Help me understand why Fargo is so good....

[snoe]

@Lemur866

But in Fargo, Marge succeeds. And not because she’s brilliant or introspective. She just plugs away at her job and manages it. And she never does anything cruel. Sure, she’s small town, provincial, not that bright, not that interesting. The other characters in the movie are so wrapped up in their own scripts that they don’t care what happens to other people. But Marge is a decent human being, and that’s what redeems her.

Your comment points at why I’ve always found Fargo to be a very political movie. And the Coens to be very political filmmakers. A political sensibility nuanced with humanism and pragmatism. And, I think, a certain kind of feminism?

Contrast Marge’s attitude with that of Emmet Walsh’s character in Blood Simple:

The world is full of complainers. But the fact is, nothing comes with a guarantee. I don’t care if you’re the Pope of Rome, President of the United States, or even Man of the Year–something can always go wrong. And go ahead, complain, tell your problems to your neighbor, ask for help–watch him fly. Now in Russia, they got it mapped out so that everyone pulls for everyone else-- that’s the theory, anyway. But what I know about is Texas…And down here… you’re on your own.

There are people – and it’s not exclusively a left or right thing – who look at the world, and its history, and view it as a competition. Struggle between ideologies, clash of civilizations. Wars, with winners and losers.

But the history of the world is also people scratching out a living. Making bread, or tortillas, or whatever. Having kids, and feeding their kids, and watching their kids grow up. Not killing each other. Cooperating. Doing what they think is right to the extent they can.

That’s what Margie G. represents to me. Not a revolutionary, but someone who’s doing the quiet, noble, and oh-so-important work of keeping the human race moving forward – slowly – and preventing us killing each other off.

[teela_brown]

@puddleglum

. . . the murder of five people . . .

Were there so many? By George, you’re right.

No, wait a minute. You’re wrong. Here’s my count:

 The highway patrolman.
 The two people in the passing car who witnessed his murder.
 Wade.
 Mrs. Lundegard.
 Carl.

So that’s six, unless I missed someone.

[Jeff_Lichtman]

@teela_brown

Were there so many? By George, you’re right.

No, wait a minute. You’re wrong. Here’s my count:

 The highway patrolman.
 The two people in the passing car who witnessed his murder.
 Wade.
 Mrs. Lundegard.
 Carl.

So that’s six, unless I missed someone.

There’s also the money collector at the parking garage, so it’s at least seven.

[Colibri]

@teela_brown

Were there so many? By George, you’re right.

No, wait a minute. You’re wrong. Here’s my count:

 The highway patrolman.
 The two people in the passing car who witnessed his murder.
 Wade.
 Mrs. Lundegard.
 Carl.

So that’s six, unless I missed someone.

Carl also kills the parking garage attendant as he leaves after shooting Wade. So that’s seven. Five by Gaear, two by Carl.

List of deaths in Fargo

Spoiler warning for TV show: Don’t scroll down past the film since it lists the deaths on the show as well.

[Gatopescado]

@Shodan

Do you remember that Asian guy who lies to Marge about the death of his wife? He sounds exactly like my son. Who is Asian.

Geez!

Ooh, Yaa? Ookay Then! You Becha!

I fill soory for him!

(I shouldn’t post drunk and angry. The movie is pretty good, but I wanted to shove an Ice Pick in my earholes after a few minutes.)

[Qwakkeddup]

@Gatopescado

Goddamn, Waldo! It’s before 10 in the morning! You need help! I don’t even start drinking before Noon!

There was a time, long ago, I didn’t stop drinking until after noon.

[Wendell_Wagner]

Marge Gunderson says that she knows of five deaths. That’s because she doesn’t know about the parking lot attendant or Wade Gustafson. That may be why you thought there were only seven deaths:

Quotes from "Fargo"

[RickJay]

@The_Other_Waldo_Pepper

I can go on and on, with the breezy confidence of a guy who’s had a few beers, about how I’d improve movie after movie. But ask me who I’d swap William H. Macy out for, and I’d – shrug, I guess? I wouldn’t change him, or even anything he did in the role; ask me who I’d swap Frances McDormand out for, answer’s pretty much the same.

Frances McDormand was great and I’d glad she got an Oscar, but Macy deserved one more. It’s a brilliant performance of a masterfully written character. Jerry Lundegaard is one of the great characters in modern film history.

[Wendell_Wagner]

Geez, can’t I get anything right? I meant to say “. . . That may be why you thought there were only five deaths . . .”

[TreacherousCretin]

@RickJay

Frances McDormand was great and I’d glad she got an Oscar, but Macy deserved one more. It’s a brilliant performance of a masterfully written character. Jerry Lundegaard is one of the great characters in modern film history.

I disagree only with your first line. I think they were equally deserving of the Oscar. Macy was robbed.

[Stringbean]

The Coen Brothers have a particular way of writing that appeals to a lot of people, maybe because they reject many Hollywood conventions?

That being said, this impulse has steered them toward stereotype and caricature. I felt that way in both Fargo and No Country For Old Men.