Fargo premiered

Fargo Released: March 8, 1996 Studio: Gramercy Genre: crime/comedy Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 24.61 Worldwide: ? Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: ? Worldwide: 48.98

Directing: Joel Coen Screenwriting: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen Starring: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Kristin Rudrid Review: This is “an offbeat, clever, kidnap whodunit-caper and black comedy” FS about “a series of gruesome murders intertwined with a botched kidnapping.” A07 “Midwestern car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (Macy)…ineptly schemes to kidnap his own wife Jean (Rudrid). When his hired henchmen Carl and Gaear (Buscemi and Stormare) botch the kidnapping, their murderous plan is persistently investigated by Marge Gunderson (McDormand),” FS “who reconstructs the crime with a style all her own.” A07 “McDormand is terrific as an efficient (and pregnant) police chief with multiple murders on her hands.” LM Her “brightness remains undimmed by the horrors she witnesses.” E18 “Macy is equally good as a two-bit schemer who tries to stay cool when he finds himself way over his head in a quicksand of crime” LM The “Coen brothers, who wouldn’t know how to make a dull movie or an obvious movie,” RS “put a unique spin on a murder case, layering their story with droll observations about Minnesotans and winding up with a totally disarming comedy.” LM Their “snowy crime comedy is the best example of the ‘crap criminal’ subgenre, reminding us that wrongdoers are very rarely slick, professional types, and more usually people who are either inept or just winging it.” E18 Sources: A07 American Film Institute (2007). “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition” E18 Empire (3/20/2018). “The 100 Greatest Movies” FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films” LM Leonard Maltin “100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century” RS Rolling Stone (12/30/1999). “100 Maverick Movies of the Last 100 Years”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 2 – Best Actress (McDormand), Best Original Screenplay Nominations: 7, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Macy), Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography Other Lists/Honors: Critics’ Picks: Roger Ebert Leslie Halliwell/John Walker Leonard Maltin First posted 6/30/2020; last updated 6/2/2023.