The movie is the same as the life it portrays..... nothing changes except maybe the items on a menu or buffet table.

And it begs begs begs you to stereotype!

You can either be delighted or confused by it's simplicity.

When we saw it months ago I was confused. In having to evaluate it for the group I realized I had a choice. I choose to be delighted.
Barbara

We rented Fargo many months back and enjoyed it. I re-rented it today and watched it while Pat was at a school function (cocktails, hor d'ouvres, chit-chat, correct politicing...definitely a dangerous place for me! Actually the academic folks are beginning to suspect that Pat only pretends to have a wife since no one ever sees her ... wouldn't that be interesting ...poor Pat, he didn't know what he was in for with me .... hahahahahahahhahahahaha). Jimminy, I get myself off on tangents.

So from mirrors to accents. Our first two films featured women talking to mirrors. The last two have had characters whose speech patterns are captivating. Going to school in Wisconsin, I had a small taste of the ya der hey lingo, but this movie could almost be swedish.

Boy could that Margie eat ...I got the same feeling reading Confederacy of Dunces as I did watching her eat... I HAD to pause the film and gather munchies. I enjoyed her character ...kind of a Columbo-esqueness which is engaging. And she makes the point of the movie as she drives the lone survivor to the authorities ...the pointlessness of the whole undertaking.

For some reason Mr. Lundeguard seemed very real to me. I'm not sure whether I've met a person like him, or just experienced that brand of "evil" in my travels. I think the latter, and I can assure you those kind of people are real ...and they do launch others into losing propositions through their petty stupidity and greed (for money, power, control, status, whatever).

Was the film serious in its initial comment ...that it's about real events? Is anyone familiar with the real events? With the news we see these days, I can believe it.

I await the comments of the group. It's late (10:34 pm here) so my mind is slipping away...unlike the night owls in the group (or the 4:30 am roosters), I'm sharpest at a sedate 6:30 am.
Vicki

I really liked this movie. Keith and I have seen it 4 times. I think that Mom is right about it being a very simple, one-track story line. But I think that the Cohen Brothers intended it to be that way.

They portrayed the characters as one-dimensional against a very bleak white (wintery) background. It is very interesting to watch the cinematography. I think that it was well done. The premise is greed and with the exception of Marge, her husband, Mrs. Lundegard and Scotty....everyone else is greedy. And it is their greed that leads to their demise.

What I still do not understand is how, how Mr. Lundegard gets himself into that bind and then plots the kidnapping of his wife. Mr. Lundegard has the american dream of a good house, a well paying job and a family. What purpose would the money have served? I guess you always want more than what you have. But how do you ever get the idea to hold your spouse hostage? Something always goes wrong - you know......the best laid plans of mice and men.....

I also want to point out that Keith & I are big, big fans of Steve Buscemi (the funny little guy). I think that he does a fine job and is always overlooked in his pictures. If you remember he was "Mr. Pink" in Reservior Dogs. He was also in Desperado with Antonio Bandaras and dozens of other films. We always search out films with him in it.

Sorry....back to Fargo. Keith & I roared the first time we saw this film. The speech patterns of the people from "Minnesota" is a real hoot. I know a lot of people who speak exactly like that. I think that you are wrong mom about it being only "stereotypical". It is somewhat, but it is the same premise when people from the south are portrayed. You end up with drawls all over the place. Not everyone from the south has a drawl and sounds like Miss Pissy Belle. With Fargo, it seems "stereotypical" because you do not have many movies from the north. Except perhaps Feeling Minnesota and that was a terrible movie. I also think that their speech patterns lend to the simplicity of the story line. It makes the people seem less complex.

I thought that the idea of a pregnant state trooper was a refreshingly novel idea. Frances McDormand is married to one of the Cohen brothers and was really pregnant with their first child at the time of the movie. Not many people would have gone for that story line twist. It was surprising how smart she really was.

What I want comments on is the exchange between Marge and the guy from high school. That scene was toooooooo weird. It also seemed out of place. It was not connected to the story line. I think that Marge handled him well when she asked him to sit on the other side. I myself do not deal well with those kinds of uncomfortable situations.

I also felt really bad for Scotty. What was going to happen to him now? His father is going to prison forever. His mother was dead. His grandfather was dead. Now he is alone.

Good pick Susan. Since it is a five day rental, we can watch it a few more times before we have to take it back. Cool.

