Murder with a folksy accent: ‘Fargo’ hits the small screen
By Christa Lawler, Duluth News Tribune | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"Fargo" didn't win Best Picture (though it nabbed the screenwriting award and one for best lead actress), but it did provide a glimpse of the hotdish eaters of flyover country -- a characterization about Minnesotans and North Dakotans that persists.
"Just about every time I go on a location scout, there is someone who mentions how we talk," said
Brace yourself for a barrage of "you betcha" taunts, Minnesotans. "
Early reviews of the series are calling it Coen caliber. Variety's TV columnist said it possesses the tone and style of the brothers but pursues "a new tawdry true-crime tale, albeit in similar environs."
'
The original "Fargo" is the story of
After a bunch of bumbles, there is dead deputy on the side of a country road, two dead civilians -- one in a flipped car, the other done in like a deer from a distance.
The case of the triple homicide is linked to the kidnapping plot at a ho-hum, no sweat, slow-and-steady pace.
This all leads to the famous wood chipper scene.
The movie travels between
The critics mostly liked it. It has a 94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The response
Back on its home snowscape, results were mixed -- which
"In
Verhovek cited a letter written by a resident to the
But for every claim of trash, there were plenty who saw it as a treasure.
"Everything about it matched my sensibilities of what a good movie should be," the Coen brothers fan said, noting the landscape, the Paul Bunyan statue and the use of a wood chipper in a crime.
"I actually have a lot more patience for the Coen brothers' depiction of Minnesotans than
McManus saw the movie at one of its premieres in
"In the first half I grumbled and sputtered and I was not happy," she said. "I said, 'We do not talk like that. It's not even funny.' Something happened halfway through that got my funny bone. And from then on I liked it."
The TV show starts with the disclaimer that is similar to the one in the movie: The events depicted are based on a true story.
There is a long stretch of two-lane highway. There is a feisty hostage in the trunk. There is a reference to Jell-O salad.
The salesman is in the insurance biz and his wife is a bit of a nag, according to a clip of the show's first 7 minutes, which is available for streaming.
The '
For the past few years, Scholtz has been touring film festivals across the country with his regionally set documentaries "Wild Bill's Run" and "Wicker Kittens."
All anyone wants to talk about, he said, is
"This part of the country is still somewhat undiscovered," Scholtz said. "People have mined L.A. or the south.
"I think people are fascinated by
McManus doesn't expect this national stage to lure more film and TV productions to the area. That's already happening, she said. Filmmakers are attracted to the monetary rebates offered to films produced in
"We're definitely the flavor of the year," she said, mentioning more than a handful of filmmakers scouting locations in this area.
"(Police Chief)
Ramsay -- who said he thought the movie was "OK" -- has heard of the character.
"I can only imagine what it will look like," he said. "Better a deputy than a chief."
(Ramsay knows about the pop culture limelight: Author Brian Freeman has a
Scholtz said he's been watching and re-watching trailers for the upcoming series. He is hoping for a hit -- but he doesn't think we will escape unscathed by the return of these characters.
"If it's as commercially successful as it is critically acclaimed," Scholtz said, "I think we're going to see a lot of people making fun of our accents again."
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