The Freshman (1990)

Marlon Brando's resemblance to his Godfather role is the obvious joke, but Andrew Bergman gives the film more to do than keep pointing at it. Matthew Broderick's bewildered student is drawn into increasingly peculiar errands, including an endangered lizard and a very exclusive meal. Brando's calm makes the surrounding absurdity funnier. Some familiarity with his gangster persona adds pleasure, yet the deadpan relationship carries viewers new to the reference. It is a much more nimble comic construction than a celebrity self-parody alone.