fargo

My favorite movie of all time was made by the Coen brothers.  That movie is Raising Arizona and in my mind the movie is perfect.  Every scene, every line, every everything in that movie is perfect perfect perfect.  It is the best movie they ever made.

And so is Fargo.

The Coen’s love kidnappings.  I am not sure who kidnapped them when they were kids but they never really got over it and that’s a lucky thing for us, because it gave us Fargo.  If you have already seen it, then just go to Netflix and watch it again.  But if you haven’t, then here is an overview:

Jerry Lundegaard needs money (why he needs it is a great question) and decides to have his wife kidnapped and get the ransom money from his rich father in law.  It all goes wrong.

That’s it.  But the trip that you take through that particular part of the country is unforgettable.  Every “yah” and matter of fact line delivery, every plodding step that Marge Gunderson (detective extraordinaire) takes on her way through the mystery will fill you with joy.  And the ending is amazing.  So take a trip to Fargo –and the Twin Cities!– and watch what happens when things go really really really wrong.  My gosh do they go wrong. It’s funny.  In fact, it is listed as a comedy in Netflix, but it is more than that.  I would call it a tragedy with some funny parts.  I would also call it a love letter to a part of the country that I only know via this and the Grumpy Old Men movies.

And if you ever wanted to sum up a movie character in a gif, then here are the two main characters in Fargo in gif form.

Marge Gunderson

Marge Gunderson

Jerry Lundegaard

Jerry Lundegaard

And if you are not familiar with the Coen brothers, watch Blood Simple  and Raising Arizona.  Oh, and rank their ’90s movies if you want.  They kind of owned the decade, IMO.  Here’s the list in alphabetical order.

  • Barton Fink
  • The Big Lebowski
  • Fargo
  • The Hudsucker Proxy
  • Miller’s Crossing

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