Fans of legendary Godfather actor Al Pacino (84) are in for a BIG treat with Sonny Boy, an honest at times intriguing memoir. Pacino has acted in numerous award-winning films, but his titular role as Michael Corleone in Godfather is etched in public memory forever. While reading his memoir, you often forget that it is Pacino (not Michael Corleone) who is sharing his life story with you. From his poverty-ridden troubled days in New York City’s South Bronx to his extravagant houses and lifestyle in later years, this memoir has the powerful imagery of a 70-mm movie.
Coming from a broken family, and a mother who had mental health issues, Pacino (fondly known as Sonny Boy) shares stories of his troubled childhood. He started smoking in the dingy alleys with his delinquent pals when he was barely nine. He took to drinking but never did drugs. His mother barred him from playing with the street druggies. He talks of her shock treatment and empty gaze. She eventually died of an overdose when he was barely 22. The loss of some street friends to drug abuse came as a shocker. Pacino did odd jobs to survive, but never gave up his passion for films.
Films like The Panic in Needle Park, The Godfather, The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon made Al Pacino a household name. He essayed the iconic characters in these movies when he was in his mid-thirties. The roles he played in movies made Al Pacino one of the most sought-after and influential actors of the 20th century in film history.
The anecdotes of director Francis Ford Coppola and how he bagged roles in his movies, make for a riveting read. Not many know that Pacino almost lost the iconic role of mafia boss Michael Corleone in Godfather because an exasperated Coppola felt Al Pacino was not delivering his best. But a hurt ankle and sound advice from Coppola did the trick – and the rest as they say was history!
It makes you realise that only someone who has been through so much pain and misery in life can act with ease and breathe a soul into the character. The memoir gives a peek into the life and times of a legend, who entered the film industry without any godfather and never let fate get the upper hand. Sonny Boy is an incredible and inspiring story of a legend who leads and lives his life on his terms like a true Godfather!
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