Fargo Review

Overall 4.00 of 5 (by 1 user)

GeorgeChabot
Conyers, GA

This doesn't look like they're from Brainerd - Fargo

cult film connoisseur, Fan of Superb Productions, Lover of quirky, unique films

Pros

Acting, Story, Dialog

Cons

Need to be more like this, Quite a few cuss words

MAR

2008

Fargo —

Fargo

"That your friend out there in the wood chipper?" Sheriff Marge Gunderson

Joel and Ethan Coen had a hit from the frozen tundra of North Dakota. They say truth is stranger than fiction, and watching Fargo, you can see just how true this is.

In a cast list that sounds like a bunch of Scandinavian immigrants, William H. Macy plays bumbling criminal mastermind Jerry Lundegaard. Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) is the pregnant local sheriff who cracks the case.

Dialog consists of a lot of mid-western slang punctuated by innumerable yas. Anybody from the area will recognize it immediately and will probably laugh often. The small town dialog is quite authentic, and shows what an ear the Coen brothers have.

Great support is provided by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, the kidnappers hired by Macy to kidnap his wife. Macy plans to extort $1,000,000 from his car dealer father-in-law. He promised the thugs $40,000 plus a Ciera to do the job. No harm in making a little profit on the transaction!

Everything begins to unravel for Macy as he is confronted by General Motors about the paperwork on the missing Ciera, and his father-in-law unexpectedly wants to deliver the ransom, personally. When Marge Gunderson comes in to the dealership to inquire about a missing Ciera, Macy almost loses it. "Gosh darn it. All right. Heck, if you want to play games," etc., etc, he nervously responds, raising her suspicions.

Meanwhile, the kidnappers have not been idle. In fact, Marge is investigating a couple of bodies that were found up in her neck of the woods, tiny Brainerd, Minnesota. Witnesses remember seeing a tan Ciera in the area. "I don't think the killers are from Brainerd," she muses.

Fargo is unexpectedly funny in a quirky way and pleased me. It is good solid entertainment, especially with no big names and a mosquito-sized budget. What carries the movie is the story, dialog, and solid acting by the cast. Frances McDormand deservedly won an academy award for her pregnant sheriff, and William H. Macy, as the panicky "Jerry Lundegaard" easily performed as well but did not get a statuette.

Last edited on Sep 22, 2008

Fargo is recommended by GeorgeChabot

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Comments about GeorgeChabot’s Review

In response to GeorgeChabot's comment from Mar 25, 2008 at 3:35PM:

I agree about Raising Arizona but Miller's Crossing left me cold :-(

In response to TaraLee's comment from Mar 22, 2008 at 7:43AM:

Thanks - I like Raising Arizona and Miller's Crossing, also. ;>

Great review. I am a huge fan of the Coen brothers.

In response to Ma-Goose's comment from Mar 19, 2008 at 8:29PM:

It's a good movie to pop in once in a while and get some laughs. ;>

In response to jazzybean01's comment from Mar 19, 2008 at 3:30PM:

She was great! :>

Yaaa, gosh darn-it, I loved it too! I need to re-experience Fargo. (The constant eating by the Buddha-belly cop and her hardly-says-a-word husband always makes me wanna raid my fridge. lol!)

This movie was great. I loved the woman police officer.

Good review, as always!

In response to mrkstvns's comment from Mar 19, 2008 at 11:51AM:

I mean, I about fell out of my chair when Marge asked Stormare where his friend was. ;>

In response to kevin's comment from Mar 19, 2008 at 9:15AM:

I just got a lot of laughs. The script really captures the mirth of the heavily Scandinavian named population and the dead pan seriousness of the usually sober types contrasted with the desperation of Macy and the zany antics of Buscemi and Stormare. Thanks for stopping by, Kevin! :>

Yes indeed, Fargo is funny in a quirky way. If you can't laugh at people getting stuffed into a wood chipper, what the heck CAN ya laugh at??

I saw this when it first came out and I completely didn't "get" it. I'll have to give this one another whorl based on your great write up.

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Key Information	Directors Joel Coen Stars William H. Macy Actors Peter Stormare Genre Dramas Subgenre Recommended • Character Study • Cops • Kidnapping • Murder • Black Comedy • Betrayal • Deception • Essential... MPAA Rating R (MPAA) Available Formats VHS: 111-min UPC 780063869331 Release Date 1996 Running Time 1hr 43min
Languages	Original Language English
DVD Editions	DVD Editions DVD: Canadian; Special Edition1hr 38min20th Century Fox Home EntertainmentJanuary 11, 2005Not Rated027616895653
Credits	Screenwriter Joel Coen
Professional Reviews	Professional Reviews (03/08/1996, p.7D, Mike Clark): "...McDormand's uproariously sly-spry performance connects with Roger Deakins' bleakly...
VHS Editions	VHS Editions VHS: Spanish SubtitledUSA Home VideoOctober 01, 1996R (MPAA)
Quotes from the Movie	Quotes from the Movie "Yah?" "Yah."--just about every character in the film, at one time or another <br> <br> "Oh--I just, I think I'm gonna barf....