I love The Godfather and Family Guy. While they aren’t linked by genre, characters, or actors, both are among the most recognizable pieces of media ever created. So, you can imagine my inner conflict when, in one of the show’s most iconic moments, Peter (Seth Macfarlane) admits to his family that he “did not care for The Godfather,” claiming that “it insists upon itself.” It’s a hilariously Peter thing to say, as he tries to sound smarter than he is. But what does it really mean?
This moment has become a meme shared across the internet, especially for those who dislike the Marlon Brando and Al Pacino-led adaptation of Mario Puzo‘s novel. One of the best parts about the gag is how random the critique seems — until now. Seth Macfarlane, the creator of Family Guy, and voice for many characters on the show, recently explained on X where this classic skit came from, and the answer may surprise you.
Peter’s Criticism of ‘The Godfather’ Came From Seth Macfarlane’s Old Film History Professor
The iconic moment comes from Season 4, Episode 27, “The Griffin Family History,” when the Griffins are locked in their panic room during a break-in. As Peter recounts family stories, the room begins to flood, and he decides to share one last thing before they die. While the scene is funny, it’s the line “it insists upon itself” that has stood the test of time, as Peter barely elaborates further. But now, we finally know where this seemingly random line came from.
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Macfarlane took to X (formerly Twitter), to explain that the phrase, “insists upon itself” came from his former film history professor. The line itself was something the professor would use to argue why The Sound of Music was not “a great film.” This is much like Peter’s Godfather critique, which doesn’t entirely make sense. MacFarlane admitted he never understood it either. It makes sense that such a baffling line of dialogue could not come from the mind of anyone trying to think of it, instead being taken from real life — even if Macfarlane does come up with some truly out-of-nowhere gags in the rest of Family Guy.
Peter’s Line Isn’t Completely Non-Sensical When You Think About It in ‘Family Guy’
One of the best parts of this scene is that, despite being a Godfather fan, I can almost understand Peter’s logic. To those who do not like The Godfather, the slow pace and dialogue-heavy scenes probably do feel overly self-indulgent. Peter’s opinion, though uninformed and genuinely funny, is perhaps something others have felt about the film, as he does typically represent the average American man.
What makes this joke even funnier is the setting of its life-or-death scenario. Not only does Peter drop this take during a rough moment for the Griffins, but his family’s shock at this statement leads to them understanding Stewie (Seth Macfarlane), which is one of the few times it happens during the show. Furthermore, Chris (Seth Green) screaming the name “Robert Duvall” and Lois (Alex Borstein) telling Peter he doesn’t “understand” the “language of subtlety” are the typical retorts I can imagine myself saying to someone who doesn’t like the film. It shows how Macfarlane understands the human psyche to make us laugh at seeing a character we’re watching say the same thing we would say.
There may be some who wish Macfarlane had never revealed this and left it to the audience’s imagination to wonder where the line could have come from. But knowing where the line comes from helps to highlight a key aspect of writing people can forget about: life often informs art, and some of the best writing you’ll ever see will be ripped straight from the real world. It is one of Family Guy‘s best gags, not just because it is classic Peter, but because you can’t help but accept there is at least some kind of logic to the critique, even if Peter isn’t smart enough to find the words himself.
All episodes of Family Guy are available to stream on Disney+.
Family Guy
- Release Date
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January 31, 1999
- Network
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FOX
- Directors
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Peter Shin, Pete Michels, John Holmquist, Greg Colton, Brian Iles, Julius Wu, Joseph Lee, Joe Vaux, Mike Kim, Steve Robertson, Dan Povenmire, James Purdum, Dominic Bianchi, Dominic Polcino, Bob Bowen, Monte Young, Zac Moncrief, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bert Ring, Seth Kearsley, Scott Wood, Chuck Klein, Brian Hogan, Gavin Dell
- Writers
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Steve Callaghan, Patrick Meighan, Mark Hentemann, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Tom Devanney, Alex Carter, Alec Sulkin, Wellesley Wild, Gary Janetti, Andrew Goldberg, Mike Desilets, Anthony Blasucci, Matt Weitzman, Kirker Butler, Damien Fahey, John Viener, Brian Scully, Ted Jessup, Chris Regan, Matt Pabian, Garrett Donovan, Ricky Blitt, Aaron Lee, Julius Sharpe
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Alex Borstein
Lois Griffin / Tricia Takanawa / Loretta Brown / Barbara Pewterschmidt (voice)
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Julia Sweeney
Naomi Robinson (voice)
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Michael York
Documentary Speaker (voice)
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