Fargo

          Fargo has been nominated for 7 Academy Awards, 3 Golden Globes, and is mentioned on various “Best Movies” lists. The Coen Brothers almost always deliver a well done movie. This could be proven by their 33 Academy Award nominations. Sadly, I was not very impressed with the 1996 film Fargo. 

Fargo done many things well such as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and being Roger Ebert’s 4th favorite film of the 1990’s. The wood chipper scene has become iconic to many viewers. 

One of the reasons I did not enjoy Fargo is because I felt no emotional connection to any of the characters. The characters and the story were well written but in the end when everyone dies, I felt nothing. I am not entirely sure if this was something that the Coen Brothers meant to do but if it is they definitely succeeded. I understand that Lundegaard wanted to stage a kidnapping for the reward money from his father in law, but what I don’t understand is why he would do that? Greed is a powerful motivator, but kidnapping your wife seems a little extreme. Luckily, the Coen Brothers made a wonderful point about greed and the consequences associated with it. I’m just upset that the movie wasn’t up to my expectations. 

The movie opens by saying that everything in the story is true except for the character’s names in order to protect their true identities, when in reality, the movie was completely fictional. Having a pair of writers that falsely claims a story to be true made me feel like I was lied to despite their intentions. 

Also, I was unsure of who the main character of the story was. In the beginning, Jerry Lundegaard (Macy) seems to be the main character, but by the end of the film, it turns out to be Marge Olmstead Gunderson (McDormand). I felt like the Coen Brothers were not very clear on this aspect of the movie; this aided in my emotional detachment from the characters and my overall unpleasant feeling about the film.