Fargo (1996)

One of the best! A perfect cast.

Frances McDormand being a perfectly chippy officer

William H. Macy being a deceitful and sinful "oh geez-whiz" Lutheran

Steve Buscemi being slimy

Peter Stormare being a quiet but ruthless giant

Harve Presnell being Harve Presnell

I think the music might be the best part of the movie. Funny enough I was just listening to the soundtrack yesterday.

I love this movie.

No Jean, No money

Minnesotan here. The accents are overboard but this could only be made by filmmakers who grew up here. The nuances of behavior are captured perfectly.

I remember watching the Oscars when McDormand won for her role in this. She said something like, this is what happens when you are sleeping with the director. At the time, I did not know she was married to Joel Coen and I thought it was really lowbrow to say. Duh on me.

I'm not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work, there, Lou. LOL. And the joke about a guy who couldn't afford personalized license plates so he changed his name to J3P7768.

The film captures 1990's suburbia well

Ya stayin' for supper, dad?

Your Mom is staying with Lorraine, ok?

The woodchipper scene cracked me up.

Prowler needs a jump!

They install that TruCoat at the factory. There's nothing we can do.

You betcha!

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I know this isn't a "Let's Be" thread, but I want to be Jerry's pathetic wailing when the North Dakota state troopers finally arrest him outside Bismarck.

You know, it's a Radisson, so it's pretty good.

I am proudly friends with 2 of the 3 actresses playing hookers in Fargo. They've always said it was a very happy set.

Darn tootin'!

" I remember watching the Oscars when McDormand won for her role in this. She said something like, this is what happens when you are sleeping with the director."

Oh please she said nothing like that.

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[quote] I am proudly friends with 2 of the 3 actresses playing hookers in Fargo. They've always said it was a very happy set.

Is one of the ones you're friends with Melissa Peterman? She was very funny on the show "Reba."

I always wondered if one of the Fargo TV seasons might touch on the ransom money that Carl buries in the snow in a field and then stupidly flags with an ice scraper.

[quote] I know this isn't a "Let's Be" thread, but I want to be Jerry's pathetic wailing when the North Dakota state troopers finally arrest him outside Bismarck.

At the motel, right?

Former law enforcement here. The cop on the right (as they were standing outside the door) really did look like and have the demeanor of a cop.

It was a revelation and hugely enjoyable when it was released. I don't enjoy rewatching it (I did once and tried a couple other times), even though with the character beats I would have thought it would be something I'd want to repeat a lot. I still think it's good, but I just don't crave it.

It’s one of those films that was phenomenally good then but whose magic has worn off over the years. And no I’m not saying it hasn’t aged well; it still an excellent film but so much of its appeal was the fact that it was like nothing out at the time while also being very well done.

Um, r22 ... they did, in Season 1. The supermarket baron played by Oliver Platt is shown in a flashback to have found that money, which helped him bankroll the opening of his first store.

I disagree with the assessments on rewatching this movie. I've rewatched it countless times. I actually love the music, as mentioned, the instrumental at the end.

The only part that I fast-forward through is the part where Jean gets kidnapped.

There's a scene where the Steve Buscemi character is naked. (When Shep Proudfoot barges in on Buscemi's "date" with a hooker and proceeds to kick Buscemi's ass. Buscemi's character goes flying naked over a couch.) I think it's a body double, though.

This is probably a movie I've seen more times than any other movie in my life. I rarely watch movies at all but I've seen this one dozens of times and if I ever come across it on TV I always keep it on and I rewatch it at least once a year usually around Christmas and it's still just as awesome to me as it always was. I don't know why but this movie perfectly encapsulates what I feel like the entire decade of the '80s felt like to me which was just kind of cold gray and damp.

Great, great movie. Probably in my top 5. Seconding everyone saying it is worth repeated viewings. It never gets old.

I've always wondered what Jerry had done with the money. We can see he's been embezzling from the dealership when he gets the call mentioning 320 thousand dollars is missing. Jerry doesn't seem to be an alcoholic or drug addict, lives a decent middle class life, no mistress. Maybe a gambling problem? What's Jerry's issue that compels him to embezzle from his father-in law's dealership?

I always assumed that Jerry had a gambling problem, big gambling debts.

“oh yeah…. I hear bells…”

My ex was from Minnesota and the first time I went back home with him, I thought at first everyone was pranking me by acting like they were right out of this movie.

They weren’t.

I was disappointed Emily Watson wasn't more of a contender for Breaking The Waves as she was stunning as the frisky housewife

Unguent!

I just assumed Jerry just had big debts from something like gambling, or that he was just bad with money and/or greedy. It's not some big mystery why someone would want to get a large payout without strings attached.

The script and directors went to great lengths to show that Jerry was morally bankrupt (a used car salesman!) and a bit stupid. What led him to taking the actions he took in the film was pretty irrelevant to the story.

[quote]The film captures 1990's suburbia well

The film takes place in 1987.

McDormand should have been nominated for Lone Star.

Jerry was not a used car salesman. They don’t put factory undercoats on used cars.

I was living in Minnesota when the movie came out and will always treasure the memory of two glassy-eyes old gals as they staggered into the lobby afterward and said to each other that, well, goodness’ sake, **that** certainly was not what they’d expected to see.

The name “Coen” had clearly soared WAY over their heads when they had looked at their entertainment options. ❤️❤️

R33 is that why he's your ex now? 😂

Harve Presnell's first movie since 1968.

The car lot (Ford, based on the burnt umber Sierra) was owned by the father-in-law, IIRC.

R43 Yes, the father in law was rich and owned several businesses. Jerry married above his station.

"Jean and Scotty never have to worry [about money]."

But you do, Jerry.

R41, that, and the fact that he traded me in for someone who made more money and didn’t care if he fucked other people.

R46 was he social climbing or just wanted a sugar daddy? Was he a good fuck?

Love this movie. The show sucks.

The first two seasons were good then it went off the rails.

I liked it then, but since, I’ve grown weary of the Coen brothers’ misanthropy, which is enmeshed in the dark comedy of Fargo, and considerably more so in subsequent films.

I only watched the first season of the series. I hated it for the violence and sadism and never watched another season.