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Mario Puzo

Mario Puzo

Writer · Died July 2, 1999, aged 78 · New York City, New York, USA

Mario Gianluigi Puzo  (October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather (1969). He adapted the novel into a film trilogy with director Francis Ford Coppola, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1972 and 1974. He also co-wrote the screenplays for the first two Christopher Reeves Superman films (1978 and 1980).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 15, 1920
Died
July 2, 1999 (aged 78)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 18 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 9% in 30 days

What are Mario Puzo's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Power.

Genres

Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 95th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
23%
Power
22%
Morality
21%
Bonds
20%
Survival
9%
Society
5%
Corruption4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 6

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 4

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 6

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 5 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 5

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Melancholic
8
Triumphant
3
Thrilling
3
Romantic
3
Other
5

How their films linger

Haunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Mario Puzo's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Pluto TV (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Mario Puzo's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

18 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut(2006)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Last Don II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 2 episodes · Writer

  • The Last Don (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 3 episodes · Creator · Novel · Original Story

  • The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Novel · Screenplay

  • Christopher Columbus: The Discovery(1992)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The Godfather Part III(1990)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Fortunate Pilgrim (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 2 episodes · Novel

  • The Sicilian(1987)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Cotton Club(1984)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Superman III(1983)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • A Time to Die(1982)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Superman II(1980)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Superman(1978)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 4 episodes · Novel · Screenplay · Writer

  • The Godfather Part II(1974)

    Novel · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Earthquake(1974)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Godfather(1972)

    Novel · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Bangladeshi adaptation of The Godfather (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Original Story

Career shape

A full career of 17 titles, 16 of them dated from 1972 to 2006.

Biggest box office

Superman (1978)

$300M worldwide

Highest rated

The Godfather (1972)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing17 of 17: 16 only writing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score75thOther crew1 of 17: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1970s5 · crew1980s5 · crew1990s5 · crew2000s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Mario Puzo's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 12; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 76th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

96thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 12 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · writer

Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992)

51st percentile spread · 49% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

The Godfather (1972)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 50/100 and the plot and story 46/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Mario Puzo's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles37–87 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles23–58 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles27–65 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles31–45 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles44–71 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Mario Puzo work with?

People who share at least 2 of Mario Puzo's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Newman shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers