The Reel Rejects - FARGO (1996) MOVIE REVIEW!! FIRST TIME WATCHING!!

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Starting point is 00:01:30 This video is brought to you by a product I use weekly, Harry's. Without further ado, let's get into Fargo. Oh my God. Yeah, again, like I said, I have not seen a ton of Cohen Brothers films, but this is, as you said, early Cohen Brothers. Yeah. This is a way to, for me at least, get introduced. I mean, there was so many different elements I appreciated about this film.

Starting point is 00:01:56 I like, too, that this film was, I mean, we know it's a true story, but I like that it was really grounded in reality in terms of like these everyday conversations and it was just so much based around like just conversations around food and stuff like this and like I just I loved a Francis McDormand's character and I like too that we didn't get introduced to her

Starting point is 00:02:15 until about 40 minutes into the film I thought that was an interesting choice but I love right away she's so intuitive so resourceful so smart and you see that right away but like I said there's so much darkness in this film, which I really wasn't expecting, because I didn't know anything about it, just in general. But then, like, her and her husband, just you immediately identify right away. And, you know, that relationship right there is like, kind of, like I said, the glimmer of

Starting point is 00:02:42 light. And it's like the levity from all the darkness that's going around. And look, I under, and everyone else in the film was phenomenal. William H. Macy was absolutely terrific. In terms of his character, I understand what he was going through. Like, I get it. I've been, I've been a to push over in certain areas of my life before and like people walking over me, I get what he was going through. Never. And I've felt the need in terms of feeling desperation, never to the point of this extent. So I understand where he was coming from, but I don't sympathize to what he did or agree at all with what he did. Like that is insane. And I get it. The whole plan was supposed to be nonviolent. And they did a good job setting us up to go like, oh, I get you to a point. And then as soon as

Starting point is 00:03:27 that point tipped. It was about seven minutes a movie where I was like, oh, this poor guy. And again, like his plan was, as we all know, he wanted, it was supposed to be nonviolent. He was going to get his wife back and he was going to get half the money. No foul. But it's like, dude, your wife was going to be mentally scarred. Yeah. Your kid was going to be mentally scarred.

Starting point is 00:03:46 Yeah, you get half the money. So in fairness, yeah, I don't, I don't think you fully understood where he's coming from those seven minutes, but there were seven minutes where you understand how a character could do that. Yeah. And then there's a tipping point. But again, like you said, they laid out right there in the first few minutes like, hey, this guy is a pushover. He's literally in everything he does.

Starting point is 00:04:04 People just walk all over him. So from that perspective, you feel a little empathy and sympathy towards him, but still not to the point where you're going to agree with this ludicrous plan. Even to the point where the guys who were about to do the kidnapping plan, Steve Buschimi. They're trying to talk him out of it. They're trying to talk him out of it. And they're about to be paid 40 grand to do his simple job. And they're like, dude. You could just ask for money.

Starting point is 00:04:25 Ask your father-in-law, ask your rich father-in-law for the damn money. And then we see him clearly have no respect for him because he said to pushover, which I love the scene sequencing. Like you mentioned us not meeting Francis McDormand. I thought they did a really good job giving us what you think is the story and then pivoting, pivoting, pivoting. Even though it's based on a true story, there were moments that I was like, okay, well, intuitively, if it's true, someone had to survive to tell us. But I loved how there would be just a random character like the big mouth that would be necessary. but the movie didn't have like a David Fincher thriller thing where it was like, ooh, what's the mystery?

Starting point is 00:04:59 Instead, it had this like novel thriller where it's like, oh my God, how can things get worse? Oh my God, it's escalating. It didn't feel like it, it was uniquely paste. I really like that things just kind of came at you as opposed to like some of the more formulaic stuff. That way when something formulaic happened, like, oh, I know he's a coward, he's going to drive away.

