At one point during Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, Al Pacino gets upset with a business partner for wearing shorts to a meeting. The exchange comes as little more than a bit of comic relief, one that provides yet another quirk to Pacino’s highly idiosyncratic character. Even so, it’s got Netflix setting out on a rather unusual search mission.
In a series of tweets, the streamer has been conducting an investigation that aims to find a film in which Pacino wears shorts. In theory, this should be done in no time considering his characters frequently find themselves in hot climates. So far, however, the search has proven unsuccessful.
Starting out with The Irishman, Netflix points out that Pacino may be the crazy person in this scene for insisting on wearing trousers to a meeting that takes place in Florida in the middle of the summer. In a follow-up tweet, the streamer then looked at The Godfather Part II, where Michael Corleone spends a considerable amount of the film in Cuba wearing a similar outfit.
Meanwhile, like many other characters in the Miami-set movie Scarface, Pacino spends the pic clad in a white suit, while Donnie Brasco has a scene that takes place on the beach, but even though the vast majority of the characters are clad in shorts or swimming trunks, Pacino sports his usual, long-legged attire.
After extensive hours of research and a thorough investigation, one thing has become clear: Al Pacino has never worn shorts in a movie. Hear me out. (thread)
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) August 19, 2020
"Oh, but Pacino has acted in over 50 feature films," you say. "He *must* have worn shorts in one of the many hot/topical locations he's been in!"
My friend, you are dead wrong. pic.twitter.com/gpv95dEfCv
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) August 19, 2020
OK, in THE IRISHMAN we all know he doesn’t wear shorts in Florida despite the daily highs of 92°F in the summer, because he “has a meeting”. Fine, fair enough. I respect it! pic.twitter.com/JCfRfaKY67
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) August 19, 2020
But in THE GODFATHER PART II, Michael Corleone spends more than half the movie in Cuba, which is like, basically on the equator!
Well… pic.twitter.com/PkGo1mJnUe
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) August 19, 2020
Alright but he definitely goes to Florida on vacation in DONNY BRASCO. They go to the beach and ride a yacht and to a water park and everything! Classic places people would definitely wear shorts.”
Nope. Pants. Pants. Pants. Pants. pic.twitter.com/iGZwUxnI1L
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) August 19, 2020
“Okay, okay, okay, but what about SCARFACE? The *entire movie* is set in Miami Beach, and you’re telling me he doesn’t wear shorts a single time?? Not even a bathing suit?!?”
Yes friend, that is what I am telling you. This man’s legs have never seen the light of day on screen. pic.twitter.com/k3nlK2qfS6
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) August 19, 2020
The fact is, we have never one seen Al Pacino’s legs in a movie. The man hates shorts. End of story. pic.twitter.com/vXL4y44Vh5
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) August 19, 2020
Ultimately, fans were able to beat Netflix to the punch. Replying to the streamer’s tweet with a clip from the 1999 film The Insider, they were able to find a scene in which Al Pacino does indeed wear shorts.
Netflix, in turn, replied with a still from Star Wars showing Samuel L. Jackson granting them the title of master.
to everyone who replied with proof of shorts from THE INSIDER https://t.co/Ieye7KMB1B pic.twitter.com/UEbcDiBpxk
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) August 19, 2020
Well played Netflix, well played.
