FABIO wrote:

Willdog wrote:

What has all the fuss been about? This movie was nominated for 7 oscars? All I got out of it was a re-discovered hatred of Minnesota accents.

I think that was it. Everyone found the accents so wacky that they were ROFLOLing all the way to the bank, the oscar bank! Some people also thought Rushmore was the best comedy ever. It's all crazy!

Speaking as someone who visited relatives in North Darkota every year of my childhood, both the accents and bumpkiness were extremely exaggerated. It's like the actors all prepared by watching reruns of Bobby's World and took notes on the mother.

I'd like to think that the Cohens' career consisted of nothing but Raising Arizona, Barton Fink and The Big Lebowski. The quality of Cohen brothers movies is inversely proportional to how many big name actors star in them, while the presence of the holy trinity John Goodman, John Turturro, and Steve Buscemi automatically makes it great. O Brother Where Art Thou was horrible because it starred George Clooney and was missing Steve Buscemi. The Ladykillers was unwatchable because it starred Tom Hanks, a Wayans brother, none of the trinity, and a sassy black woman.

Ray of Light wrote:

Willdog wrote:

I get it, it's cold and snowy in North Dakota. And the people are dopey country bumpkins. Great, what's the point?

Marge is very smart. That she appears dopey at first glance (and, in your case, on subsequent glances) is one facet of the film's cleverness.

Think of a bumbling criminal story you liked (Way of the Gun? Bottle Rocket? Reservoir Dogs? Snatch?) and I think you'll realize it succeeds on the depth and resonance of its characters. The best examples transcend charicature and come across as real people caught up in nefarious circumstance. In Fargo, that's everyone.