Starting point is 00:05:18 That felt more earned and more like a character arc. And the idea that all of this happened just made it so much more terrifying. Like, I knew more people had to die because otherwise they wouldn't make a movie about one murder. Like, you know what I think? Unfortunately, we live in a world where murders happen all the time. So how bad had it get? And then the wood chipper? Like, I mean,

Starting point is 00:05:36 that's why, you know, you make a movie. But I mean, you call it. Yeah, you called that too with Peter Stormer's character. Like, you know, that dude is the silent escalating crazy type. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, like, and you had that scene too with Steve Bushimi was like, dude, do you talk at all? And then you had that scene where the

Starting point is 00:05:53 the state trooper like comes out and he's just like he's got that deadpan stare and then the escalation just out of nowhere just then the you got that blood squibs coming out i mean that dude was this is one of the more really scary roles from him i mean i've only seen him in a few films but he's scared the shit out of me and dude my noree report he's so intense i love the nernernerty report but like for me and i think the lyric is with that guy that played in fargo i think his name is Steve, and I think the lyric refers to Steve Buschammy. I think it's like a bare naked lady song. Okay. I've had that. I've only known Fargo from one song lyric and I have no eye. I think it's about Steve Buschemy. But I really like that and again, this feels like

Starting point is 00:06:32 it's a screenwriting note, but it's a reality note. I love that it was set in a place where people are so aggressively kind to your face. Yes. Because that made the darkness so interesting. Even when things weren't like when people are aggressive on the phone, they still sound kinder than anyone has ever sounded in LA. Oh, definitely. Well, also too. I think he said it best. Life is so fragile. I mean, you've got to be so careful. I mean, this was very apparent, like, wrong place, wrong time. You had that state trooper pulling them over. You had the people just driving by and you were like... The guy at the toll booth. Yeah, and then the guy at the toll booth because he saw him with his face shot off. And then, you know, it just, this film did

Starting point is 00:07:09 such a good job with suspense and tension. You're like, when Steve Bouchammy was carrying that state trooper, you're like, holy shit, like, just get him out of the way so those people can drive by safely. And then, and then when he was driving after, he was driving after. them it's like then i thought like i thought again this film really did a good job of subverting expectations too consistently yeah and so because i i thought they just pulled to the side and got out in darkness and then it's like oh no no they they spot they were like panicking understandably so i would have been freaking out in that if someone's chasing me after they just done a cold-blooded murder and then they're chasing me and i'd seen it and i'm trying to get out of there i'd be and it's

Starting point is 00:07:46 snowing to and the darkness of those roads like you can only see it's already hard enough to drive in snowy weather like that and now someone's chasing you who just committed a murder. And your headlights are like five feet in front of you you're only seeing that. And now you're like this with the wheel. And they were kids. Yeah. So they're new to driving on top of like. I mean, oh man. But

Starting point is 00:08:03 again, the subversion of expectations very, very well done. The Deacons Cohen combo visually. Wow. Yeah. What a film. Yeah. No, I mean there were so many shots too that were interesting as well. Like you had that one shot with Francis McDormon, right? Her and her husband, like after they just had that 3 a.m. breakfast or whatever, one shot where she's

Starting point is 00:08:25 leaving the kitchen and going out the door. And he's just going about his day. Yeah, it's just like a split shot. It's still one shot, but like split by the home. Split by the home. I just, I was there's also, I really love the visceral. We both were like, what's he working on? And then you hear the wood chipper. And there was a moment I winced because I sounded like gnarled. Like it was just this gross sound. I didn't even know what it was yet. And it was affecting me. And then they turned the corner and I was like, oh, way worse than I could have imagined. I assumed like chains, like something, you know. Yeah, I had a feeling he was, I mean, we both had a feeling he was mute, doing something

Starting point is 00:08:57 to mutilate a lot of his, but I love it, but the movie wasn't making me, us, both go like, and then the reveal is more traumatic. Like, the movie did that a lot where it was like, hey, your imagination, and we're like, you know, 2024, the world's messy, so we've seen a lot of movies and things, and then it still was more graphic. Yeah. Like, this was very traumatic and intense. I can't believe it's true.

