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In the 1995 film Sabrina, Mr. Tyson is giving a toast to celebrate the engagement of his daughter to David Larrabee.

When Mr. Tyson is finishing his toast, he jokingly quotes The Godfather:

May your first child be a masculine child

Mrs. Tyson tells Linus Larrabee that the quote was from Serpico. Is there some reason why she claimed that it was from the incorrect movie? Was this some sort of joke that Mrs. Tyson didn't know what she was talking about?

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  • My guess is it's to show that Mrs. Tyson doesn't know what she is talking about. Elizabeth makes a comment later about how her parents try to make jokes and they often unintentionally come out as innuendos that they aren't aware of.
    – Rosie ♦
    Commented Feb 23, 2021 at 22:38

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Is there some reason why she claimed that it was from the incorrect movie? Was this some sort of joke that Mrs. Tyson didn't know what she was talking about?

Yes, this was meant to be funny.

Serpico was released in 1973, just between The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974). In both Serpico and The Godfather, Al Pacino plays a major character.

Given this, it's not completely inexcusable that Mrs. Tyson confused the films with each other.

How is it funny though?

Perhaps the humor of it comes from the differences in the two films, with Al Pacino trying to take down crime/corruption in Serpico, but being apart of it in The Godfather. Also, "The Godfather accent" is very well known, and so, mistaking its origins for anything other than The Godfather could be considered funny to some.

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  • That line wasn't spoken to Michael (Al Pacino) in The Godfather. It was spoken to Vito (Marlon Brando), but it was "I hope that their first child be a masculine child," a reference to Vito's daughter (Michael's sister) and her new husband.
    – spoko
    Commented Apr 4, 2018 at 23:05
  • @spoko You're right..! It's been some years since I've watched the films, but I've made the appropriate edit. Thanks.
    – Charles
    Commented Apr 4, 2018 at 23:21

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