmmakers in all genres.