Starting point is 00:09:16 So many people died. I see why it's legendary I can't believe this movie was an hour and a half No it was paced and amazingly And also too dude I feel so bad for William H. Macy's son I hope that kid got all of his grandpa's money Oh yeah

Starting point is 00:09:31 For therapy alone I mean obviously money does not replace Losing your father because he's a dumb ass And evil losing your whole family Yeah losing your whole family basically I mean the psychological scars that That kid now they don't So on the edge of having trauma anyway

Starting point is 00:09:46 Like he's like not doing good in school. He just wants to play hockey. Like, he's on that edge. Yeah. He's the next Peter Stormberg. But again, I love that this movie just does a good job, just painting, like, again, grounding stuff to reality, having these conversations. And again, there were so many scenes, too, where it was just visual storytelling. Yes. Like, you have the scene of them in the motel, having sex with the, with the women. And then there's, it's very quick. It's like 30 seconds. It establishes. But it shows that they, okay, they know who these two guys are. and there was no dialogue and then later on when she meets with them Francis McDormand

Starting point is 00:10:20 oh she can identify oh this very strange guy who's uncircumstiles like okay now I because I was wondering I'm like okay it was still I was still cool to see the scene but I'm like what I thought it was there to establish that Bushemi has connections so I was already thinking like plot wise like oh he said that didn't get women he's proving you can get women I thought it was going to be like him showing off to Stormair right I love that it was later like they were more witnesses because that makes sense for a detective story you need to have witnesses to question and like it was great going like why are they showing the scene oh subverting expectation and i also think it was really really cool to have scenes that would

Starting point is 00:10:55 have been potentially cut from other films today like there's a there's a mess in the 80s that i think they show more supporting characters more i think that like have you seen the lethal weapon movies of course i always use the example of like the cat in the lethal weapon movies with murta's family i feel like has a better arc than most characters in movies today because that cat is like on the top of a fridge and the fridge has an an apartheid thing and then the second film has that the cat like is rescued like there's so

Starting point is 00:11:21 many elements of the cat and then in the first film uh then the second film rigs has to save a cat from that explosion and I'm always thinking about how like that shows the domesticity of rigs growing and like that's a supporting character that's an animal and nowadays a lot of movies are like what's the

Starting point is 00:11:37 how can we cut the fat how can we make this cheaper how can we trim and this movie has so many scenes where it's like Vim2 laying in bed at the end was so necessary for my sanity and the scenes of them like doing just day to day stuff made everything else more horrific it made the I don't know

Starting point is 00:11:53 if I've ever thought as much about how fragile life is and I think that's because we saw how precious life is and her dialogue about what a beautiful day that was because of the Minnesota nice that was because of the beautiful tranquil scenes that I don't feel like we get to rest in as much

Starting point is 00:12:07 and that could just be you know everyone has nostalgia for the past but I do feel like movies in the 80s and 90s spent a little more time with peoples. Thrill to be partnering with a brand I've been using for nearly two years now, and that's Harry's Razors. I'm generally more drawn to anything that goes against the norm,

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Starting point is 00:14:09 Stay sharp and embrace the extraordinary with Harry's. time reject nation till next time absolutely no that's a great point and i mean that's why i loved about her character i'm like you just literally witnessed this monster mutilating bodies and a woodchipper yeah and also too like i've also too watched that uh i can't remember the name of the show it's the one where they try to solve the crimes on crime tv i'm blanking right now but when i watch those shows and they're forensic files uh great show but obviously it's horrific to watch but when i'm watching that It's more for the science is why I watch it and how they, it's like, I just find it fascinating

Starting point is 00:14:45 when they discover, like, how they discover the crimes and all of them, like, wow, fascinating. But then when I'm actually, like, thinking about, I'm like, why do, I just don't understand, like, the psychoticness. Why do people do these things? I think it's such an interesting character. I've never seen that show.

