The Godthumb

The most recent entry in Steve Odekerk's series of thumb-themed movie shorts (Thumbtanic, Thumb Wars, The Blair Thumb), The Godthumb parodies selected scenes from Francis Ford Coppola's celebrated 1972 epic The Godfather. Featuring a cast of talking thumb-people, The Godthumb modifies monikers (from Kay to Bea, Mikey to Mickey, etc.), exaggerates character traits (the Sonny-like character uses an afro pick, the Godfather-character eats kittens), and replaces the original solemn dialogue with slapstick. Parodying memorable scenes such as the horse head fiasco (exemplified here with several animals, including an elephant: “I guess peanuts won't help this time…”), the attempted murder of Vito Corleone (thumb-Fredo stands idly by, asking his pop if he hears the fireworks), and Michael's restaurant slaying (here held in a kiddie fast food joint), the program misses more targets than it hits (with more time spent on the Johnny Fontaine-character here than in the original, for godfather's sake). The DVD version includes thumb outtakes, interviews, and previews for other thumb films. An offer that most libraries can safely refuse, this is strictly optional. Aud: P. (J. Williams)