What say the rest of you??????
kim :)

I have to say that I like Fargo a lot, it makes me laugh every time I watch it and not just because they make fun of Yankees. I have to ask you Barbara if you would have felt the same way if this movie were set in some back woods southern town instead of in Minnesota.I read some where when it first came out that the Coen brothers are from Minnesota. So I don't think that they are sterotyping as much as making fun of their roots. If you have seen any other of the Coen brother's movies that kind of dark humor is typical. I recomend "Raising Arizona", and "Millers Crossing" to any one who liked "Fargo". Those are both excellent examples of their particular kind of movie. The stark, and odd camera angles are indicative of their films. I think thats what appeals to me about their movies; each one is unique. Vicki, I read that the story the movie tells did not actually happen but, that it was kind of a mix of a couple of true stories. It did not really occur to me that the story was simplistic until I read everyone else's reviews. I guess I was distracted by the humor and the odd characters in the movie to really dissect the plot. I think the movie is meant to be more of a parable; making the point of how greed can destroy your life. How it can desensitize you to everything and everyone in your life except for the almighty dollar. Well anyway, I really liked it the first time I saw it and I really liked it the third time as well.

Barbara I hope I did not offend you, I was just kind of curious and I kind of like teasing you. Hope every one is doing well and hope to see you soon.
Keith

I enjoyed Marge's character the most. She seemed to be the most well- rounded (no pun intended). What I found interesting was how very stoic and non-expressive everyone was. Even when they laughed, it seemed put-on. Almost as if they were wind up dolls, going about the day's business as if one day was no different than the previous, or the next.

I, too, enjoyed the cinematography. White and sterile, much like the characters' personalities, with dark, dread-bearing accents, much like the events in their lives. You could say the movie made me cold.

As for the scene between the ex-boyfriend and Marge, I'm not sure of it's purpose. Perhaps it served to give us a little more of Marge's character.

Well, not much to say about this one, unfortunately (or fortunately, for those who didn't enjoy it and are glad to be rid of it). Maybe I should have chosen "Clerks"! This one at least has a few good laughs in it. And if we're going to ever watch "Chasing Amy," we should watch "Clerks" first, because it is referenced quite a number of times in "Amy," and the more knowledge we have of it, the more enjoyable the second movie becomes. Just a thought. Who's on next? I'll be anxiously awaiting your choice.
Susan

OK, Fargo was a cool movie, and they wouldn't have won an oscar if it wasn't...DAD!

Anyway, if you want a great, creative, well-written-by-a-genious movie, see The Game, with Michael Douglas.

I watched it twice to make sure I didn't miss anything, and if you miss anything, call me. I'll fill you in.
Kathy

Movie...you call that a movie?

So...this is a true story? OK, but why tell me about it?

Jerry Lundegaard is the kind of guy you stop talking to after 5 minutes...for the rest of your life. Man, what a loser.

This movie plot (and I'm being kind here) had more holes in it than a pound of Swiss cheese. How did Carl and Gayer ever team up? Shep (the mechanic) said he 'vouched for' Gayer...new nothing about Carl. Oh, and by the way...how did he (Shep) know where to find Carl, a guy he didn't even know?

I suppose the the sheriff's role was played quite well by the actress (and I regret not writing down her name), but...Oscar?.

I could find no social redeeming value in this one. It left me...untouched.
Mike

What seemed odd in many of your comments was the theme of Jerry Lundegard (and it's always a stitch to see how we spell and even name the same characters)... anyway, back to what was so odd to me. There was a reccuring comment about him acting out of greed. I think I could have tolerated him better if he was greedy.

What I found within him that made me uneasy was desperation. He seemed to be a desperate man, driven by his stupidity. What appeared to me to be the setting was that his wife was still "Daddy's little girl" ...... just the way she said "dad" made me cringe and want to puke. Dad seemed to represent the head of the family. And then I surmised that Jerry was running the business that "Dad" probably set him up in..... and because he was a loser to the core managed to get himself in financial trouble to the point of losing the business. He feared losing the business and so got a loan from that company for $230,000 to keep the business going...... THAT is why he had to arrange the kidnapping, in order to make the first payment on the loan.

The reason I felt him to be desperate rather than greedy is because of his reactions and comments to things. At one point he said "but I need it!" and looked panicked rather than ruthless. At another time he replied "No!" with the kind of intensity that gave me a feeling of fear behind it.

He reminded me of people who lie, cheat, steal, (and hurt other people, even get them killed) because they are afraid of being discovered. This to me is worse than greed.

I think Kim and Keith (and perhaps all the rest of you) might have missed my fancy footwork with the comment that the movie begs begs begs you to stereotype. This movie is like looking at caricatures.... with every role an exaggeration of the personality it portrays. It was in the exaggerations that I thought the Cohens were teasing us.

And Keith's question to me: "I have to ask you, Barbara, if you would have felt the same way if this movie were set in some backwoods southern town instead of in Minnesota." My comment about stereotyping may have been too vague for anyone but me to understand and therefore possibly led you astray because I never said how I felt about the people or the setting. However, I found it fascinating that you thought the movie made fun of Yankees. Those people, to me, were not Yankees. I guess it's all in the ear of the beholder. Thanks for the comment about not wanting to offend me, I need all the compassionate people I can find.

And now we have probably put more words to our reviews than were in that movie.