Starting point is 00:14:59 Because you have to be a little, I think, no disrespect, any forensic analysis. But, like, I think there has to be a level of disconnect that can be a slippery slope. I think in order to see that much blood, a part of you has to be able to remove the human humanity from it and I think that like Dexter fascinates me because what if you were loved blood and you did that but then like you know you realize there's a reason you love blood and like this is

Starting point is 00:15:20 interesting because it's the other direction. Francis McDorbin is so sweet and I love seeing John Carroll Lynch as a warm character because he's often played as so cold and like he's often in that like dead eyed mode and he's so good here and I think he was in Drew Carey show yeah but like he's so good at both things just like the Cohen brothers and that was such a great scene too like having seen that guy just mutilate and put him in the put bodies in the woodchipper like I'm a very nice human being you're a very nice human being I have a feeling we wouldn't have had that same conversation it's like I I see no humanity oh you'd have been shot the head oh yeah I'm not even having a conversation she shot in a leg and brought him in this is dead silence but like to see that

Starting point is 00:15:57 humanity in her and like to have a try and understand like why did you do this and willie macy might never have gotten caught if she'd killed him we would have killed him yeah And then it would have been like there would be no justice. Very true. So that's why you know, you should have been like, I'd have killed. That's true. No, she was great. Well, uh, let's read off a couple facts, uh, really quickly here from Fargo.

Starting point is 00:16:20 Some movie trivia facts. Yeah, there's got to be plenty of this movie. Oh, yeah. I'm sure there's going to be plenty. I am so tired from that 90 minutes. Like my body was tense from a minute like seven. Yeah, the Coen brothers just excelled in this film with tension. Dude, you've got to watch no country, man.

Starting point is 00:16:33 Oh, no, I want to see after, I mean, after Big Lobowski and Burn after reading, I wanted to see more. You didn't see their comedies. Yeah. Now I've seen some of the dark-ass shit. Yeah. Although there was, dude, there was some good,

Starting point is 00:16:45 levity moments of like, levity moments for sure. Okay, so the snowplow that drives past the motel at the end of the film was not part of the script. Signs in the area warned motorists not to drive through

Starting point is 00:16:56 due to filming, but a state employee ignored them. It was good ambience. Yeah. Joel Cohen had Francis McDormant and John Carroll Lynch conceive a backstory for their characters to get the feel of them. They decided that Norm and Marge met while working on the police force and when they were

Starting point is 00:17:13 married, they had to choose which one of them had to quit. Since Marge was a better officer, Norm quit and took up painting. I love that. That's cool. That's awesome. Very cool. I like knowing these things after the fact. But now if I want to rewatch it.

Starting point is 00:17:29 Yeah, yeah, true. When Carl Schoalter, Steve Buscemi, his character, calls Jerry, Lendigard, William H. Macy, for the deal to be done. He tells him 30 minutes and we'll wrap this up from that moment. The film's running time left is exactly 30 minutes. Christopher Nolan would be so proud. Genius. I love that so much.

Starting point is 00:17:50 That's again, like Christopher Nolan, it literally when he does, like he literally. His lamento shit. I always like, when I hear those things in films. Next feeling is great. Yeah, exactly. I usually count those things down because it started for me. I don't know about you, but it started for me because I'm just so particular. and OCD about those things for in Galaxy Quest,

Starting point is 00:18:08 one of the all-time greatest Star Trek films ever. There's that countdown with, you know, when the ship is going to explode for the self-destruct. It was so off the time. It's still a great film. It's still one of the best films ever. But that countdown was so off. Let's see.

