The Inherent Likability of Sonny Corleone

Within the Godfather films, Sonny Corleone has always been my favorite character. Having mentioned this to various people over the last month in conjunction with viewing the films in one of my courses, I was surprised to see a pattern emerge. Apart from the few strident feminists who couldn't get past Sonny's womanizing, most everyone I talked to also cited Sonny as their favorite character, and his death as one of the most tragic and agonizing sequences of the film. This puzzled me. With Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro both receiving Oscars for their brilliant work as Vito Corleone and Al Pacino's stellar, star-making performance as Michael, why does Sonny get all the love? Michael is the center of the piece, the tragic hero, the one that audiences are (initially) supposed to identify with. Though some may see Michael as a villain (particularly in the second film), I would argue that he is a tragic hero, like a figure of Greek tragedy doomed by fate, hubris, and societal laws. The film is about (among a myriad of other things) the inevitable downward spiral that is the life of Michael Corleone -- the tragedy of his continually failed attempts at legitimacy and Americanization because of his ethnicity.

Yet, what do people remember, who do they choose as their "favorite" character? Sonny Corleone. But why? What about Sonny makes me like the second film less merely because of the lack of his presence? What makes him inherently likable to so many? After all, he has a lot of qualities that potentially make him unlikeable. He has a terrible temper and is such a hothead that he creates more trouble for his family than he helps protect them. He insists on "going to the mattresses." His temper leads him to approach everything impulsively (and often violently), and he essentially starts a war between the five families. What's more -- he's a shameless womanizer -- regularly cheating on his wife (and even worse, he does it right under his wife's nose at the highly inappropriate setting of his sister's wedding in the family home). He uses women, which should be enough to cause the average person to disdain him. But yet, he is one of the most beloved characters in the saga of the Corleone family. Why?

Well, first, let's start with a given (and a rather shallow point). The young James Caan is undeniably drop-dead gorgeous -- the type that makes girls swoon. From the first moment he appeared on screen, I fell in love with him. And not only does he have a nice face, but he has a wonderfully toned body and biceps that are regularly shown off as Sonny struts around the Corleone house in his wife-beater. For the most part (particularly in films), we like attractive people -- villains are hideous, often disfigured creatures, while heroes get to be the Adonis. Therefore, Sonny's raw sexuality and good looks make him appealing to audiences before he even speaks. Secondly, Sonny is charming. He couldn't be the lothario he is if he wasn't. His smile and demeanor exude such charisma, particularly when he's talking to women, that you can't help but like the guy. He's friendly, funny, and good-looking with charm to spare -- one almost can't help falling in love with Sonny Corleone.

However, those are two rather shallow reasons. As Hitchcock has exhibited in countless films, villains can be attractive and charming too. And charisma and good looks are not enough to inspire the adoration that many fans feels for Sonny -- not to mention, Michael is good-looking and charming, to an extent, so why don't people like him as much as they love Sonny?

This brings us to the crux of the matter. What, I think, makes Sonny so lovable is his ability to feel deeply and the high level of emotion in his life. In a sense, his destructive temper is why we love him -- he is a man who deeply feels everything and this is why he is so quick to anger. Furthermore, this emotionality makes Sonny incredibly human and vulnerable -- it ultimately leads to his death. Sonny's irrational anger is something most of us have experienced at one time in our lives and so we identify with him. Michael frequently seems cold and detached (almost inhuman in his callousness), but Sonny never does -- he throws his heart fully into everything. We see and feel his varied and deep emotions with him, and this is why we love him.

Additionally, these strong emotions lead to an even more admirable quality -- his unswerving love for and devotion to all members of his family. We can't help but love a family man and Sonny is this in the fullest sense of the word (ignoring his rather negligent treatment of his wife). His decision to "go to the mattresses" may be a destructive one, but it stems from his intense anger that arises out of the attack on his father and in essence, his entire family. Thus, his decision may be rather misguided, but we sympathize with him because we recognize the emotionality that comes when one's family is threatened.

I think the best example of Sonny's intense love for his family, and therefore, the best way to sum up the reasoning behind his inherent likability is his treatment of his sister Connie. Sonny loves his sister almost ferociously, and he takes offense with anyone who mistreats her. We see this deep love when he comes to visit Connie and discovers Carlo has been beating her -- he takes her into a strong bear-hug and kisses the top of her head, as he is visibly shaken by this news. Not only does he seek to comfort Connie, but his anger at her mistreatment result in one of the best scenes (in my opinion) in the entire film: he finds Carlo on the street and for lack of better terminology, beats the crap out of him. This is a stunning display of the love he has for his sister, and we all cheer Sonny on in his righteous indignation as Carlo gets what he deserves. Sadly, this behavior leads to Sonny's death as Carlo uses Sonny's protective nature to lure him into a trap. But it doesn't matter -- as we see Sonny leave the Corleone house for the last time to go defend his sister, we already love his character irrevocably knowing that any man who defends his family to the death is a good man (and indeed a better man than Michael who frequently puts power and success before family).

And this image -- of Sonny running out the door barely getting his coat on as he rushes to defend Connie -- this is the reason behind the inherent likability of Sonny Corleone and his legions of adoring fans. Until next time, here's looking at you kid!

-Reel Classic Dame