The Godfather is my third favorite movie of all time, and was voted 3rd best American movie ever made by the American Film Institute.  Along with winning multiple Oscars too.  So what is the story?  Well, the box says,
"Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece features Oscar winner Marlon Brando as the patriarch of the Corleone family.  Coppola paints a chilling prtrait of a Sicilian family's rise and near fall from power in America, and the passage of rites from father to son.  He masterfully balances the story between family  life and the ugly business of crime in which they are engaged.  Based on Mario Puzo's best-selling novel, this graphic and brilliant film garnered ten Academy Award nominations."
        My take is that it is the life of the Corleone crime family (aka mafia), and Michael Corleone's rise to becoming the new head of the family.  It is clearly excellent.  The way that they carry themselves about, and the way that they do things is awesome.  The movie provides some good drama, as well as some of the most memorable scenes in movie history, such as Sonny's frickin terrible death, and the famous Baptism scene.  It's even funny in some places.  Don Corleone's death scens is funny.  Or "YOU CAN ACT LIKE A MAN!  What's a matter with you?!" or "Don Corleone...I am honored and grateful for inviting me on this...the day your daughter is to be wed.  And may their first child be a masculine one.  I will leave you now, Don Corleone, because I know you are a busy man."  Of course this all just builds the aura around Don Corleone as a man feared by even the mighty Luca Brasi.  But still, it is fun to laugh at Luca.  The movie is good for many reasons.  If you have never seen this movie, you should at least once.  It is almost a requirement to be alive.
    The book by Mario Puzo is also good.  Although they possibly spend a little to much time on Sonny's "muscle pole" and other things, it is still yet good.  It explains the motives behind some confusing parts in the movie.  Like what is so bad about Sonny saying, "So you're telling me that the Tataligia family will pay all the expenses?" and how that ends up getting Vito shot, and stuff.
    The Godfather part 2 is a good movie too, but not as good as the first.  Still, it won Best Picture, and is like top 40 on the AFI 100 movies.  The Godfather part 3 was good too, but not nearly as good as the first two.  And, of course, the movie gets worked by Coppola's daughter.  She frickin sucks.  That's all there is to it.  She just can't act, man.  The best part of the movie is when she dies.  I was cheering.  You might say, "Dick, Bip."  But if you watch the movie, you will know.