Starting point is 00:18:23 We'll do a few more. This one's a little long, so bear with me, people. William H. Macy begged the directors for the role of Jerry Lendergarde. He did two readings for the part and became convinced he was the best man for the role when the Coens didn't get back to him. He flew to New York where they were starting production

Starting point is 00:18:40 and said, and I quote, I'm very, very worried that you're going to screw up this movie by giving this role to somebody else. It's my role and I'll shoot your dogs if you don't give it to me. He was joking, of course. Well, I'm glad he said that

Starting point is 00:18:52 and didn't shoot their dogs because I thought he was pretty damn perfect for the role. He was incredible. I got to, again, I haven't looked it up. I just know Francis McDormid won the Academy Award for this film, but I got to imagine he was nominated.

Starting point is 00:19:05 And he was so... He was so damn good. Yeah. I mean, he was that, that wormy, cowardly pushover. I thought it was perfect in this film. So, again, glad he convinced them and didn't shoot their dog, apparently. All right, I'll do two or three more. And then we'll call it.

Starting point is 00:19:22 The role of Carl Schoelwalter was written specifically for Steve Bouchem. Hey, I got to imagine. Funny looking guy. And Monde script way. Yeah, Steve Bisham is like, thanks. Yeah, exactly. It's a paycheck. I'll take it.

Starting point is 00:19:35 Thanks, guys. And it's so funny how sweet of a guy, Steve Bouchem he is. I know. Volunteer, firefighter, like, hides it. Oh, yeah. Like, what an angel of a man. Yeah, very true. Sorry, I just blew up your spot.

Starting point is 00:19:48 Let's see. William H. Macy stated in an interview that despite evidence to the contrary, he did hardly any ad-libbing at all. Most of his character's stuttering mannerisms were written in the script exactly the way he does them in the film. That's interesting. Man, those poems right. Yeah, I thought a lot of it was.

Starting point is 00:20:05 was ad living. So, interesting fact. Especially at the pacing and runtime of the film, I would have assumed. Yeah. All right, two more, we'll call it. There's only one scene shot on a bright and sunny day. Cinematographer Sir Roger Deacons hated that it was sunny, feeling that it went against the movie's mood. True, because this is a dark-ass film, so I can understand his point of view from that.

Starting point is 00:20:28 Totally get that. All right, last one. Francis McDormand looking around for a role as a kid. killer or prostitute was hesitant to play a pregnant cop and I quote when I started working on it I realized it was one of the best gifts that I had ever been given and we thank you because you were

Starting point is 00:20:45 damn so good. You were the one of the reasons this movie works so well I was so worried for you the entire time. Oh yeah no especially at the end there too I was like oh my gosh on the ice on the ice I was yeah I was like oh yeah and also too yeah when she walked over I was like oh my god please tell me she's not going to fall yeah yeah and I you know my vendetta

Starting point is 00:21:02 driven ass I was like she's gonna shoot him and then the ice is gonna break Like I thought, you know, so like, who, thank you for having a heart, Francis of the moment, shaking and showing us. This was such a well-done film. Like, I just want to watch a bunch of Coon. Dude, you should. Yeah, well, hopefully. Tell him what you want him to watch in the comments below.

Starting point is 00:21:18 Yeah, save him for you guys, by promise. You can share in his experience of trauma we just went through. Yes. No country. Hopefully someone else has seen it. And also, too, if you guys are listening to us on Spotify or, what's the other one? We were on. Apple?

Starting point is 00:21:31 Apple. Thank you so much. See, we're good. There we go. We got this. please leave us a ring, we would appreciate it. Yes, and there was a couple movies at the top we both rose we hadn't seen. So also like thin red line, we both haven't seen.

Starting point is 00:21:42 Yes, thin red line and platoon. Platoon never seen. So please leave a comment below if you want us to watch those because that helps Greg and us know what else you guys be interested in seeing. So please leave a like, please comment, please share this video. We love making these for y'all. Hope you enjoyed us enjoying but being traumatized by Fargo for the very first time. Much love, Reject Nation. We'll see you soon.

Starting point is 00:22:05 Thank you.

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The Reel Rejects - FARGO (1996) MOVIE REVIEW!! FIRST TIME WATCHING!!

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