OVP: Fargo (1996)

Film: Fargo (1996)
Stars: William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Frances McDormand
Director: Joel Coen
Oscar History: 7 nominations, 2 wins (Best Picture, Director, Actress-Frances McDormand*, Supporting Actor-William H. Macy, Original Screenplay*, Cinematography, Film Editing)
(Not So) Snap Judgment Ranking: 5/5 stars

I am currently doing something I never thought I’d do again-I’m taking a college course.  I studied film quite a bit in college through independent studies, but it was focused primarily on the history behind films, and not as much on the specific vernacular of movies, and I wanted to try something new (I’m currently on a bit of a “shake up your life” kick that involves a college course, writing a memoir, and starting a strict diet regimen-if all three go well, I’ll probably post about it on the blog-let me know if you’d be interested).  As a result, I’ll be watching a movie (some for the first time, some for the 70^th) each Wednesday night, and I figured as a way to get my thoughts out about the movies, I’d write reviews of the films here.

Fargo was our first flick (an appropriate choice for a Minnesota-based school), and this was probably the first time I’d seen the movie in a decade.  Fargo, for those who don’t know, is a Coen Brothers movie about a quartet of characters, lead by the affable Marge Gunderson (McDormand) and the weasel-y, out-of-luck Jerry Lundegaard (Macy).

The movie focuses on Jerry, lacking funds and hoping to move up in a single scheme, who decides to have his wife kidnapped and get his wealthy father-in-law to pay the ransom.  Because this is a movie, the kidnapping goes horribly, horribly wrong, as Jerry is greedily trying to double-cross everyone (his father-in-law, the kidnappers, his collectors), and one starts to wonder if Jerry is just a moron or if he is Job with a sinner's heart, because absolutely nothing seems to work for him.

Fargo is one of those movies that I feel it's so repetitive to discuss the remainder of the plot, as almost everyone in the art house world has seen the movie, and I've seen it multiple times so I don't have the pontificating spirt that comes with newness that I did when I saw The Color Purple or Ben-Hur for the first time.  The film, as you know, progresses in a twisty, uncomfortable film noir way, with all of our protagonists, save Marge, falling deeper and deeper into a wintery abyss, never to escape.

One of the things I noticed this past time working through Fargo is how odd the actions are in relation to the characters in the film.  Perhaps because I'm a Minnesotan and was projecting a bit, I found myself previously assuming that these characters have lived relatively run-of-the-mill lives, which is likely what the Coen Brothers are hoping I'll assume. And yet, you get the sense that they haven't-Gaear Grimsrud (Stromare) in particular seems like a character from a dozen other movies, and seems like a phantom in the film.  Perhaps because I was distracted by the other big names in the film I never noticed how his motivations are so odd-is he just a sociopath, or is he in control all along?  Jerry and Carl (Buscemi) are constantly bungling, clearly in over-their-heads, but Gaear, when he's in the car with Marge-you half expect that she, far more confident and assured than she seems, may have met her match.

The rest of the performances are sublime-William H. Macy nails the bumbling, foolish man drawn in by dreams of a better life than he can imagine, somehow thinking that his wife being kidnapped won't affect his future.  McDormand is even better as Marge Gunderson-a comic, assured woman who nails Minnesota Nice, even as she's out enforcing the law and dealing with murderers and blackmailers.  It's a wonder that McDormand managed to win this Oscar, though-one of the strangest wins ever.  She wasn't necessarily up against any big "princess" starlets (1996 being the year of the independent feature), but her role is relatively short (one could make a legitimate claim that she's a supporting player in the film with Buscemi and Macy the leads), and Brenda Blethyn or Diane Keaton make more sense on paper.

But win she did, and Fargo remains the most beloved of 1996's Best Picture nominees.  I'll let this be a time to head into your thoughts on the movie, but ponder these questions as you get there-what was your favorite film of 1996?  Do you think Blethyn, Keaton, Scott Thomas, or Watson was the biggest competition against McDormand (and would Madonna have scored if Frances had gone supporting)?  And if you were teaching a film class, which movie would you kick it off with?