[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

I'd seen everything the Coen's had put out when I saw Fargo. It started with the 'cool teacher' in HS [a point where I was presently a mere couple of years past living in a TV-less household] raving about Raising Arizona, and a couple years later having a spirited 'dscussion' after our Church youth group [basically the kids I'd grown up with] had gotten together for a movie night and watched [among other things] Barton Fink. We were split down the middle between 'whatta load of crap' and 'are you kidding that was awesome' and you can guess where I fell.

And the thing that puts Fargo at the top is the staying power of it's 'notes.' Some things strike you rigtht over the head in one viewing, then become dated. I have to admit, Pulp Fiction at times fall in that category. There are some times that I literally CAN'T STAND the opening dialog between Jules and Vince, most notably when Sam Jackson fails to pull off his 'delighted bemusement' at the concept of a Royale with Cheese, then Vince plows ahead with his breathless recounting of the rules of drug possession 'you can own it, but you can't sell it, you can buy it, but you can't . . . .' I sometimes picture the line reading as done by Jackie Mason. But I don't have those feelings ever about The Godfather. No matter how many times I see Don Vito yell 'you can act LIKE A MAN!!!' or Apoc Now, no matter how many times I hear Duvall opine on the scent of Napalm in the morning. And I reliably get the same 'notes' from repeated viewings of Fargo. And they're such wildly varying notes. Like I said, rediculous, wacky, embarassing, embarassed, macabre, violent, tense and on and on, right down to the 'boring' center of the interactions between Margie and her husband.

And as 'reeruned' as the scene with the Asian guy was, it's still, for me, fascinating to ruminate on the desperate unhappiness of a middle-aged single man of ethnicity in a land such as created by the Coens in Fargo that would drive one to such an empassioned bid. That someone of such apparent nerdy blandness would/could prove so 'exotic' and 'other' in such an amalgated place that any woman who paid him any attention would be viewed as such a savior.

I can't argue with anything you've written. Much of what you've mentioned is pretty universal for their work, which is why I'm a huge fan. I think Fargo is one of their more mainstream films, and I tend to gravitate more toward their quirkier fare, totally based on personal preference.