Franzese Film Rated R; Ex-Capo Says MPAA "Out of Touch"

God the Father, slated for release on October 31, the day Michael Franzese became a "made man," does not shy away from the real world Franzese once inhabited.

But a scene of Christ's Crucifixion, plus stock footage of mobsters, helped tip the scales at the MPAA, which gave the film an R rating.

"I spent over 20 years on the street, every day in violation of both God's laws and the laws of man," said Franzese. "And the powers that be have a problem not only with Mob reality being seen, but also with Biblical history?  You see worse images and stories on the 6 o'clock news! The entertainment business can't afford to be out of touch with real world problems our youth are experiencing, from gangs to drugs and violence.  Anyone over 13 needs the opportunity to see this film."

"Its real world stuff (the Mob scene footage) that is around us all the time," says Franzese.  "It's not the gratuitous violence most movies include for the audience reaction, but real life, real crime and real people. All ages need to see this, but especially our young people who are confronted every day with opportunities to go down the wrong path… This film was created from my reality, for all to see a life outside of the Mob, a way out… but you have to see the reality of it to understand the impact of the redemption that can occur, as what happened in my own life."

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Franzese adds: "In making God The Father, we went to great lengths to show the dark aspect of my real life story in a subtle and intelligent way.  The story of Jesus's suffering and Crucifixion is very well known and in the past, audiences have been willing to endure the intensity of those scenes.   What is important to me is to share the parallel themes that I discovered in the story of the Crucifixion and my own experiences in 'The Life': themes such as perseverance, forgiveness, redemption and faith.   I hope that this film will allow everyone to see beyond the short-term and see that there are choices to lead a positive fulfilling life for themselves and those around them."

God The Father takes audiences on the untold personal journey into the life and spiritual transformation of Michael Franzese, a young and charismatic Capo in the Colombo crime family during the 1980's-90's, who's notorious father Sonny Franzese was also a renowned Underboss. It's a true story about mafia, money, love, loyalty and God.

The film has a running time of 101 minutes.

Opening weekend, the film will be shown in these New York-area theaters:

AMC Clifton, NJ
AMC Elizabeth, NJ
Empire AMC, 42nd Street NYC.